Tag Archives: William H. Morse

Letter – Lucy Morse, 12 June 1861

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Letter written by Lucy H. Morse, to her husband Private William H. Morse of Company C, 3rd MI Infantry. Lucy is has discovered that William was wounded in battle and is afraid the wound might prove fatal. She begs her husband to get a discharge so that he may come home. A second part of the letter is dated Friday, June 13 after Lucy has received a letter from William. She asks him again to be discharged as soon as he can, as she trusts no one else with his care. She even offers to travel to him.

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June 12th 1862

Dear William

it is with a trembling

hand and an aching heart that I pen these few lines to you the sad news that you were wounded reached us nd you cannot imagine my feelings as I contemplate the possibility of you being mortally wounded Oh; God the thought is agonising Oh; I hope that it may prove a false report or that if it is so that it is a slight one Oh; dearest husband if it is true you must endeavor to get a discharge they will give you one I know they will not be cruel enough to keep you there. Oh get a discharge if it is a possible thing and come home where you can have careful care do not you must not go to the hospital where there will be no gentle loveing hand to admister to your wants Brother Jim was here yesterday and he

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said that if it was true that you was wounded that you must be got home some way tomorrow is mail day and Oh I hope that it will bring better news I will try to compose myself untill I know for certain Oh; will tomorrow never come

Friday Afternoon

Dearest one I hasten to answer your long and anxiously looked for letter which I recieved today about noon Oh Dear William you can not think how my heart bounded with hope when I saw your well known writing Oh; My Husband you do not know what a relief your letter was to me for although it was the bearer of sad news I had feared that it might be worse. I can not complain I am so thankful that it is as well as it is, that you were not killed Oh; I can bear the thoughts

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of your being wounded if you are spared to me I could bear to see you a cripple for life but I could not bear the thoughts of your being taken from me Oh; Willy it would kill me if you should die and leave me but hope is strong in my bosom I think that you can get your discharge and just as soon as you are able to ride you must come home where anxious hearts are waiting to recieve you Oh; Willy how I wish you could come right home or that I could come to you you dont know how unwilling I am to trust you to any care but my own if you think I can come to you if you want me to if you think it advisable let me know and I will surmount every dificulty and come I am very anxious about you and I want you to get your

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discharge if it is a possible thing and come home just as soon as you can. keep very quiet and bear it patiently I know it will be trying to you to have to keep still you was always so stirring but you must remember the anxious heart that that hangs on your recovery keep up good courage dearest and I trust all will be well we hope to see you in the course of three or four weeks at the most they will be week of torture to me but I will not murmur for I am thankful that you are spared to me Oh; Willy Dear Willy you do not know how much I love you it seems as if my very heart was bound up in you there is not another on earth that could love you more than I do Willy you may direct your letters to Smyrna for I am going out there.

William H. Morse, age 24, enlisted with Company C of the 3rd MI Infantry at Grand Rapids, MI on June 10, 1861. He was wounded by a gunshot to the knee at the Battle of Fair Oaks, VA on May 31, 1862. The regiment lost 30 men killed, 124 wounded, and 1 missing. He was sent to a hospital in Philadelphia, PA, but later died there on August 8, 1862.

Letter – William Morse, 18 November 1861

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Letter written by Private William H. Morse of Company C, 3rd MI Infantry, to his wife Lucy, from Fort Lyon, VA. Morse is glad to hear from his wife, and claims he will write her as often as she wishes. He says they are about to sign their pay rolls, and should get their monthly wages soon. He writes that camp is quite dull, and he has not seen much fighting in Virginia. He expects most of the winter fighting will take place in South Carolina. He asks about his son, and updates Lucy on family friends. Morse describes his dinner, remarking on the price and quality of food. He concludes by asking for photographs of his parents. A note on the side mentions that Johnson Whitney will likely be his company’s captain.

