Wheeler, Lysander (fl. 1837-1903) to his nephew, Wellington
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07460.116 Author/Creator: Wheeler, Lysander (fl. 1837-1903) Place Written: Goldsboro, North Carolina Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 28 March 1865 Pagination: 2 p. : envelope ; 20.1 x 12.6 cm. Order a Copy
Writes about what life is like in the army. He states that the troops usually sleep outside and never have more than a thick blanket between him "and the sky." He does not want his nephew to have to go to war and if he comes home he will tell him why. Writes that if the men of the south would have been "good" there would have been no war and no trouble for the people at home. When he comes home he will give him the pistol he promised him. Advises Wellington not to enlist as it will make his mother worry too much.
Lysander Wheeler, a farmer from Sycamore, Illinois, enlisted in the Union Army on August 7, 1862 as a private. He was mustered into Company C of the 105th Illinois infantry and later promoted to sergeant. Wheeler was mustered out on June 7, 1865.
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