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DAVID V. SMITH was a private in the 12th New Jersey Volunteers during the Civil War. His letters to his wife Elizabeth convey the constant and fatiguing duty of the soldier’s life. Though his regiment served mostly as pickets and guards, Smith did see battle in two major campaigns: Chancellorsville and Gettysburg (described in detail in this letter). Smith suffered from chronically swollen and painful legs. In August 1863 His condition sent him to the hospital, where he died two month later from his illness. Get transcript


Battle of Gettysburg, ca. 1863 (GLC 00248)
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