CIVIL WAR LETTER - 77th Illinois Infantry - Boats Firing Shells at Vicksburg !

Description

CIVIL WAR LETTER
Co. H, 77th Illinois Volunteers
This Civil War soldier letter was written by Frederick Warren Holmes (1834-1918), a wagoner in
Co. H, 77th Illinois Volunteers
during the nine active months that he served with the regiment. He was prematurely discharged from the regiment in December 1863 due to poor health.
Frederick (“Fred”) was born on 24 November 1834 in Hopkinton, Merrimack county, New Hampshire. He was the eldest son of farmer Albert Holmes (1808-1879) and Joanna K. Richardson (1813-1887) who were married in April 1833. Joanna was the daughter of Joseph Richardson (1775-1851) and Joanna Gage (1781-1844) of Hopkinton, Merrimack county, New Hampshire.
In the 1850 US Census, 15 year-old Fred was enumerated in his father’s household with his parents, his two younger brothers, 10 year-old Daniel G. Holmes (1840-1912) and 1 year-old Edmund W. Holmes, and an 18 year-old young woman named Amanda D. Powell who would later become Fred’s wife.
According to Fred’s obituary, Fred remained in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, until he was twenty-one years old. In October 1855 he came to Chicago and a few months later to Milwaukee where he remained until June 1856, when he came to Illinois and located in Clayton township of Woodford county. He was married to Amanda D. Powell of Concord, New Hampshire, and in April 1859, they came to Minonk, where they raised two children—Frederick E. Holmes and Laura (Holmes) Cluer.
Fred’s Uncle James Richardson (1818-Aft1880)—a younger brother of his mother’s—was married to Laura Clifford (1825-Aft1880) in November 1842. He began his career as a teacher, operated a grocery store in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania for a dozen years, and in 1857 moved to St. Louis where he founded the Richardson Drug Company which became highly profitable and was the biggest pharmaceutical company west of the Mississippi river. The last letter in this archive was written from the residence of Fred’s Uncle James Richardson in St. Louis where he was trying to regain his health in June 1863.
“For the last few fears Mr. Holmes suffered considerably with the infirmities of age and a year ago last October he went to Low Point and made his home for a time with his daughter, Mrs. Cluer, during which time his Odd Fellow and Rebekah friends of Minonk made a number of trips there to visit with him and to cheer him up. Last June he came back home and he had been here since then.
Mr. Holmes was a millwright and he placed machinery in mills in Minonk, Rutland, El Paso and in fact, throughout central Illinois. He also went to Iowa and Montana and other states in the west and did millwork.
The deceased was a man of few words but sincere and true in all he did. He was singularly devoted to his family and he highly appreciated his friendships. In politics he was a Republican and he was keenly interested in all current events. Those who knew him at all well, considered him an unostentatious but loyal friend.”
Transcription
Camp near Vicksburg
February 20th [1863]
As it is about time to write you another letter, I thought I would commence one this morning. Well, I am not very stout but thank the Lord, I am mending once more. I have been having the trots but I have been dieting and taking the best care of myself that I could under the circumstances. I also got a very bad cold the day that I worked on the
Gut
but have got about over it now so taking it it all around, I think I am doing fine. My trots are dried up and I am quite regular and natural again. I had my belly rubbed in
Croton oil
and it come out all in little blisters and it is awful sore but it has helped me mightily. I am beginning to find out how to take care of myself more and more but it costs a good deal of self denial in regard to eating. I will tell you what I had for breakfast—a slice of toasted light bread soaked in tea with butter on it, a cup of tea, a piece of cheese and some blackberry sauce and plenty of sugar “that was not very bad, was it?” I manage to have some kind of sauce most all the time.
It has been very rainy bad weather for several days but it cleared off yesterday morning and is fine weather now. I did not go out in the rain any more than it was necessary. The boys waited on me like brothers. We have plenty of black tea all the time and that money was a God-send. You say you think I might come home when I get so [sick] and that I think I never will get get well here. I shall try and get home some way but I don’t think myself that far gone up yet. I don’t want to come home till I can come home honorably and for good. All I ask is health. Jo
[Joseph L.]
Knowles started home yesterday but he had to go in citizen’s clothes and pay his own fare and tell a big story to get a pass up the river (you need not say anything about it though). It is almost impossible to get a discharge but I was glad to have Jo get away under any circumstances.
Matters about the camp continue about as usual. Our regiment has to work on the canal every other day. I believe the canal is all a sham to blind the Rebels. The mortar boats have been throwing shells over into Vicksburg occasionally for the last 2 or 3 days. Our gunboats run the blockade pretty near as they are a mind to.
How are my trees doing this winter? I should think if you don’t have much cold weather they might do well, If we ever get paid off to any amount, I want the house well primed over before it is ruined. I want you to get Old
[Samuel]
Clegg to put you in a pump in the well and an eve spout on the back side of the house. You dunn him till he does it.
I got your letter of February 9 & 10th in 5 days. Don’t see why you can’t get mine more regular. The trees are budding here and the grass and weeds are starting up all round. The boys have had several messes of greens. All the talk and the general theme of conversation is when and how Vicksburg is going to be taken and when the war will end. Everyone—almost everyone—is anxious for it to close.
I spoke to
[Capt. Milgrove B.]
Parmeter about the coal today and he told me to dry up and say no more about it was the answer he made me. Has Horton ever drawed that coat? If he has not, try and get something out of him. I think he is a mean man. Maybe he thinks there is no hereafter.
Give my love to the babies and take a share to yourself. I think I will write to Mother tomorrow. Write often.
Yours truly, — F. W. Holmes
TERMS
.00 postage in the United States.  We accept Paypal.
Postage combined for multiple purchases.  Please wait for me to send the invoice, otherwise you will pay a higher rate.
For International buyers, we utilize eBay’s Global Shipping Program.  We had too many packages sent via the post office go missing.  So we believe this program will be safer for us and for you.
We are members of the American Philatelic Society, the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, the Confederate Stamp Alliance and the Illinois Postal History Society.
We only sell genuine, original letters (no copies or reproductions).  Some of our letters have been transcribed and nicely presented for future genealogists and history buffs on the Spared & Shared blog.
We have been selling on eBay since 1998.   BID WITH CONFIDENCE !