211th Pennsylvania Infantry

Item LTR-8542

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 3 pages, written in period ink.


Burksmill Station, Va on the South
Side R.R. 52 miles from Petersburg
April 11th, 1865

Friend Barnes,

I received your kind and long looked for letter about a week ago and was very glad to hear from you. For I thought you had forgotten me. I have written to a number in Sheffield but received no answer yet. I guess some of them don’t think very much of me. I was very glad to hear that the folks was all well. My health is very good at present. A good deal better than it has been before [or] since last Fall for which I am very thankful.

We marched through Petersburg last Monday afternoon and arrived here Sunday night. You have heard all the news so I will not try to write them. The news is so good that we hardly know what to do with ourselves. There is cheering most all the time. I suppose you had a big time up there. I bet you did. You [aught to] get all the boys together with their shot guns and fire a salute of one hundred guns for the Union. General Grant has just arrived here from the front. Lee has surrendered with all his men. I guess the thing is about played out. I hope so and that they will let us all come home pretty soon. I received a letter from Emily last night. They was all well which I was glad to hear. You said in your letter that Em wanted to get the house that we lived in last Summer. She wrote to me about it. I wish you would let her have it if you can, for I think she would enjoy herself a good deal better to live down there and then you could see the boy often and see if his toes have got grown out all right.

The weather has been very pleasant for a week past but we had a little rain yesterday. Burt is well and all right. Well, I don’t think of anything more at present. I will not write any more for I guess you can’t read what I have written for I hardly can myself.

Give my best respects to all the folks. Please write soon and all the news.

Yours Truly,
N. C. Taylor