44th New York Infantry - Wounded & Captured and sent to Andersonville

Item LTR-445

Description

6 page original Civil War soldier's letter written in period ink and war dated.

Camp of the 44th New York Volunteers
Alexandria, VA

April 28th 1864

Dear Cousin Froncie,

Yours of the Seventeenth of April arrived in good time and I now seat myself to reply. I am well and tolerably well contented. The weather is fine and warm. The roads are splendid.

You may be anxious to know what is going on here. General Burnside is in the city. I saw him this morning. His men have been passing for ten days. They take the road to the front. The troops look as well as ever and the General looks splendid. He is a large man and a true gentleman and officer. We received orders to report to our Brigade at Rappahannock a few days go. We have sent off our extra blankets and other extras have drawn light blouses and shelter tents and are waiting for six days rations. We expect to go either tonight or early in the morning. We have been relieved on the railroad by the 112th Pennsylvania. So hurrah for the field and a little excitement. I have just five months and three days to serve yet. Enough to see some work even if General Grant does as we expect him to, that is fight and I think he will give us enough of that article to suite the most of us. We have more men now in Virginia than ever before and almost all of them old soldiers who know what a fight is and are not afraid of it. We expect Grant and Mead to lead us and we feel confident that they will whip Lee and Longstreet or leave the Army of the Potomac there will be no half way work. General Halleck sent an order as to retreat anymore as he did a year ago. General Grant will command his own Army and all will be right. That is my opinion. I feel confident of success. No such thing as failure this time.

Cousin, the next time that you hear from me I shall be in the field and as I have been favored by you with letters for the past year so I ask that you will continue to repeat those favors and as often as convenient. Be assured that shall always welcome any letter from you and will try in my poor way to answer them as well as I know how. You want an invitation to my wedding. You shall have the first one given out, sure as I have any. If you get started before me and get married first, I’ll have a carriage sent for you. I shall wait until New Year’s if not longer. Well Fronie, I send you a photograph of your soldier boy and hope you will like it for I don’t. The picture is true in features. But there must have been some dust on the negative.

The face and half the card is spotted. Otherwise it is a true counterfeit of Old Rosy (My name in the Company). This will keep until I come home and then you won’t need any picture for a long time. You’ll get sick of me then. If you don’t it won’t be from any fault of mine. Just remember I promise I will write to you in a couple of weeks if nothing happens and if we get in a row and I come out all right. I’ll spin a long yarn and send it to you in a letter. I must close this as it is about night. I received a letter from Al this morning. All is well at home except Abiger. He was real sick, not dangerous.

The paper is full. Give my respects to all our friends. I would like to hear from any or all of them. Good bye. Love to you.

From your Cousin,

Frasier Rosenkrans

To Cousin Fronie