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2013.70.37
Harrison’s Landing Tenn River
Oct. the 14th 1863.
My Darling Wife,
Your letter of the 27th of September came to hand this forenoon. the mail boy bringing the mail
all the distance from Chattanooga in a heavy rainstorm. & now my own sweet Wife I know not
how to thank you half enough for so kind & loving a letter. Yes my love it interested my whole
sole [sic] to think my poor dear Wife was yet in suspense in regard to my safety after the terrible
battle of the Chickamauga had been fought: how I killed you from the inmost recesses of my
heart. Oh dear Sadie I can see you now how anxously [sic] you watched the papers to hear from
me. Darling you said you love me tenderly. need I have any more exhibition of it to convince me
of it – you always was so good and kind so interested in my well fare [sic]. but ere you recieve
[sic] this you must certainly have rec’d [sic] my previous letters. So the whole thing –
Page 2
will have been explained – what a narrow escape I had indeed & many times since I’ve thought it
almost providential that I succeeded in getting away & every person in our Regiment & Many
Staff Officers who called on me whilst I was sick all had given me up as captured - My Dear
wife I wrote you frequently so that you would know of my whereabouts &c but I presume the
Rebs captured a goodly portion of our mail as they have made quite an extensive raid in our rear
– on our supply trains &c. Ime [sic] doing well. busy my self [sic] in posting my Co. Books and
making out My Quarter Masters returns to Washington & also returns of Ordnance [Stores] &c.
and as soon as they are completed I shall send copies to you for safe keeping. I intend to have my
accts all square with U.S. A goodly portion of my time is devoted to reading &c. have perused
several of Harpers Weeklies. And find some very interesting Stories in them. some of them (you
will guess love stories) reminded me of older times when you were my intended. I hope soon to
Able to do duty and then I know it will be so much more
Page 3
Cheerful for me. I do not know that I will Stay in the Co. a great while longer. I think I shall
accept ere long a position in the Topographical Dept. & Stay there during the war. I think [sur] it
would do better for me as that is my profession and to [cmmnd] a Co. of mounted Infantry
Picketing a little area of county is not enough safe for me. I will send you the act.[sic] Picture he
gave it me a few days ago for you – You can prize it as you will but I’me [sic] shure [sic] it is a
good & faithful likeness of the original & will do quite an addition to your collection of Pictures.
He looks considerable older then [sic] he did whilst at Rockford. I rec’d [sic] a picture of My
�Cousin Ellen Baird of whom you have heard me speak the eccentric girl. She is now female
physician & mattron [sic] of the Kingston Water Cure Establishment Ind. She has given up
lecturing on Reform, on the acct [sic] of health – she married a Mr Harman some four years ago
& he only lived one year & her sister
Page 4
Julia Baird says every [sic] since his death she has worn an expression of Grief & Melencholly
[sic] – such was the shock to her and he sympathized [sic] & agreed exactly with her in her
peculiar ideas concerning dress & Reform in general. She says indeed that no other person could
be to her as he had I know you will laugh heartily at her dress & think it very unbecoming – so
do I. I would rather see her attired in a dress. but she claims it on the acct [sic] of health &
cirtainly [sic] she does more in the course of one year – lecturing – reading writing practicing
medicine –working in the gardens &c than any two of her family - Julia sent me the Picture. I
Should have enjoyed my self with you at the “Mill” no doubt you had a good time. Now do not
worry concing [sic] me – I will be allright[sic] I hope soon to get our Pay so that I can send you
some The [Government owes] the [boys] & myself abut[sic] 4 monts [sic] pay – May I hear from
you soon my Darling wife. Yr Affct Husband
C T Dunham
To Sadie
Love to all.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
The Bittle Civil War Letter Collection includes letters written between 1861 and 1865 by brothers Robert (Bert), George and Charles Sealy, their sister Mary, and another relative, Christopher T. Dunham.
The Sealy siblings - Charles, George, Robert, and Mary Ann - were all born in Castle Cary, Somersetshire, England to Richard Sealy and Maria Louisa Champion Sealy. The family moved to Rochester, New York around 1843, finally settling in Rockford, Illinois in 1855.
When the Civil War arrived, Charles Sealy enlisted in the Company G 44th Regiment of the Illinois Infantry from Winnebago County. Meanwhile George and Robert Sealy each enlisted in the Company G 45th Illinois Volunteers. Charles was injured and eventually captured during the battle of Chickamauga. He was taken to Andersonville Prison where he died June 10, 1864.
Robert and George Sealy were present at the Battle and Fall of Vicksburg and survived to see the end of the war and beyond. George returned to Rockford, Illinois and worked for Emerson, Talcott & Co. He died in 1909. Robert moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1868. He died in 1888.
Christopher T. Dunham (connected to the Sealy family through his daughter’s marriage), lived in Freeport, Illinois starting in 1856 and worked as county surveyor. He enlisted in the 11th Illinois Regiment of the Union Army and served on and off throughout the Civil War. He and Sarah Cummings married in 1862. After the war he returned to his surveying work in Freeport, but was admitted to the Elgin Insane Asylum in 1872 where he died 6 years later.
