Wheeler, Lysander (fl. 1837-1903) to his parents, brother-in-law, and sister
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07460.120 Author/Creator: Wheeler, Lysander (fl. 1837-1903) Place Written: Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 21 May 1865 - 22 May 1865 Pagination: 8 p. : envelope ; 20.3 x 25.2 cm. Order a Copy
Written at Cloud's Mill near Alexandria, Virginia. His regiment passed through Richmond, Virginia on 10 and 11 May. They marched through the principal streets in column formation. Union Army Chief of Staff Henry Halleck did not receive them and General William T. Sherman did not want them reviewed without his consent and told Halleck this. Halleck responded by stating he had not "made up his mind to let us go through the city." Sherman replied that he would go through the city if he had to "do it by fighting." They comforted themselves knowing that only "a few more days" were left and they could soon go home. The troops did not march as many miles as they did from Raleigh, North Carolina to Richmond but the weather became extremely hot during their march from Richmond to Alexandria. Many of the troops look tired and need rest as they have been on a string of long marches since they left the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. He comments that he has never seen the men look so tired as they do now and thanks God that the prospects before them are much different then they were last year. He thinks that no one will appreciate going home as much as those men in Sherman's army. General Ulysses S. Grant has been received at Washington, D.C. and Sherman's army has passed in review before the Capitol and President Abraham Lincoln. The regiment expects to move their camp closer to Washington, D.C. and thinks that the coming reviews and parades will be the "greatest fandango" of the season. The regiment is preparing for the grand review, which he hopes will be their last. The troops are busy washing and fixing for the grand parade through Washington, D.C. Hopes that they will be mustered out as "fast as convenient" which could be about three weeks. He wishes to be home in time for strawberries and the 4th of July. He was happy to hear of the capture of Confederacy President Jefferson Davis. Writes that he is glad for taking part and contributing what he could to defeating the rebellion. Writes about the many who have died to protect liberty.
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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