USH Letter Research
The theme of the letters I chose is soldiers, as these letters are going back to family of the soldier writing them giving updates and express the love and longing to be together again. Four of the letters were written by Private Dirk Keppel of the Union, who was Killed in Action on April 16, 1862 at Wilmington Island, GA. On September 22, 1861, Keppel writes to his brother whom is updating of his status in battle and introducing his letters with his purchase of a pen and ink pot. He writes about causal subjects of the uniforms, food, and boats he sees passing by, as if he was with his brother in the moment. On September 26, 1861, Keppel writes to his parents also just informing them of what has been going on with his daily life in the war. He writes of his satisfaction and health as a soldier, the war’s effect on his religion, musicians he has been experiencing, training, and clothing as they must have been worried of his safety and well-doing. On November 18, 1861, Keppel writes to his brother once again explaining why he has not written lately. He writes of upcoming plans to change location as well as more updates, talk of boats, and the weather, beginning to use less content as the war picks up speed. Then on November 19, 1861, Keppel writes to his brother-in-law informing him of the status and land captured, more of the setting with land, leaves, and cattle giving a glance into his life as a soldier. Keppel’s letters to his family greatly expressed his longing with such casual and detailed updates of his life while ending the letters primarily with “Your Loving…”, expressing his love for his family. Sadly he was killed in action the next year. The last letter was by Private Halsey Bartlett of the Union who was also killed in action rather at Bermuda Hundred, VA on June 17, 1864. Bartlett writes to his mother of his intention to write more and gives more detailed updates of the status of his role in the war, an interesting religious experience, and asks about others in his family personally about their health and whether they got fooled the previous day any on April Fools. Both of the privates in the Union army whom died in action wrote personal and loving letters to their family giving an insight into the lives of soldiers. Obviously most soldiers would miss their family while being at war, but Keppel and Bartlett show not only the sad side of longing to be reunited, but also the positive of being able to share interesting experiences they have had with others. As these were written closer to the beginning of the war it shows that soldiers had the intent of keeping in close contact with their family whether that was different later in the war or not. Soldiers have this fighting will in which lets them function during a war as well as ignore the distance between them and their loved ones. How might this idea a soldier’s fighting well affecting their closeness to loved ones be different in today’s society and war with so much new technology?
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