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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC03523.52.63 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of Thomas J. Kessler, G company, 1st regiment, Michigan, sharpshooters |
| Title | Thomas J. Kessler to his friends expressing his loneliness and boredom with the army and reporting on the fighting in Petersburg, Virginia |
| Date | 5 August 1864 |
| Author | Kessler, Thomas J. (fl. 1843-1868) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Writes to his friends from camp. Expresses his loneliness and boredom with the army. Reports on the fighting in Petersburg, Virginia. Describes soldiering and what a waste war is. Writes, "It is just calling young men from home and Bringing them here for slaughter and fast as they can kill them off call for more. A mans life is value nothing here and is not Respected By any one, is all for himself…" Comments he has not had a change of clothes for two months. |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Union Forces Soldier's Letter Union Soldier's Letter Battle Battle of Petersburg Death Morality and Ethics Personal Hygiene Clothing and Accessories |
| People | Kessler, Thomas J. (fl. 1843-1868) |
| Place written | Petersburg, Virginia |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Health & Medicine |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Thomas J. Kessler enlisted as a private on 29 June 1863 at Edwardsburg, Michigan. On 8 July 1863 he mustered into "G" Co. Michigan 1st Sharpshooters. He was mustered out on 28 July 1865 at Delaney House, Washington, D.C. |
| 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 | 1st Michigan Sharpshooters, G company |