Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Indiana, Pennsylvania in the Civil War

Letter sent by James Graham to his mother, Elizabeth on February 2, 1865. He writes to her from camp and sends her his picture and a song he copied a few nights earlier. He has little time to write to her because he must report for drill. Graham is a private in Company C of the 206th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers.

This is a letter from James Graham to unnamed friends, dated October 1, 1864. In this letter, Graham says that he has not had to fight yet, but that the fighting in both Richmond and Petersburg has been intense, with heavy losses to the Union. He describes how only one soldier of a company of forty survivied. He says that his camp had arrived on the south side of the James River on September 28, 1864, about ten miles from Richmond. He says that he had spent that night on picket near the rebel lines, and that the picket lines were about one hundred yards apart. He mentions how one soldier was accidentally shot dead by a man in his own company. He notes that another man named McMillan, who had fallen asleep on guard duty, was punished with three months of work on the canal, and that rebels kill about eight men each day who are working there. He concludes the letter by mentioning how it is rumored that the Union forces had cut off the Richmond railroad to Petersburg. He believes that is true because the railroad does not seem to be running.

This is a letter from James Graham to his father, written from the Camp of the 206, dated March 1, 1865. In this letter, James Graham mentions that he is writing after having been on guard duty, and that not much is occurring at the moment within his camp. However, a seventeen-year-old soldier has been shot for a third attempt at desertion. Graham states that the regiment was hesitant to take action against him since he was so young. He concludes the letter by mentioning that certain individuals, such as Shem (or Sherm?) White and Joseph Henaan have no picket duty, but are detailed out as pioneers for the Captain and the Colonel. He says that they cut wood and perform other tasks around the camp. He states that there are ten of them, and that there is a Corporal and a Sergeant out of each company who have turned in their muskets.

This is a letter from James Graham to his father, dated December 14 and 16, 1864. In the first part of the letter, which is dated for the 14th, James Graham mentions how many in his regiment are sick with ague, which is an illness with symptoms similar to malaria. He mentions Joseph Hermann and Andrew Pollock as being among those with this affliction. Graham believes that Captain Mohr has made the members of this Company work too hard and that this has contributed to their illness. The second part of the letter is dated for the 16th of the same month. Graham describes how it has been difficult for him to find time to write, since his company has been on picket much of the time. He mentions that the drills are the most difficult work for them, due to carrying the gun along with sixty rounds of cartridges. He says that sometimes they are given orders to cut wood. He mentions that a man named Joseph Cary has been building a sawmill. He also mentions how a Simon Uber and James Foy (or Toy, Loy?) have been in the hospital for two months. He concludes the letter by mentioning that a shipment has not arrived yet from Indiana and that it usually takes ten days to arrive. He also mentions how he has received letters from a Mr. McFarland and a Robert Martin Urey that morning.

This is a letter from James Graham to his father from Camp Reynolds, Braddock's Field, Allegheny County, Pa., dated September 5, 1864. In this brief letter, James Graham writes to let his father know that he is well, and that there is a chance that his stay at Camp Reynold will possibly be short. He says that the regiment had just been organized that morning and that they might be moved to another camp. He says his rations are light, and that he has not been drilled yet. He mentions that a James Neal is there and is on guard every other day. He also mentions in this letter how he was offered a furlough but that he decided not to take it because he would not have had enough time to return home.

This is a letter from James Graham to his father written from the Lynchburgh [Lynchburg] Head Quarters of the 206th regiment, dated June 5, 1865. He writes his father to let him know that he is well and that he has received a few letters from home and from his sister, Mary Ann. He mentions that he has access to the New York papers, which arrive once or twice a week. He says that his regiment has been at the headquarters for nearly a week in Lynchburg and that the rations are of poor quality--rotten meat and hardtack with no soft bread. He mentions that the crops in the surrounding area are in great condition, but that it seems that their inhabitants need the crops almost as soon as they are ripe. He writes that they are on duty in the town patrolling the streets, watching over the inebriated and guarding the headquarters. He states that there are two cavalry regiments there at the moment, but there is not enough duty for the two hundred regiment men that are stationed there. The heat, the hilly terrain, the unpleasantness of his surroundings, the poor food, and the lack of anything to do make him wish that he could leave as soon as possible. He mentions that there is discussion of the regiments departing soon. He concludes the letter by describing how the Colonel has gone up river on a pleasure trip to inspect the Natural Bridge with the Major and some other officers on a canal boat.

This is a letter from James Graham to his father, written from a Richmond Hospital and dated April 21, 1865. Graham writes to his father that he is in the hospital recovering from a bout with measles. He says that he has been waiting for news from the sharp shooters of his regiment. He also mentions that he has seen in the papers that Johnson [Confederate General Joseph Eggleston Johnston] has surrendered, but he has not heard anything official to verify this news. He believes that Johnson will soon have to surrender, if he has not already done so. He writes that his camp has been moved outside of Richmond and that he will not be able to receive any more letters as a result. He concludes by mentioning that he and the other soldiers have to be careful not to have their personal items stolen, especially their supplies of hard tack.

A letter form James Graham to his mother and his sister Agnes, written from the Camp of the 206th, and dated March 13, 1865. In the second part of the letter, which is addressed to his mother, James Graham writes that he is surprised to hear from her that the family does not receive more letters from him, since he writes an average of three letters every week or two. He mentions that it is not because he does not wish to spend the money to write more often but because he lacks the time. He says that they have inspection twice a week, and dress parade every evening. In the same letter he writes to his sister, Agnes Graham that the regiment has been kept busy with drills and inspections. He emphasizes that, contrary to what some might think, it is not easy being a soldier. He describes in detail the hardships of a soldier's daily life.

Letter from James Graham to his mother, from a camp near Richmond, January 10, 1865. James is writing in response to a letter he received from his mother. He writes that he also received a letter from Agnes, with a dollar to buy bread and envelopes. He describes and that the pickets began to fire about twenty shots at 10 o'clock at which time his regiment was to fall out but the firing ceased and they were sent back to their quarters. He describes receiving mail more regularly and more often, but that he is still waiting on new boots to be sent. He also mentions that the mail he sends out doesn't always reach its destination, and that perhaps both the letters and the boots have been lost in transit. He writes that two more deserters were shot there last Saturday. He mentions that there are a great many deserters over to the "Jonies," and that they are killed when they are caught-- with as many as sixty of them deserting out of the 160 substitute soldiers who served in a Connecticut regiment. He mentions that he expects to be paid soon.

Letter from James Graham to his mother, Camp of the 206, March 28, 1864. Although this appears to be only the first page of the letter and is without the signature or ending page, it is the first page of a letter from James Graham to his mother. James writes that he is still in the same camp and that they are the only regiment left of the Division at this camp. He describes how the Commander of the department has selected this regiment to do picket duty, and that there was a dispute between General Foster and General Ord about what should be the regiment's assignment. It was decided that Colonel Brady shoud be in charge of a camp in which all of the sick would be gathered. He writes that his regiment was chosen because they were good and could be trusted-- none has deserted from the regiment which has no substitutes serving in it. He particularly likes the New York, Virginia, and Maine troops. The 10th Connecticut, however, has many deserters among the substitutes who serve in it and it is much disliked by the other regiments.