Jackson, Edwin (fl. 1862-1865) to William Jackson
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00203.18 Author/Creator: Jackson, Edwin (fl. 1862-1865) Place Written: Maple Plain Post Office, Hennepin County, Minnesota Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 24 September 1865 Pagination: 4 p. ; 25.1 x 20.5 cm. Order a Copy
re: Writing from home, he rejoices about having been part of crushing the rebellion in the South. He talks about how happy his father was to see him home again. He mentions that he was in the last battle in Blakely, Alabama, with his trusty Springfield rifle, and writes about how Copperheads should dig holes and lay down in them. He talks about the triumph of free government and says that the country should be grateful and repentant to God and try to do better; he then states that Jefferson Davis should be shot. He describes his life now: he busy helping Henry with the crops, and praises his new namesake nephew. He asks Bill to write to him, as he has not heard from him in many months.
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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