18 [December] 1861

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

"I am not disappointed much as to soldiers life it is easier if anything as yet than I expected...." Also, "Damn the schoolmaster but then you know I an't [sic] afraid of him caus[e] why I've got good faith in my little wifes constancy besides I told Israel to take good care of you." Mentions money.

GLC04558.003

7 January 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Payday of $24.26, sees Vice President but has not seen Lincoln or McClellan. Rumors about their expedition. The letter is continued the next day. Written aboard the "Arracan"

GLC04558.006

9 January 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Washing clothes, food: "...sea buiskets which is a kind of very hard cracker. They taste pretty much like any other craker but I have about put my jaws out of joint chewing them but today they delt out pilot bread which is very much like soda crackers."

GLC04558.007

January 22, 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Traveling by ship, sea sickness: "I don't believe I have got over it yet for this eternal rocking heaving rolling bobing head [w]rong side up all the while." Cost of special food. Letter continued on 26th of January.

GLC04558.008

January 27, 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Raising tents, selling bread that he baked, size of expedition. Written on patriotic stationery. Encloses an envelope originally addressed to him as an example to his wife of how not to address envelopes.

GLC04558.009

February 4, 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Settled in camp, weather, price of food coming down.

GLC04558.010

16 February 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

No mail, sickness (fever). Includes a letter on the last page to his daughter Georgiana in which he encourages her to learn to read and write so she can send him a letter. Written at Camp Winfield Scott.

GLC04558.011

28 February 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Sea trip to Roanoke. "General Burnsides... think we shall be on our way home soon but even he may be mistaken...." Expected expedition to Norfolk. Letter continued on 1st of March. Written on patriotic stationery. Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.012

12 March 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Fleet leaving for Newbern, drawing half-rations. "Yes, we are getting to be sober and steady, if we dont it is our own fault, for we have preaching almost every night..." Mentions that the official chaplain is lazy in providing mail and preaching. Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.013

21 March 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Drill, shooting guns, health problems of other men. "The inhabitants are a hard miserable looking set what I have seen of them and the contrabands say that most of them are rebels at heart for all they have taken the oath of allegiance." Rumors of capture of Richmond, Manassas and Norfolk. Accidental shooting of Irishman and accidental bayoneting of another man. Gaining weight from good living. Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.014

22 May 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Pay day. Describing feelings in battle: "If you want to know just how I felt when I went into battle it would be hard telling exactly but in the first place I felt most d---d tired other ways I felt well enough, wasn't at all afraid [of] the idea that we could be whiped by any number of rebels did not come into my head at all even after the Zouaves were driven back among us and I heard some of them say that they were all cut up and that the day was lost, I couldn't see the point." Almost struck by bullet in head. "I must say that I felt some 'savage'..."

GLC04558.015

28 March 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Continued on separate sheet. Wish to come home, regular inspections and drills, farm business, late pay, cost of food.

GLC04558.016

9 April 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Mails, expedition to Elizabeth City by other troops and desire to fight. New clothing, suggestions for farm management. The letter is continued the next day. Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.017

15 April 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Preparations for march and expedition including cleaning guns, etc. Written on patriotic stationery. Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.018

17 April 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Received portrait of family but glass is cracked. Expedition delayed. Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.019

21 April 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Expedition to and battle at Elizabeth City [Camden, N.C. 4/19] described at length: 12 hour forced march of 35 miles, fatigue, errors in battle formation, thrown back and reformation in woods: "We were rallyed again here under the shelter of the woods and the Zouaves were to be rallyed and support us. We then struck through the corner of the woods comeing out near the rebels left wing and charged bayonets on them with a yell that made everything ring and the [51st] P.A. did the same when the rebels broke and scadaddled...." Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.020

1 May 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Mails, frying (and living-off) doughnuts, payday early because the Colonel has "the best brandy of any regiment." Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.021

3 May 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Clothing, trimming his hair, shell-collecting, "I hope that McClellan will bag the whole nest of rebels at Yorktown...." Describes how he drills with equipment and mentions a Burnside order "directing us to inscribe on our colors the words Camden April 19th 1862." [See letter #20] Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.022

15 May 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Soldiers leaving on furlough, one of whom "told us that the Dickinson Guards might kiss his [drawing of donkey]...." Describes men pretending sickness to avoid drill, salute for capture of New Orleans. "You must excuse the looks of this sheet for I have had bad luck and had my ink bottle upset twice fooling with the boys." Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.023

17 May 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Mail call and man's epileptic seizure, rumor of Richmond's capture, news accounts of battle at Camden.

GLC04558.024

30 May 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Farm work (neighbors helped put-in crops), more rumors of Richmond's capture, drills, call for 100,000 men: "I think that the best way to end the concern [of enough men] would be to enlist and arm the contrabands for all the darkeys I have talked with about it say that they would like to fight for the north." [See #83]

GLC04558.025

2 June 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Home affairs: children, horses, business deals. Food: "We have plenty of salt pork, bacon, and beef there has been a lot of fat cattle brought here which they butcher so as to have fresh beef twice a week.... We get a kind of conglomerated vegitables [sic] composed of all sorts of boiled, mixed up together and dried vegitables for soup. It is considered very healthy and is middling good but since some of the boys found worms in their soup it dont go down so well." Describes bread so heavy that the soldiers fight with it.

GLC04558.026

14 June 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Short letter about going to hospital with diarrhea. Top of the letter is torn.

GLC04558.027

28 June 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Shock at daughter Lucy's death, sick in hospital.

GLC04558.028

2 July 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Left behind in hospital by regiment which is going to Newburn, unable to get furlough. Written at Camp Dickinson

GLC04558.029