MILITARY: Civil War Letter from Samuel T. Loback, Lima, Pepin Co., WI ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Submitted by Douglas Graham on 19 March 2004 ************************************************************************ The following letter was written by Samuel T. Loback and were addressed to his wife in Luna (Lima?), Pepin County, Wisconsin. The family has not been able to locate a community by the name of Luna, but they know that Sam did live in Pepin County as the county office has a record stating that Sam bought acreage for $400.00 from Cornelius and Alvina Silvernail on March 28, 1859. Enclosed is a copy of a letter that Sam wrote from Sherman's army in which he mentions one of the Silvernail family. (The letter might be of some interest to Civil War buffs.) Alexandria, Virginia, May 7th, 1865 Dear wife and children, I thought I would write a few lines to let you know that I am well except the rheumatism, and O how I hope these lines will find you all in good health. How I want to see you all and hope I will soon. Sherman's Army is on the march for Washington City. There was about 500 of us that was not able to march so we was sent through by Rail Road and water to this place to wait for our Regiment and then we expect to be sent to our own States. We look for the army here about the 20th of this month. I think we will start for home about the first of June if nothing turns up to prevent. If you get the papers you know more about it than we do here. There was some men here from Washington yesterday and said that as soon as the army got here it would be sent home. They will have to go through a big review when they get here, that will take 3 or 4 days and then we expect to be disbanded. We are camped on the Potomac River 1/2 mile from the City of Alexandria. It is quite a large City. We marched through it. It is in sight of Washington City. We started from Raleigh the 30th of April and got here the 5th of this month. We are to stay here until the army gets here. I am getting very anxious to hear from you. The last letter that I have had from you was dated April 1st and I hope when the Regt. gets here to get some letters from home. Cicero Silvernail is here in camp with us. He is well but was not able to travel with the army. He was very glad to see me. I did not know him when he came up and spoke to me and called me Sam. I tell you I was as glad to see him as he was to see me. There was not a person on the Boat that I knew until I saw him. We was on the great deep at the time we found each other. He says when we go home he is going around with me and stops and have some of your coffee before he goes home. We don't get such coffee here as you make, but we have plenty of it. Tell little Mary to pick berries enough to make me a Short Cake when I get home. Tell her I want to see her very much and have her comb my head. I think of her every day as well as the rest of you. O Rachel, my prayer is that the time is close when I can clasp you to my Bosom once more, but I need not tell you that. You know that I love you better than my own life. If it were not for you and the children I would have nothing worth living for in this World. You can keep on writing the same as you have done but don't put anything in your letters because if I get home as soon as I hope, I will not get them. I do not expect to get an answer to this letter but you can write and direct to the Regiment as you have done. Give my best respects to Mr. Marr and family and Newhart? and family and Newville folks. Give my respects to Robert Williams folks and all the rest of my friends. Tell Robert that I hope he will keep on in the good way and not let himself be led away any more. O Rachel how glad I will be to get home again where I can spend the sabbath in peace and quietness. It does not seem like Sunday here in the Army. Well, I must close for this time hoping that we can talk face to face in a short time. I don't know when I can write again, everything is uncertain now until the army is disbanded. So I will write as often as I can. From your affectionate and Loving Husband. S. T. Loback. Copy to K (I copied this letter as best I could. Sam seemed to use the comma and the period interchangeable so I used what I thought was best. He didn't use paragraphs as every space of the paper was used for writing. I don't think he wanted to waste writing space on proper indenting. He was discharged from Sherman's army as a fifist to return to his trade as a broom maker. I gather that he farmed and made brooms on the side, though I am not sure.) © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm