CIVIL WAR LETTER BY EDWARD CLAGHORN, NEW YORK

Copyright (c) 2001 by Jeff Birdsley (birdsley@bio.fsu.edu).

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Letter from Edward Claghorn, 146th NYS Vol., 26 Feb 1864


Transcribed verbatim by Jeff Birdsley.

This is the first of three letters written by private Edward Claghorn,
Co. H, 146th NYS Volunteers, stationed near Warrenton Junction,
Virginia.  His mother included the letters with her application for a
military pension, presumably to prove that Edward had been her means of
financial support, since the letters mention money that he sent home.
This letter mentions sister Mary and her husband Andrew, and brothers
Horace and Henry to whom Edward sends a cryptic warning to stay out of
the army (Uncle Sam is the U.S. Government).  Edward was born in 1838 in
Utica, Onedia Co., NY, and enlisted there on 30 Aug 1862.  He was killed
in the Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia, on 5 May 1864.

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Warrenton Junction  Feby 26th / 64

My Dear Father & Mother

 I now seat myself with pleasure this cold and blustery night to write
you a few lines to let you know that I am enjoying good health and I
hope these few lines will find you enjoying the same blessing our
cavalry had 37 more of the celebrated Moseby Guerillas at the depot one
day last week and I went down and had a talk with them and they said
that Moseby says he is going to pay us striped jacket men a visit which
we all are anxious he should do as we would put an end to his gang of
cut throats it is an impossible thing for him to surprise us as we are
continually on the lookout for him it is rumored that our Cavalry force
which is stationed at Warrenton are going to move some time next week
and if that is the case we will be wholly unprotected from the frequent
raids and therefore we can look for a visit in the course of a week or
two: please let me know about Mary & Andrew so I can write to them as I
have forgotten the address tell Horace and Henry to keep in out of the
draft next month as they might take cold which Uncle Sam might find a
remedy for for the want of something to write I will have to come to a
close I will send you ten dollars which I hope you will get all safe I
will send some more in a few days as it would not be safe to send too
much at once.  hoping soon to hear from you I will bid you good bye.  I
Remain as
ever Your Son

Edward

P.S. Please send me 50 cents worth of Postage Stamps as we cannot get
any down here

Edward