179th & 213th Pennsylvania Infantry

Item LTR-8637

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 4 pages, written in period ink.


June 20th 1865
Camp Parole, Annapolis

Dear Friend,

Sir,

I take the opportunity to inform a few lines to you and let you know that I am well at present time. And I hope you are the same and further I let you know that I received your letter on the 20th of June and you stated in your letter that you want to be married and wanted me to come home as soon as possible. But I do not know when we come home. But I suppose they won’t keep us not much longer. I could not see whether it is necessary to keep us longer but for that I could not tell when we come home. But I suppose we won’t stay longer than three months till we get mustered out. But I will tell you something that you shall do. You shall write me a letter and put in that my mother, where she is very poor, and my brother was dead. Then I will show that letter to Captain. Then I will get a furlough to come home. Then we can make things all right. But write that letter so it shows that when one of my friends has written it to me and put another piece of paper in and put on your name so that I know who sent me the letter. Then I will throw that piece of paper away and show the letter to Captain. Then I can get a furlough to come home and then we can get everything right. But send me 7 dollars money. That I can go home with. But write me soon, as soon as possible. And do not forget to send me some money and further I let you know that we have cherries enough to eat as much as we needed. And further I let you know that I could not tell you more now. My paper is very small and my time is short. And my pen is poor and my ink is pale. And my love to you shall never fail. Excuse my bad writing.

Franklin Shirey
Company D
213 Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers
Camp Parole
Annapolis, MD
In care of Captain John Kennedy

Write as soon as you get this letter.