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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC03523.31.05 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of Ira Blanchard, H company, 20th regiment, Illinois, infantry |
| Title | Ira Blanchard to Mary (Wright) Kellogg discussing missing the company of women, the weather and camp life |
| Date | 3 July 1861 |
| Author | Blanchard, Ira (b. 1835) |
| Recipient | Kellogg, Mary Wright |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Blanchard writes to Mary Wright from Camp Pope. Discusses his loneliness for the female sex, "You know it is not nature to be thus alone." Mentions shaving his whiskers close to his face and getting a severe cold. Comments on the constant rain, damp clothing, and difficult marches. Describes the tent structure of the camp, "... all arranged in beautiful order like streets in a city..." Remarks that two men had been shot, one very seriously. Describes the severely injured man's prayer, "... O Lord let me live this time." Reports the Lord must have heard the man's prayer because he lived. Says the line of encampment is two miles long and there are more than 250,000 men in the field. Letter has a Union emblem on it. |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Union Forces Soldier's Letter Union Soldier's Letter Sexuality Women's History Health and Medical Personal Hygiene Military Camp Injury or Wound Religion Patriotic Stationery and Postal Covers |
| People | Blanchard, Ira (b. 1835) Kellogg, Mary Wright (1844-1912) |
| Place written | Alton, Illinois |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Religion; Women in American History |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Folder Information: This collection consists chiefly of correspondence from Ira Blanchard, Lieutenant, Company H, 29th Illinois Infantry, to Mary (Wright) Kellogg. These letters document Blanchard's service at Forts Henry and Donelson, Tennessee; Vicksburg, Mississippi; and other areas throughout Missouri, Tennessee and Louisiana from 1861-1863. Sometime after August 1863, Mary (Wright) Kellogg married Captain Henry Kellogg, and the letters from Blanchard ceased. In addition to the correspondence from Blanchard, this collection also includes a letter from Jason D. Wright to his niece Mary (Wright) Kellogg (1864), two obituaries for Mary (Wright) Kellogg (ca. 1912), a newspaper article mentioning Mary Kellogg's daughter, Mrs. L. E. Dodson (ca. 1927), and a collateral envelope. Blanchard enlisted 13 June 1861 in Illinois as a Sargeant. He mustered into "H" Co., Illinois, Infantry. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |
| Civil War: Theater of War | Main Western Theater |
| Civil War: Unit | 20th Illinois infantry, H Company |