Correspondence, 1857-1864

This series contains thirteen letters written between 1857 and 1864. Twelve of the letters were written to Ginnie Osburn: ten from her brother Lewis, one from Rachael McClure, and one from an apparent suitor named Matt. From an area near Shepherdstown, Pennsylvania, Rachael McClure wrote to Ginnie in 1857. In her letter, Rachael remarks about the cold weather, a funeral, and other personal news. A letter to Ginnie from Matt in Prescott, Wisconsin, in 1862 offers a detailed account of his journey west; he discusses poor travelling conditions created by bad roads and weather. He also describes frontier people and evaluates his brother's shipping business. Lewis's letters to his sister, dated 1863 to 1864, came from several locations: Hagerstown, Baltimore, and Frederick, Maryland; Alexandria and Kelly Ford, Virginia; and Washington, D. C. In his correspondence, Lewis describes his ill health, speculates about future paydays and the possibilities of furloughs, promises to send money, and expresses concern about his brother James's misbehavior at home. His letters often reveal a definite unhappiness with his life as a soldier. He complains about the "hard times" of "this bloody war": arduous marches and physical labor, uncaring army surgeons, his lack of money, and meager rations. The last letter in the series, from James Osburn to his mother, expresses a different attitude than that of his brother. Writing from New Orleans in 1864, James admits to "very hard times" scouting in the woods near Lake Ponchetrain but declares "Solgering agrese with me for I have not bin sick since I have bin a solger". He recounts a confrontation with Confederate troops in a swamp, describes his role as a bugler, and, like Lewis, speculates about a future payday and promises to send money home. Three miscellaneous documents are also included in this series. The first has an address where Lewis's army regiment may be reached in Washington, D. C. Another note has several signatures of "John McClure". The third item is a business card for a guesthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, with an accompanying small envelope addressed to James Osburn and his unit. The letters and miscellaneous documents are arranged by correspondent and then chronologically within each folder.