20 December 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Damaged at top left. With pencil note in margin p.1 enclosing "secesh" belt buckle for Georgiana. Trying to stay warm, describes previous week eating well in the town: "If you ever see a city rocked to pieces it is Fredericksburgh." Briefly alludes to casualties which were light in his regiment.

GLC04558.059

1 January 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Continued January 3 ["Dec."]. Written in pencil. Increasing strictness of the colonel for infractions, mentions that soldier mutilating himself (cutting off thumb) was court-martialed and sentenced to hard labor and half-pay for rest of service, marching orders given then countermanded. Regarding the war and Fredericksburg: "No; as I said before I dont believe this war will ever end by fighting. It is not the rebels at the North that troubles us but the rebels here, as the irishman says 'right finenst [sic] us.' You need not blame Burnside for not succeeding for he did as well probably…

GLC04558.060

9 January 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Drilling, describes detail work for loading supplies, size of regiment: 13 discharged, 10 deserted, 2 died,2 killed in battle and 26 absent. Punishments for deserters described, jokes about needing a drum to organize his life when he returns home, questions on family doctor bills, other home news.

GLC04558.061

January 19, 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Mail delays, marching orders given and countermanded, mutiny: "I hear this morning that we have a little bit of mutiny in our brigade. The 103d regt N.Y.V. last night burnt up all their cartridges. They say there a[i]nt an officer in the regiment that has got his commission and they declare they wont lead them into a fight. I wish the whole army of the Potomac would mutiny and leave for home, [I]'d go in a minute." Mentions sending "dogratype" (daguerreotype) in previous message.

GLC04558.063

3 March 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Inspection, cleaning his equipment and scrubbing his buttons; jokes about needing lectures from his wife "Maybe I am a sesech Democrat, but dont know guess [sic] I am straddle of the fence mit [sic] one foot on both sides." Expresses skepticism about the war's early end.

GLC04558.072

15 March 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Written in pencil. Continued on March 16. Describes his accommodations: "The house consists of four pieces of tents, two of which are buttoned together, for the sides, with little rope loops, at the corners, to pin them down to the ground. ... [describes pole-setting and tent raising] ...there is a little less than four feet high from the ground to the peak, and five feet square, on the ground, and as I sit in the center of it, on my knapsack with my portfolio across my lap for a writing table, and my bayonet stuck point downwards in the ground, for a candlestick, I can just sit up…

GLC04558.076

20 March 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Written in pencil. Continued March 21. Has moved to better ground and larger house, which he describes. Now has a stove made from an old camp kettle, so the other boys crowd his house to stay warm. Describes leg swelling and lameness, makes suggestions for house-building to his wife. Written in a camp near Suffolk, Virginia

GLC04558.077

15 May 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Moved camp, picket duty, fishing a lot while on duty; the NY 89th is one of the few regiments to remain; talk of consolidating regiments; mentions rations available. Letter broken-off with orders to strike tents and move. Captain under arrest. Mentions Lt. Col. England.

GLC04558.092

17 May 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Now camping at a fort, mentions guns in forts, describes looking over battlefield where he fought. Comments on home news and jokes that "I might I suppose 'send up a few contraband' to work for you only Uncle Samuel wont let em go so far North." Commenting on Fredericksburg, he writes: "We knew, that that army of the Potomac is an unlucky institution, that it never has gained by one clean victory, and that was done by the Ninth Army Corps, at South Mountain. Still old Hooker last winter expressed himself very much relieved by getting rid of Burnsides Grumblers."

GLC04558.093

22 May 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

"This is an awful lonesome and lazy life to live..." Sultry days and chilly nights; drilling. On receiving a letter from his abolitionist brother-in-law: "...I received a letter from Edwin..... He accuses me of lacking sympathy with the plan and purpose of the war. The purp. I wonder if he think I would have any sympathy with his abolition plan. I answered his letter yesterday and stated my plan, that is, the one I had when I enlisted which was simply to save the Union and put down rebel[l]ion, but still I had to acknowledge that they had got me fighting (though reluctantly) on his plan…

GLC04558.094

2 June 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

A lazy day in which he day-dreams of being home; mentions combating a forest fire; relates farm news from Edwin who was injured and has hired "a couple of negroes;" instructions on sheep; responding to home news.

