Ionia-Eaton County MI Archives Biographies.....COOK, Edward H. 1843 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: LaVonne Bennett lib@dogsbark.com February 5, 2007, 3:05 pm Author: THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR February 1971, Volume 6, Number 4; written permission from Editor Grayden D. Slowins FOUR CIVIL WAR LETTERS OF EDWARD H. COOK: December 16, 1862, Washington, D. C. Dear Father and Mother, Sisters and Brothers: I take this opportunity to write to you. I am well and contented. We left the Rapids the 9th. Was four days on the road. We are stopping at the Soldiers' Retreat. Probably we will go into camp tomorrow. I hope so. We came through the Alleghney Mountains. I tell you it looked scary when the rocks were 200 feet over our heads; but we came through safe. When we got to Pittsburgh they had supper for us and it didn't come bad neither. We changed cars at Toledo and then again at Pittsburgh and then at Baltimore. There they had supper for us. Then at ten o'clock we took the cars for Washington. Got here at daylight. General Burnsides is fighting at Fredericksburg now. He commenced last Thursday and they haven't got done yet. He has burned the city or most of it. It is getting dark now so I will quit for the present. December 19. News came in last night that we are whipped and our army is in full retreat from Fredericksburg. It is reported that we have lost 20,000 men in our last battle. We have not gone into camp yet. I am all well today except a little wound I got this morning. I was feeding my horse some turnips and he bit my thumb. I guess I will soon recover. I wrote a letter to you and sent it by Mr. Friend. I haven't got but 3 postage stamps left. Them stamps that I took off them letters passed quickly. I just took some dirt on it and they went on as good as new ones. We have not got any pay yet. I asked the Captain last night when he was going to have our pay and he said in about ten days. You may send me some stamps if you are a mind to. Edward H. Cook Washington, D.C., December 29, 1862 Dear Father and Mother: I am well and tough and so is all the boys that come from Sebewa. We have moved our camp up on the big sand hill where we expect to remain through the winter. Everything is gay around us. Lieut. Reahm took us down through the city the other day. Christmas it was they was firing cannon all day and night. Our horses jumped around some. I haven't got but one letter from you since I left here. I should think it was time. I would like to have you write me a little oftener if you can as well as not. It is nice weather here now. I can't think of anything to write about; in fact, there hain't one thing, so here it goes. Edward H. Cook Washington, February 15, 1863 Dear Father, Mother, Sisters and Brothers: I am yet alive and well. Everything is gay. I received a letter from you last week stating that Frank Ricer was dead. Sorry to hear of her death. I hope that money I sent you went through safe. I wrote you a letter the 12th and put 20 in greenbacks in it. It being in only bills I guess that it will be pretty apt to go through safe. I hope so anyway. If it don't, I can't help it. Whenever I send any money I want you should answer it as soon as you can. We are here in Washington yet but I can't tell how long we will remain here no more than you can nor half as well, for when we leave here (Washington) we won't know no more than two hours before as we are ready to start so you can see that I can't tell anything about it as far as my part. I am ready to start at anytime. I saw (illegible) up here on the camp grounds last week. I asked him when he was going home and he said he would not go home until he died. He is in the War Department at present. He said he would be up here on the camp grounds every few days. I hope he will. We have nice times drilling with our horses especially when we are firing off our guns. The folks around here seem to think the war will close soon. I hope it will. I hain't getting homesick I want you should understand. It has been raining for today. The roads are very muddy. We had a horse race yesterday of the whole regiment. The Colonel's horse run on a bet and is going to run tomorrow in a bet of $100. I guess he will lose it. He is going to run with the same horse that he run with yesterday. The privates run their horses also. Edward H. Cook March 25, 1864 Dear Mother: I have not received but one letter from home this month. It can't be possible that you write me a letter every week nor even twice a week. If you did, I should get more letters than I do from home. They don't average one in three weeks. I wrote you a letter a few days since. On the night of the 20th, the snow fell eight inches deep and Co. E was out on picket and a nice time we had too. It commenced raining yesterday about three o'clock in the afternoon and it rained until this morning. It is expected that the Army of the Potomac will move soon provided the weather is favorable. I hear by Josiah's letter that Ursula was married to Walter Dann but I don't credit it. It don't seem hardly possible but still it may be fact after all. The boys here in the company make lots of fun about it and I hain't much behind them. They think that Ursula must be hard up and that is my humble opinion on the subject. If this be the case, you needn't mind about letting him see the letter. Edward H. Cook You will find this letter some blotted. (Editor's note: Ursula did not marry Walter Dann. Edward was born in 1843, the son of Pierce G. and Ursula Cook. His sister, Ursula was three years younger than he. Edward was born in New York state and Ursula in Michigan. Others in the family were Marie (1849), Charles P. (1854), Harriet (1856) and Elizabeth (1863). Edward was to be captured and die of starvation in Andersonville Prison.) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/bios/cook433gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mifiles/ File size: 6.3 Kb