Civil War Letters of Emanuel Warthan

Letter Dated 8 March 1864 (3 pages, 2 images) [Acc001793]

Fort Snelling Minn March 8th ‘64

Dear father and mother
i again take pen in
hand to drop a line to
you to let you no
that I am well or what
you might call well tho
i have been to the doctor
today but it is nothing
but a bad cold and that
is enough i think that
i shall send my things
to McGregors and then
you can get them I think
that I shall send about
two hundred dollars by express
to McGregors and you can
send by some responsible
person and get it if i send
it that way. You will find
it at the express office

[Page 2]
If i see any other way
to send it so that it
will be safe i shall do
so i will let you no by
letter when and how i
send it and if i send
it by express i will let
you no when it will
be there for you.
I have written to John
Mitchell to look out a
good place and attend to
buying and making out the
papers for i no that pop
is not able i want you
and pop to please yourself
in a place and have john
attend to it and I will
pay him i think that i
can send two hundred
dollars more at the end of
six months which will bring
around another payday

[Page 3]
Give my love to Mary
and bable i would like
to have bable stay with
you untill get home
we don’t expect to have
to stay more than one year
but we are not certain of
that -- give my best respects
to each so no more
your ever obedient Son E Warthan
You will not write untill
you hear where i am going to
stop a while we don’t know what
day we shall be ordered away
from here so father mother
sister and brother good by
All

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Letter Dated 30 March 1864 (4 pages, 2 images) [Acc001794]

Lacross Wis March 30th

Dear Father and mother.
am now at Lacross
on my way to lexey
this letter leaves me
well and I hope it
may find you the same
There is no chance for
me to get a furlow to
come home I sent
my trunk by express
to McGregor I also sent
two hundred dollars
by the same express Co
but not in the trunk
they are sent by the
American Express Co
If you send for them
pop will have to send
an order be carefull

[Page 2]
who you send by for
you may loose it
I would like if you
would lay that money out
in a home for yourself
If you will I will send
you enough as soon as
I draw it to keep
you along – I think
that you had beter
get John A Michell to
see to the busness
if you can for I no
that pop is not
able – I have not
much time to write
this time for we
have just arrived
at this place and we
have not found

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[Page 3]
our Company yet
We may stay here
two or three days
and we may not stay
until we cant say
Now I must bid
you good by – by sending
my love to all the
family and asking
one interest in your
prayers at all times
you can rest ashured
that you have in
mine I no that mother
will say that there is
a great change in
man as there is
there is nothing in this
world will change a man as quick as to
enlist

[Page 4]
I am not dissatisfied
with my birth at all
I must admit that
i like it beter than
i expected but you no
that i would rather
be at liberty the
confinement is
hard for me to
get used to work
is making i am afraid
that i shall get lasy
if i have to stay my
time out but i hope
that i shall not have to
do as much as those –
your penitent son E Warthan
To Father Mother Sisters
and brothers good by
for this time

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Letter Dated 10 July 1864 (4 pages, 4 images) [Acc001795]

[(3) at top of page] Pine Bluff Ark July 10th 64 [1864]

Dear Father and Mother
I received your ever
kind letter last evening and was
glad to here that you was all well or
as near so as one could expect
I understood you correctly you have
bought Dares place down there by bottem
if that is the case I think that you
have done well for that is a nice
place and good land near by to
buy please let me no in your
next leter how many acres thare is in
it but I think that there is but 40 acres
but if you are satisfied I am glad
you bought it I can send you some
money just as soon as we get our
pay we have been expecting it for
the last two months but it has
not come yet but we here good
things of it now we just hird
last night that the paymastors five
in number was at little rock and
two of them was coming here soon
you shall not want for money as
long as I can get it to send ya
pay out the mortgage as soon as you can

[Page 2]
For then the interest will be
stoped and your land is safe and
without any incumberence I wish
that you could had time to got
some braking done but it is to late
now but I will send you money
after a while so that you can get
some done next spring if there is
any brush land that you want
brok if you can get that done this
fall it will do but don’t go into
the prarie to brake any this summer
I am very glad that Benjamin
I stoping at home for those wants to
be home and there to see that you
old folks don’t get sick and die
and no one to see you at all but I
hope and trust that the good lord will
spare your lives and mine untill I
can get around to see and be with
you Oh if I could only be with you
a few days to talk and visit
with you and to see how maters is
going I fear that you will not provide
yourselves with enough to eat I wont
have to get upset your apatites will take
fare no they cant be very good old
and feble as your are and sick besides

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[Page 3]
Now you no that I don’t like
to say anything about your family
arrangements but I tell you that if
you and Babel cant get along beter
than to quarl all the time I think
you had beter not stay so clost together
but I should be very hapy to here
that you all get along well and in
piece and harmony but I see that
is impossible for I fear that Babel
is so dilitary and careless that he
wont never do anything I have
made him some big offers but as you
have bought that place I shall not
be able to help him at present
I feel willing to help him but he
has twice as good a chance to
make money as I have it. prety
slow and hard to soldier it at
thirteen dollars a month think
that and tell the poor fellow that
I cant help him at present he can
make a dollar a day I no and I
have to work for the half of it
how come he expects much from
where there is so little but I
shall help you first then if I
have any to spere in the word he
shall have it

[Page 4]
Now I just been having some
more of soop which I have got so
tired of I guess that I must say a
word to Mary also to Benjamin for
I cant make out what is the reason
they dont write often for they must no
that I am very lonesome and
love to read a leter from them
they must not wait for me to
write to each and every one of them
for I have a poor chance to write
and I another thing I cant get them
only as I get them from the north and
that is very slow though Benjamin
sent me quite a lot the leter that
he wrote me and soon as I get paid
I will send for some and send the
money but if five cents would buy
my life I could not raise more but
I shall not spare myself quite so
short the next time but I would had
plenty but I fool like lent it out to the
boys now I want Mary to write and
not delay tell maney to be a good boy
that uncle man will be home
some of those days to stay with him
Now I must bid you all good by give my love
to bable and tell him to write yours forever
E Warthan

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Undated Letter - 1864 (2 pages, 2 images) [Acc001796]

(2) [at top center of page]

follow the regment
I am glad that you have
hird of the things that I
sent for began to get
uneasy about them but
I had neglected to send the
receipts for the trunk and
the money but i will send
them now i hope they will
come safe if you can
buy that place and you
think it best do so but
I should not buy the hole
of it you will have $200.00
now and I will send you
some more as soon as I
get it perhaps before this
liter gets to you I think I
shall send one hundred but I cant
tell until i get it I think
that you had beter take but
one forty of that place for

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[Page 2]
I think that you can
do beter than to take all
of it I think the forty
next to town would be the
best to buy but you can
do as you please you can
find out how much is due
or how much it will take to
for to fill up and then see
whether you can reach it
or not I shall send one hundred
dollars certain and if i live to
see another pay day i shall send
another hundred so you can
tell purty near how much you
will have to lay out to ???
you please for i send you the
money to do as you please with
it I want you to suit yourselves
do so and you will ???? me
give my love to benjamin and family
tell them to write and not wait
for one for i don’t get a chance every
day and when i do write we cant get
A stamp to put on the letter
so I must bid you good by
write soon your obedient son
E. Warthan

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Sources
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