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For Lyon Virginia Nov 18th/61

Dearest Wife

I just read your kind letter and was very glad to hear from you it gives me great pleasure to have you write so often I should think you would get tired of reading my poor letters but as you dont I will write as often as you wish, your letter found me in good health as ever and I hope this will find you the same we are signing the pay rolls today I think we will get our pay within two or three days at the outside and and then I will send you some money

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I have no news to write this time times are quite dull here this fall I am afraid I shall not see much more fighting in the state of old Virginia the most of the fighting this winter will be done in South Carolina by the appearance of things at present it is quite cold here now there is a cold wind here all the time we wear our overcoats all the time we are quite comfortable you need not worry about me we have got our winter tents and got a stove in it so that things look quite like home tell father not to try to scare me about my dear baby I could

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not live without him take good care of the dear little lamb but I need not caution you for I know you will ben and george [?]arrot are well one of the boys that came from lowell is getting his papers to come home I think I will send all of my old letters home by him to you as I have no good place to keep them and I would not have one of them distroyed for anything if I send them I want you to take good care of them for we will look them over together when I come back wont we I saw Julia the other day she is well

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I will now resume writing I had to stop writing to go and eat my supper we had Bread and molasses and tea for supper I some times buy half a pound of Butter I dont buy much for it is so dear Butter is worth 25 cents a pound here and very poor at that it is firkin Butter and you could smell it forty rods milk is ten cents a quart and half water at that the folks around here try to cheat the soldiers out of all their money all they make out of me they are welcome to a good sised apple is worth five cents and every thing else in protion proportion tell father not to forget to send his and mothers likeness for I make great calculation on it I shall have to stop writing for this is all the paper I have got excuse poor writing and mistakes write soon

good by

To [???] Dear ones Forever Thine

William

PS Kiss Bub for me

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When you write tell me wether Joseph has left the rapids or not

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We have not got a captain for our company yet we expect Johnson Whitney will be our Captain

William H. Morse, age 24, enlisted with Company C of the 3rd MI Infantry at Grand Rapids, MI on June 10, 1861. He was wounded by a gunshot to the knee at the Battle of Fair Oaks, VA on May 31, 1862. The regiment lost 30 men killed, 124 wounded, and 1 missing. He was sent to a hospital in Philadelphia, PA, but later died there on August 8, 1862.

Letter – Lucy Morse, 7 August 1861

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Letter written by Lucy H. Morse, to her husband William H. Morse of Company C, 3rd MI Infantry. She recently received a letter from her husband, which is the first she has heard from him in three weeks since the battle of 1st Bull Run. Lucy had feared that her husband was dead, and writes of the Confederates that she wishes she could help “pick out their traitor hearts.” Lucy updates her husband on several of their family members and friends, and asks his advice on some family matters. She writes that their child is growing strong, and is big for his age.

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August 7th 1861

Dear Husband as Curtis

is writing I will write a few lines to you to let you know that we are well Uncle recieved your letter last night and never was a letter recieved with more joy than yours. it has been three weeks to day since I recieved a letter from you and you may be assured that a letter has been auspiciously looked for since the Battle I wrote to you sunday but this may not be unexceptable Dear Will you do not cannot know how thankful I am that you are safe I was almost cresy [crazy] before I head from you for fear that you had shared the fate of many a brave soldier Oh; it seems cruel that so much blood must be shed

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but I hope the rebels will get all the fun they want before they get through with it I wish I could help you pick out thier traitor hearts they are worse than the unscivilised savage I read an account in the paper of one of our Boys finding one of the enemy in a fainting condition he took and laid him in the shade and gave him a drink out of his own canteen when he revived he arose and deliberately shot his benefactor what a wretch he must have been I think he must have been born without any heart Will Jim think I had better keep house and have Father come and live with me this winter I recieved a letter from Sandusky last week Aunt Amy sent my letter out to York State and Uncle Charles sent Father five dollars and

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said that Fathers land could be sold for a hundred dollars and if Father wished he would sell it and get the mony and send to him. Dear Will write and tell me what to do. I mean to have Father let Uncle Charls sell his land he might Just as well have it as to let it lay doing nobody any good with the mony Uncle sent Father I am going to get him a pair of boots and some shirts. Oh; Will I wish you could be at home now it seems so odd to have to plan for myself but you must write what you think is best for me to do if I keep house I can make Father Comfortable and I think I shall be hapier my self for I cannot come here to board if I drew any thing from the state

