1st Maine Heavy Artillery

Item LTR-577

Description

3 pages, original Civil War soldier's letter written in period ink and war dated.

Fort Alexander
January 18th 1863

Dear Mother,

It being Sunday today, I take the opportunity to answer your letter I received last Friday night and let you know that I am well and I hope this will find you all the same at home. I can’t think of much to write today. We have been here so long that there isn’t any news to write. I wrote a letter to Charley a week ago today and I suppose you have received it by this time.

You say you want to know how I like the draws and cheese. I like them tiptop. The draws are worth fifty dollars to us out here, about the cheese that is about half gone yet. And we used up the last of the preserves last night. The wine was drunk Christmas and New Years and it was very nice. The cheese is just such a one as I like and it comes awful handy for I and Cal when we want a luncheon and I am very thankful to you for it. You tell Miss Grant that Cal is fat as a hog. He says he can’t write today. He has got so much mending to do. We have got so that we can beat most many of the women mending. I wrote a letter to Frederick Eddy the other day and gave my thanks to Grandmother for them stockings. You say if I was just sick enough to get my discharge you would like it but I had rather be with good health and stand my chance. I think if any regiment stands a good sight it is and will be the 1st Maine Artillery. The rest of the boys are eating dinner now. I shall have to go to meeting this afternoon and so I can’t write a very large letter and I had ought to write a letter to Ian today sometime. If I don’t I shall write sometime this week. I can’t write any more now. So good bye for this time. Write as often as you can and let all the rest of the folks know to write.

Yours with respect, S. R. B.

From your son,

A. W. Blackman
Direct your letter to the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery