Letter from Charles L. Brigham to his father and mother, 1864 August 4

Collection Name:

Brigham Family Papers

Title:

Letter from Charles L. Brigham to his father and mother, 1864 August 4

Creator:

Brigham, Charles Lewis, 1843-1864

Creator Role:

Author

Accession / Call Number:

2016.107

Object ID:

2016.107.23.08

Date:

1864/08/04

Type of Material:

textual record

Physical Description:

1 letter

Language:

English

Scope and Content:

Letter from Charles L. Brigham at Mount Pleasant Hospital in Washington, DC, to his father and mother, dated August 4, 1864. In the letter, Charles tells his parents that he has been wounded at the Battle of the Crater, during the Siege of Petersburg. He goes into great detail about what happened to him, saying he was struck in the mouth with bird shot while picking up the regiments colors, as well as his left forefinger. While writing in the hospital, he states his finger was amputated. Charles ends the letter stating he was disappointed with the black soldiers in his regiment for acting "cowardly" and that he believes "You can not make fighting men" out of them.

Subjects:

Correspondence , United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 , United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns , United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Hospitals , United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical care , United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives , United States. Army. New Hampshire Infantry Regiment, 9th (1862-1865) , Petersburg (Va.)--History--Siege, 1864-1865

Locations:

Washington, DC

People:

Brigham, Charles Lewis, 1843-1864 , Brigham, Charles A., 1815-1899 , Fairbanks, Eliza Ann, 1816-1900

Organizations:

United States. Army. New Hampshire Infantry Regiment, 9th (1862-1865)

Terms of Use:

For permission to reproduce or publish this item, please contact the New Hampshire Historical Society. Users are responsible for following all copyright and intellectual property laws.

Credit Line:

Gift in memory of Richard Bean Law and George B. Law arranged by Jerrilee Cain.

Restrictions:

Available for research.

Level Description:

Item

Box Number:

1