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Size | 27 items |
Abstract | Jeremiah Stetson (1810-1869), a farmer from Hanson, Mass., served in the 23rd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in the Civil War. The collection includes 20 letters and seven original poems written by Stetson during the Civil War to his wife, Abbie F. Stetson (d. 1901), in Hanson, Mass. Letters, 15 November 1861-10 December 1863, were addressed from army camps and hospitals in Annapolis, Md.; Port Royal, S.C.; and New Bern, N.C. In addition to accounts of battles at New Bern and Kinston, N.C., Stetson's letters and poems are full of detailed descriptions of military life and hospital life, including comments on the enlistment of African Americans, the enthusiastic reception given by slaves to Union forces entering Maryland, infantry training exercises, the construction of camps and barracks, soldiers' amusements, camp and hospital food, the uncertainty of mailing money and other valuables back to the North, and foraging in the area around New Bern. Stetson regularly sent instructions to his family on tending chickens, fruit trees, and strawberries. Letters show that Stetson's son, Edwin Leforrest Stetson, was with his father as they left Perryville, Md., for Annapolis, Md. They were then sent south to participate in campaigns in eastern North Carolina and South Carolina. Edwin Stetson apparently participated in General John G. Foster's expeditions from New Bern to take Kinston, N.C.; to attempt to take Goldsboro, N.C.; and to destroy railroads surrounding New Bern. |
Creator | Stetson, Jeremiah, 1810-1869. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English. |
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Jeremiah Stetson was born in Pembroke, Mass., on 27 June 1810. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Stetson and his oldest son, Edwin Leforrest Stetson (b. 1842), enlisted in Company E of the 23rd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. In the absence of her husband and grown son, Jeremiah Stetson's wife, Abbie F. Stetson (d. 1901), called "Happy" by her husband, maintained the family's farm in Hanson, Mass., tending chickens, fruit trees, and strawberries. At home, there were three other children: Melvina Louise Stetson (b. 1844), called "Melly"; Marshall Stetson (b. 1856); and Edith Ruth Stetson (b. 1859).
Jeremiah Stetson saw action in North Carolina and South Carolina, particularly during the capture of New Bern, N.C., but his increasingly bad health apparently prevented him from taking part in most of the later fighting. When able, Jeremiah Stetson performed duties as a carpenter, building barracks for the Army. He died in Hanson, Mass., on 24 February 1869. Edwin Leforrest Stetson participated in the taking of Kinston, N.C., and in various expeditions to destroy railroads near New Bern and try to take Goldsboro, N.C.
Back to TopTwenty letters and seven original poems written by Union soldierJeremiah Stetson (1810-1869) during the Civil War to his wife, Abbie F. Stetson (d. 1901), in Hanson, Mass. Letters, 15 November 1861-10 December 1863, were addressed from army camps and hospitals in Annapolis, Md.; Port Royal, S.C.; and New Bern, N.C.
In addition to accounts of battles at New Bern and Kinston, N.C., Stetson's letters and poems are full of detailed descriptions of military life and hospital life, including comments on the enlistment of African Americans, the enthusiastic reception given by slaves to Union forces entering Maryland, infantry training exercises, the construction of camps and barracks, soldiers' amusements, camp and hospital food, the uncertainty of mailing money and other valuables back to the North, and foraging in the area around New Bern. Stetson regularly sent instructions to his family on tending chickens, fruit trees, and strawberries.
Letters show that Stetson's son, Edwin Leforrest Stetson, was with his father as they left Perryville, Md., for Annapolis, Md. They were then sent south to participate in campaigns in eastern North Carolina and South Carolina. It appears, that Jeremiah Stetson's increasingly poor health and hospitalization in New Bern and Beaufort, N.C., caused him to be separated for long periods from his son and regiment. According to the letters, the son participated in General John G. Foster's expeditions from New Bern to take Kinston, N.C.; to attempt to take Goldsboro, N.C.; and to destroy railroads surrounding New Bern.
Back to TopTwenty letters and seven original poems written by Union soldierJeremiah Stetson (1810-1869) during the Civil War to his wife, Abbie F. Stetson (d. 1901), in Hanson, Mass. Letters, 15 November 1861-10 December 1863, were addressed from army camps and hospitals in Annapolis, Md.; Port Royal, S.C.; and New Bern, N.C.
In addition to accounts of battles at New Bern and Kinston, N.C., Stetson's letters and poems are full of detailed descriptions of military life and hospital life, including comments on the enlistment of African Americans, the enthusiastic reception given by slaves to Union forces entering Maryland, infantry training exercises, the construction of camps and barracks, soldiers' amusements, camp and hospital food, the uncertainty of mailing money and other valuables back to the North, and foraging in the area around New Bern. Stetson regularly sent instructions to his family on tending chickens, fruit trees, and strawberries.
Letters show that Stetson's son, Edwin Leforrest Stetson, was with his father as they left Perryville, Md., for Annapolis, Md. They were then sent south to participate in campaigns in eastern North Carolina and South Carolina. It appears, that Jeremiah Stetson's increasingly poor health and hospitalization in New Bern and Beaufort, N.C., caused him to be separated for long periods from his son and regiment. According to the letters, the son participated in General John G. Foster's expeditions from New Bern to take Kinston, N.C.; to attempt to take Goldsboro, N.C.; and to destroy railroads surrounding New Bern.
Folder 1 |
Letters, 15 November 1861-10 December 1863 |
Folder 2 |
Poems |
Reel M-5028/1 |
Microfilm copy of collection, 1861-1863 |