Jackson, Edwin (fl. 1862-1865) to William Jackson
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00203.13 Author/Creator: Jackson, Edwin (fl. 1862-1865) Place Written: Camp Bedford, Helena, Arkansas Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 14 July 1864 Pagination: 4 p. ; 25.2 x 20.9 cm. Order a Copy
re: The troops are in Arkansas, and he often has to stand guard duty; however, he would much rather be in the South and "run the chance of being shot and killed out and out" than be in Dakota "and be killed by degrees." He tells Bill not to worry about him, and that he and his fellow soldiers often feel that those at home are in more danger than they are in the field. He sends his patriotic regards to a boy that came home without an arm, and offers to kill a Rebel for him, reminding him that it is better to be wounded or killed than to be a Copperhead. He mentions a letter from Mrs. Thorn, the warm weather and his continuing good health, and reports that others at home and in "Selina" are well.
Edwin Jackson, a farmer from Minnetonka, Minnesota, served as a private in Company D of the 6th Minnesota Volunteers for three years, from August 1862 to August 1865. His regiment first fought the Dakota Indians in the Dakota-U.S. Conflict of 1862; they then continued fighting Indians in Minnesota, the Dakota Territory, and along the Missouri River. The last fourteen months of his enlistment are spent in various camps in Arkansas, Missouri, and Alabama.
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