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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02164.02 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of letters written to Fannie Schoonmaker from Patrick Higgins, K company, 56th regiment, New York, infantry |
| Title | Patrick Higgins to Fannie Schoonmaker regarding his love for her and wish to see her |
| Date | 21 July 1860 |
| Author | Higgins, Patrick (fl. 1859-1862) |
| Recipient | Schoonmaker, Fannie |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Glad to see her picture in a letter that he received last Thursday. Has not heard from her in a long time. "Began to think you had forgotten me" because she had not responded to his last letter. Would "give anything" to see her. Remembers that they had earlier gone without speaking for weeks, but pledges that this will not happen again. Is working very hard in Woodland and says it is the "liveliest" place. Has yearned to see her since Fallsburg. Tells her to give him all the details of her life. Reminds her that he loves her and "shall always do so." Hopes the letter is "pleasant" to her. Often thinks of the kiss they shared; asks her if she does the same. |
| Subjects | Love Letters Women's History Photography |
| People | Higgins, Patrick (fl. 1859-1862) Schoonmaker, Fannie (fl. 1859-1862) |
| Place written | Woodland, New York |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Women in American History |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Folder Information: The collection consists of ten letters written to a young lady named Fannie Schoonmaker, and one letter to an unknown recipient. Nine of the eleven letters, some of which predate the Civil War, are from Patrick Higgins. One letter is from David Reese, and another is from Charles Johnson. Patrick Higgins was from Neversink, New York in Sullivan County, about 110 miles northwest of New York City. On September 29, 1861 he enlisted in the Union army as a Private. On October 10, he mustered into K Company of the 56th New York Infantry. The 56th New York became part of the Army of the Potomac. On May 31, 1862, Higgins was wounded in the battle of Fair Oaks, Virginia and was discharged for disability on September 21 of the same year. Before Higgins enlisted in the army, he was a close acquaintance of Schoonmaker, and on more than one occasion confessed his love for her. He signs some of his letters "from your lover," so it is very possible that they were involved in a romantic relationship when he left to join the army. While Higgins is enlisted, he writes about camp life in Washington D. C. as part of the Army of the Potomac, and departs with the army as General McClellan begins his Peninsular Campaign in March 1862. He describes a battle scene in Warwick, VA, and comments on the eagerness of many in his company to engage Confederate troops. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |
| Civil War: Theater of War | Main Eastern Theater |
| Civil War: Unit | 56th regiment, New York, infantry, K company |