GLC04558.095

5 June 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Continued on June 6. Camping in the shade and making "artificial shade" with pine and cedar branches; according to letter from relative Matilda, "Nelson was a prisoner in the hands of the rebels;" other news. "As for Marys letter I dont think 'pretty much' of her abolition doctring [sic], she thinks it would be a glorious thing to fight and die for abolition but I dont. It is a sure thing though that I have got to fight for it, and may die for it, but I shall consider the fight a compulsory one, and the death inglorious. Pshaw!" Doubts that there will be much draft resistance; health;…

GLC04558.096

22 June 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Writes that they left their camp and all baggage behind; expects to head towards Richmond; mentions seeing Charlie Tillotson. With postscript dated Tuesday morning noting that no marching orders were received.

GLC04558.101

2 April 1863

Wheeler, Lysander, 1837-1917

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his parents, [brother-in-law], and sister

He thanks his family for the letters and food they've sent. Complains that Uncle Sam owes him eighty dollars but thinks that he will get paid some of the amount tomorrow. Mentions to his family that they should set out an orchard on which they could live and still keep a place in the village. Reports that Companies A and I have been sent down the railroad towards Nashville after hearing that rebels were tearing up the railroad tracks. Addresses Darius (his brother-in-law) specifically and tells him that he will be moving to better quarters. Writes that he had been sick but is now better.

GLC07460.023

1 December 1861

Smith, William Wallace, fl. 1861-1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Asa Smith

Written by William Wallace Smith to his brother Asa Smith. References receiving Smith's letter. Says he spent Thanksgiving "running round among the other camps and at dusk we got up a dress parade among the boys with a dirty torn shirt for colors and in the evening we had a dance on the parade ground. Reports that there was much excitement when drums start beating all over camp, but it was only to get them to get 40 rounds and be prepared to lave a moment's notice. Says there was much action around camp, but that they were not called out until 9 p.m. Mentions other units that went into a…

GLC03742.05

2 March 1862

Smith, William Wallace, fl. 1861-1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Asa Smith

Written by William Wallace Smith to his brother Asa Smith. Mentions high winds that blew through camp recently. Says in less than a half hour half the tents in camp were down, and by evening there were only 10 left standing. Says they were ordered to pick up and march to Harper's Ferry, Virginia to assist General Banks, but another division was sent and the order was countermanded. Says they were mustered in for pay recently and might get it soon. Says they might move soon and all the men who could not carry knapsacks were carried off today, emptying the hospitals. Says they buried a German…

GLC03742.09

14 July 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Describes march from White House in great detail: foraging, washing clothes, giving away blanket to contraband, and more marching.

GLC04558.105

2 August 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Describes the pettiness of an officer who would not allow the troops to land until their officer had reported to him; describes the island.

GLC04558.109

6 August 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Written on patriotic stationery. Continued August 7. Describes lack of tents, current duties and situation around Charleston (Sumter, Wagner). Fatigued from unloading vessels.

GLC04558.110

18 September 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Fatigue from hard duties and false alarms, which he describes. Belief that they are outnumbered. With pencil note of 9/19 written on margin of each page about picket duty in the cold without shelter.

GLC04558.115

22 October 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Cold. Cannot make mud chimneys because sand will not stick; other soldiers enlisting as cavalry, including Capt. Lewis (who did not get along with GWT). This letter is fully addressed "Mrs. A. Elizabeth Tillotson"

GLC04558.120

8 November 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Describes picket duty on the north side of the island and how his thoughts roam. Expectations of assault on Fort Sumter. Promises to send Edwin's letter (mentioned in #117 and accompanies this item). He writes "Not that I have any objections to his advocating abolition but I dont acknowledge his right to 'jump to conclusions,' and call hard names. Would you? If I were to answer[,] it should to say the least have to tell him that a 'radical' of his stamp I have not found in the Union army, as yet, and that however plenty they may be in his section, they have'nt [sic] the courage, to come…

GLC04558.122.01

26 June 1864

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Written in pencil. Camped less than a mile from the front. Observes that shells are more dangerous in the rear than at the front. Discusses events of past few days; wishes his foot had been wounded so he could get a furlough.

GLC04558.143

21 July 1864

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Cross written. Receives letters from home. Wonderful description of night time artillery barrages, comparing them to fireworks. Also writes of tearing down rebel fortifications, rain in the trenches, and news of comrades.Written in a camp near Petersburg, Virginia

GLC04558.148

9 August 1864

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Discusses farm business, friends, camp news, and politics. "I may vote for "Old Abe" if on keeps on behaveing [sic] himself, and calls for 300000, or 500000, more occasionally between this and election.

GLC04558.153