2161----1864 CW letter Ernest Lapham 25th Ohio Infantry - Scipio Seneca County

Description

2161----1864 CW letter Ernest Lapham 25th Ohio Infantry - Scipio Seneca County
2161----1864 CW letter Ernest Lapham 25th Ohio Infantry - Scipio Seneca County
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Description
Original 1864 Civil War letter from Ernest Lapham, a member of the 25th Ohio Infantry.
Writing to his sister , dated March 23, 1864 just after leaving Camp Chase in Ohio.
I cannot make out the town he is in, but location is written as "Camp near ???." He writes later that he lays near Alexandria.    Lapham writes of his travels across Pennsylvania, Washington DC, New York, and New Jersey.
(It appears his orders were changed from the intended trip to the front in Charleston SC)
Staying at the "Soldiers Retreat" in Washington, he writes of the long bridge across the Potomac, and never seeing cars aboard a ship before. Their trip to DC was welcomed in the city with a very large celebration and reported on the front page of the Belmont Chronicle back in Ohio (see clipping).
In the letter he mentions 3 members of the 25th who I assume he knows from his hometown.
Those include Leon Smith who contracted the mumps, John Sparks, and Jacob Lips. All three of these men were accounted for in my research (please review the images). Lips later committed suicide in 1895.   All four men were in Company G.
Ernest Lapham was only 18 when he enlisted and mustered into Company G, about a month before sending this letter home. Leon Smith enlisted on the same day. As for Sparks and Lips, they were veterans of the 25th and had been in the service since they both enlisted on the same day back in 1861.
According to the 1860 census, Ernest was the son of Stephen Lapham, a carpenter back in Seneca County.   (Stephen actually enlisted in May of 1864.)   After the war, Ernest left Ohio and lived out his life in Kansas. Although not mentioned by name in the letter, the sister I assume Ernest was writing to must be Ella. She was only 2 years younger than Ernest, and his other sisters were much younger.    Interesting to note here, that Ella actually lived in the same part of Kansas after the war, and Ernest even named his daughter after her, so let's assume the siblings were very close.    Please review the photo of Ella I came across, and all the research materials.  These items are not included with the sale of the letter, but the buyer is welcome to print them.
The letter is 3 pages long and was written on unique Abraham Lincoln Presidential Cabinet letterhead.
It remains in good readable condition with some discoloration. The page is partly separated at the natural fold, so please handle with care. I have transcribed the letter below, and was able to decipher about 95%.
Camp near ???
Mar 23/1864
Dear Sister
To night as I have just came off guard and as my relief does not go on till 3 in the morning I thought I would write you a few lines to let you know I was in the land of the living and where we are.  When we left Camp Chase we started for NY to take the boat for Charleston but after we got to NY our orders were ??? and so we started for Washington we left NY in the morning of the 21 we took the boat for Amboy in New Jersey some 30 miles from New York It was a nice ride we were some 3 hours ???
Now I can say I have been on the salt water we took the cars at Amboy for Philadelphia we went across the river to Philadelphia on the ferry boat.  We got our dinner at Philadelphia.   It was a good one we were used the best at Philadelphia than any place we have been we crossed the river at Havre de Grace on the cars and then were on the boat.  It was the first time I was ever on board the cars and the cars on board of a boat.  The river was about ½ ride we stayed last night at the Soldier’s Retreat this morning we crossed on the long bridge on the Potomac the bridge is the longest I ever saw it is 1 mile long.  We lay near Alexandria at Fort ???? John Sparks + Jacob Lips
revisited.   Lips left us in Pennsylvania.  I was guard to day on the wagon.  Leon Smith was sent to the hospital last night he has got the mumps on one side of his face.  I do not know what time we will leave here for the front.  We leave these barracks tomorrow for our tents which came to night.  I want Pa to send me 3 dollars and some postage stamps.  ??? your letters via Washington DC.  I am well and hearty.  I have not received no letters since I left home.  Send me some of my pictures.  Good By Ernest Lapham
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