Includes: 14 autograph letters, signed, from William Slater to Miss Ann Clark, written from Feb. 15th, 1864, to June 15th, 1865, 7 with original mailing envelopes (5 have stamps present). * Daybook/diary for the first half of 1865 kept by William Slater, with daily entries covering weather, activities and events. 4¾x3 (lacks covers). * Albumen photograph portrait of a soldier, evidently William Slater, a pistol tucked in his shirt. Image is oval 7¼x5¼, on original (though darkened and chipped) mount.
Captivating and significant small archive of letters and diary of a Union soldier during the final year of the Civil War. The noteworthy series of letters is from William Slater, a soldier in the First Reg. Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, to a Miss Ann Clark, apparently not his wife, though he sends money to her, instructs her on economic matters, and gives advice on looking after the children (but never our children or my children). Thus a rather complex and uncertain relationship is revealed, along with details of camp life, military action, and other soldierly activities during the final stages of the war, when the northern noose was drawing tight around the Confederate corpse. The small diary, kept from Jan. 1 through July 3, 1865, with a few later additions, provides a fascinating glimpse of day-to-day occurrences in a soldier’ life, and with interesting observations of the campaign in Georgia. Slater’s writing is quite legible, though his spelling leaves much to be desired. A few excerpts from both the letters and the diary follow, first the letters:
Feb. 15th, 1864, William Slater has recently enlisted, and has had a rough several weeks, “…I left Detroit without anything and after I got in the Barricks I could not get out at all and they said that we ware to start every day we had a very rough passige and hard fair till we got to the regiment and I am working at Waggon making so I think that I shall received my full wages per month and they say our regiment is the largest in field and I can rest my time very well if I do know how the children is right…”
March 25th, 1864, the action is heating up, “…I am much better than expected but we are in very great danger we are guarded by eighteth first Ohio Regiment and a very small forse at that and the rebels has just begun to move for the spring and we are building fortifications and I like this part of the country…”
Sept. 5th, 1864, from Tillton Jones County Georgia, mention is made of Sherman’s conquest of Atlanta, “…there is good nouse come to us as Atlantia and Mobeel if it only be true the report that the Rebbell Harmy is cut in two and if that be true I think that we shall have to look hout for our selves I presume that they have maid a great rade on some of the roads for all our communications is entirely cut off we can’t send any mail nor get none…”
And the diary: Jan. 10, costs of war: “George Young died and I helped to make a coffin and sent to the funeral and it was very well.” Feb. 2, “We struck tents 5½ o’clock marched at 6 o’clock and it ware very swampy and a great many holes and wet… and we had some scrimagan ahead all day I saw severall good houses on fire and as I came up they ware buring one reb I think they killed two as I came to the camp…” And on April 18, “A fine morning. We heard of President Lincoln’s Death we laid in camp all day & at night we had a very heavy rain it thundered lightned and rained very heavy all night."