Holly, William H. (d. 1864) [Collection of William H. Holly, E company, 12th regiment, Connecticut, infantry] [Decimalized .01-.17]
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02165 Author/Creator: Holly, William H. (d. 1864) Place Written: [various places] Type: Header Record Date: 1862-1864 Pagination: 17 items Order a Copy
Written between January 1862 and May 1864 to a friend, Mary Ann Davis, first from Connecticut and then from various camps in Louisiana (Parapet, Hubbard, Kearney, and Stevens, as well as two regions - Lakeport and Vermilion Bayou). Describes the early Louisiana campaigns, including capture of New Orleans in letter of 27 May 1862, and capture at Cedar Creek, Virginia. Also discusses weather. Shows disillusionment with a private's life - the monotony, lack of individuality, respect - and often expresses desire to return home, though balanced by a sense of duty to country. Includes a number of references to knowledge of a soldiers's mortality, and faith in a just God.
William H. Holly was mustered into the "E" Co. CT 12th Infantry on 11/19/1861. He is wounded and captured in October, 1864, at Cedar Creek, and dies in captivity at Salisbury Prison in December, 1864. Holly spells his name "Holley."
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