The letters speak of their experiences serving in the army, of their camp sites, and plans, and are a record of the confusion and stress families back home felt during this time.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1861-1865
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Midway Village Museum
Title
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Bittle Civil War Letter Collection
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
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Letter
Text
Any textual data included in the document
2013.70.37
Harrison’s Landing Tenn River
Oct. the 14th 1863.
My Darling Wife,
Your letter of the 27th of September came to hand this forenoon. the mail boy bringing the mail all the distance from Chattanooga in a heavy rainstorm. & now my own sweet Wife I know not how to thank you half enough for so kind & loving a letter. Yes my love it interested my whole sole [sic] to think my poor dear Wife was yet in suspense in regard to my safety after the terrible battle of the Chickamauga had been fought: how I killed you from the inmost recesses of my heart. Oh dear Sadie I can see you now how anxously [sic] you watched the papers to hear from me. Darling you said you love me tenderly. need I have any more exhibition of it to convince me of it – you always was so good and kind so interested in my well fare [sic]. but ere you recieve [sic] this you must certainly have rec’d [sic] my previous letters. So the whole thing –
Page 2
will have been explained – what a narrow escape I had indeed & many times since I’ve thought it almost providential that I succeeded in getting away & every person in our Regiment & Many Staff Officers who called on me whilst I was sick all had given me up as captured - My Dear wife I wrote you frequently so that you would know of my whereabouts &c but I presume the Rebs captured a goodly portion of our mail as they have made quite an extensive raid in our rear – on our supply trains &c. Ime [sic] doing well. busy my self [sic] in posting my Co. Books and making out My Quarter Masters returns to Washington & also returns of Ordnance [Stores] &c. and as soon as they are completed I shall send copies to you for safe keeping. I intend to have my accts all square with U.S. A goodly portion of my time is devoted to reading &c. have perused several of Harpers Weeklies. And find some very interesting Stories in them. some of them (you will guess love stories) reminded me of older times when you were my intended. I hope soon to Able to do duty and then I know it will be so much more
Page 3
Cheerful for me. I do not know that I will Stay in the Co. a great while longer. I think I shall accept ere long a position in the Topographical Dept. & Stay there during the war. I think [sur] it would do better for me as that is my profession and to [cmmnd] a Co. of mounted Infantry Picketing a little area of county is not enough safe for me. I will send you the act.[sic] Picture he gave it me a few days ago for you – You can prize it as you will but I’me [sic] shure [sic] it is a good & faithful likeness of the original & will do quite an addition to your collection of Pictures. He looks considerable older then [sic] he did whilst at Rockford. I rec’d [sic] a picture of My Cousin Ellen Baird of whom you have heard me speak the eccentric girl. She is now female physician & mattron [sic] of the Kingston Water Cure Establishment Ind. She has given up lecturing on Reform, on the acct [sic] of health – she married a Mr Harman some four years ago & he only lived one year & her sister
Page 4
Julia Baird says every [sic] since his death she has worn an expression of Grief & Melencholly [sic] – such was the shock to her and he sympathized [sic] & agreed exactly with her in her peculiar ideas concerning dress & Reform in general. She says indeed that no other person could be to her as he had I know you will laugh heartily at her dress & think it very unbecoming – so do I. I would rather see her attired in a dress. but she claims it on the acct [sic] of health & cirtainly [sic] she does more in the course of one year – lecturing – reading writing practicing medicine –working in the gardens &c than any two of her family - Julia sent me the Picture. I Should have enjoyed my self with you at the “Mill” no doubt you had a good time. Now do not worry concing [sic] me – I will be allright[sic] I hope soon to get our Pay so that I can send you some The [Government owes] the [boys] & myself abut[sic] 4 monts [sic] pay – May I hear from you soon my Darling wife. Yr Affct Husband
C T Dunham
To Sadie
Love to all.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Christopher T. Dunham to his wife Sarah E. (Sadie) Cummings written October 14, 1863 at Harrison's Landing, Tennessee River
Description
An account of the resource
Christopher Theodore Dunham was born Sept 24, 1836 in Berkshire, Tioga County, NY. He moved to Freeport, Stephenson County, IL around 1856 and in 1860 was elected county surveyor. In the spring of 1861 he enlisted as a corporal in Capt. Atkin's company in the 11th Illinois Regiment of the Union Army. He transferred to Noleman's Calvary Company and was mustered out July 5, 1862. He returned to Freeport where he again enlisted under the President's call of July 1. 1862 and was elected Captain of Company F, 92nd Illinois Volunteers. With his background as a surveyor, he was detailed as Topographical officer on the staff of Brigadier General A. Baird, commander of his regiment's division. He married Sarah (“Sadie” or “Saddie”) E. Cummings September 22, 1862 in Freeport, Illinois. In 1864 he was tendered by Governor Yates the commission of Lt. Col. but turned it down to remain on staff duty. He was also attached to HQ 3rd Div. Army of Kentucky and HQ 1st Div. Reserve Army Corps. After returning to Freeport he was again surveying, but in 1872 was admitted to the Elgin Insane Asylum, where he died January 27, 1878.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
October 14, 1863
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Midway Village Museum
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Christopher Theodore Dunham
Format
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jpeg
pdf
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2013.70.37
Christopher T. Dunham
Civil War 1861-1865
Correspondence
Freeport, Illinois
Harrison's Landing
Midway Village Museum
Sarah E. (Sadie) Cummings
Tennessee River