CIVIL WAR letter Apr 1865 from Elmira NY camp Union soldier 96th NY Reg For Sale

CIVIL WAR letter Apr 1865 from Elmira NY camp Union soldier 96th NY Reg
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CIVIL WAR letter Apr 1865 from Elmira NY camp Union soldier 96th NY Reg :
$61.00

Listed for sale is this April 19, 1865 two-sided letter from a Union soldier to his family in Webster NY. The year of the letter, 1865, was puzzling to me because I realized that Elmira NY was the location of a prison camp for Confederate soldiers from July 1864 to July 1865. In the years prior (1861-1864), Elmira was a key muster and training point for the Union Army. Because Elmira has a total of 4 camps it is likely that the letter writer, Riley L. Thatcher, was housed in the barracks on the site, away from the prison camp. The soldier starts his letter lamenting that despite several letters he has written to family and wife, he has not received any correspondence from home. Riley makes mention of a number of boys (fellow soldiers) from Ontario (NY)  who left camp the morning. He surmised that they were headed to City Point or Richmond. Riley also writes about one of the soldiers (from Sodus NY) getting sick and sent to the hospital ward. The soldier also describes a 12ft high tight board fence from which he can\'t see out. On a more personal note Riley muses that he is \"sick of the old hell hole\". There is more within the letter that makes interesting reading. The writer ends his letter with his name followed by \"government dog\". I have done little research on Mr. Thatcher, other than learning that he was in the 96th NY regiment.



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