FAMILY HISTORY: Letter from Abraham CARVER or CARBER Letter November 16, 1864

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
T. Marshall Hopkins tmhopkins1@comcast.net February 9, 2008, 4:45 pm

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Morris Island, SC  16th November 1864
Dear Parents,
I want to let you know where I am:  52 Regiment, Company S.  We are here in a
warm area.  We exercise from 9 to 11 o'clock in the morning and again in the
afternoon from 2 to 4 and then we are free.  But I want to let you know that I'm
not very well.  I'm not used to the food yet.  In the morning we get coffee and
meat with bread and at noon soup - either pea or bean or rice and meat, tea and
bread.  That's our food and you have to get used to it.  We have bad water
because we are so near to the sea and I didn't like the trip from New York at
all.  I was on the water for four days and again one day on the water and then
we came onto land, but the island is not very big.  There is so little land it's
like sitting right in the water.  We all had seasickness but it only lasted as
long as we were on the water and then it was gone.
There are 17 men here from our township.  Please write and tell me what my
agents are doing at home - I would like to know.  I never would have expected in
all my life that I would be so far away from home, however these are such
unhappy times.  We all hope that things will get better.  There are no houses
here.  There is nothing here but sand and fleas and we are rather close to the
enemy.
Please be so good as to see to my business as good as you can and I would like
to know if you have fetched my sheep yet.  I will close now and greet all of
you, Father, Mother, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends.
My address is:  
Mr. Abraham Carber
Co. S: 52 Reg.
Hilton Head, SC

Additional Comments:
Abraham Carver (Carber) was the son of John and Adeline Mostott Carver of Stony
Creek Twp., Somerset Co. PA and the brother of my great grandmother, Mary Carver
Speicher.  He married Belinda Mostoller.  He wrote this letter when he was
serving in the Civil War.
The original was written in German.  Being a graduate of Penn State in German
and a retired German teacher, I was able to translate the letter into English as
you see it here.

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