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and there is no one else I want to board with but I think will do as you tell me write as soon as you get this and advise me what to do for if I keep house I shall have to make diferent arangements Will our little Curly head is well and grows every day he is real large of his age every body thinks he is so pretty and forward he is petted by every one who sees him he runs away over to the tavern every time he can get a chance we have to watch him all the time I can not think of any more to write this time so I will bring my letter to a close by bidding you good by

Forever, Thine, Lucy

Curt has not had time to write yet so I shant wait for him you must writ as often as you can Curt will write just as soon as he can no more this time Good By

Luc Morse

William H. Morse, age 24, enlisted with Company C of the 3rd MI Infantry at Grand Rapids, MI on June 10, 1861. He was wounded by a gunshot to the knee at the Battle of Fair Oaks, VA on May 31, 1862. The regiment lost 30 men killed, 124 wounded, and 1 missing. He was sent to a hospital in Philadelphia, PA, but later died there on August 8, 1862.

Letter – William Morse, 28 July 1861

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Letter written by Private William H. Morse of Company C, 3rd MI Infantry, to his wife Lucy, from Camp McConnell in Arlington, VA. Morse requests that his wife apply to get money from the county, and asks if she is getting enough to eat. He has seen men offer a dollar for a drink of water on the battlefield, and observes that it has been hard for poor people to make a living during these times. He writes that his friends at home should rethink any decisions to join the army, as “the privations of camp life are far worse than the chance on a battlefield.” Morse mentions being in the battles of Blackburn Ford and Manassas, but writes that he doesn’t think he was any more afraid of dying than if he was at home, and that the 3rd Michigan was highly praised after Bull Run. He concludes by asking his wife to tell their son that his father is “fighting for the Constitution.”

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Headquarters Arlington Regt., third Camp McConnell Co. C

July 28 1861

Dear Wife

I again sit down to write a few lines to you when I wrote the other day I was in such a hurry I could not write much and as I have plenty of time today I thought I would write another I dont know as you will accept of another so soon but I will send it at a venture when you write again I want you to tell me wether you have received any

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money from the County if you have not you had better apply for some for you may as well have it as other families I know of other families drawing money that dont need it any worse than you do and if you have drawn any how much I should like to know how you get along wether you have enough to eat or not tell me wether you have heard from our stears or not. I sent you a little money the other day it was all I had but it may do you a little good money is no object here I have seen men offer a dollar $ on the battle field for a drink of water I shall have some more money before long I hope and I will send you some more poor folks can hardly get a living here it is very hard times for them I tell you

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tell Joseph V fairchild I should like their company very much but they had better stay at home for a soldier here and a soldier in michigan the privations of camp life are far worse than the chance on a battle field they may say I am homesick or afraid but I am neither a soldier has to put up with all kinds of fare durin time of war. I have been in two battles and I dont think I had any more fear of being killed than I would at home I have seen many brave men fall by the cannon and musket and I could pass by them without scarcely looking at them all the boys that came from around where we live are well we are in camp now near the City of Washington and I think

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we will stay here for some time I hardlg hardly think they will take us to battle again for a good many of our officers have resigned our old Captain got scared and left us just as we were going into battle and we fought a battle of four hours length without any captain the Michigan third ranks as high as any other regiment in the united states service We got all the praise of the first battle July 18 I wish you could been here and heard them hurrah for the Michigan third as we returned from bulls run back to Washington, I shall have to close for my paper is used up be a good girl and dont be scared about me kiss bud for me and tell him his pa is a soldier fighting for the Constitution and the laws. good bye Lu write soon

no more from Bill this time

William H. Morse, age 24, enlisted with Company C of the 3rd MI Infantry at Grand Rapids, MI on June 10, 1861. He was wounded by a gunshot to the knee at the Battle of Fair Oaks, VA on May 31, 1862. The regiment lost 30 men killed, 124 wounded, and 1 missing. He was sent to a hospital in Philadelphia, PA, but later died there on August 8, 1862.