Thayer, Howard A. (fl. 1864) to Sarah Ogden
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06559.086 Author/Creator: Thayer, Howard A. (fl. 1864) Place Written: Alexandria, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 5 May 1864 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope ; 21 x 26 cm. Order a Copy
Thayer arrived in Washington and was transferred to the first battalion of the " 'Veteran Reserve Corps.'" He guards army supply trains traveling to Alexandria, Virginia. Says he is presently stationed at a camp on the Potomac, and sees troops passing through. He tells her that the whole army is "on the move," and he believes that they are changing their whole base of operations. Discusses the positions of the Union armies under the command of General Joseph Hooker and General Ambrose Burnside. In the latter part of the letter, he reflects on an accident in which a soldier, who only had twenty-three more days to serve in the army, lost his leg when a train car ran off the tracks.
Sarah Perot Ogden was a Quaker from Philadelphia who took part in variety of philanthropic works such as assisting the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She was a member of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America, the Philadelphia Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, and President of the Philadelphia Home for Incurables. Both Ogden and her husband, Edward H. Ogden, were strong supporters of the Union cause. During the Civil War Ogden volunteered in a military hospital where she made daily visits. Her husband served as a Union soldier.
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