1863

Billy Bryden, Union Cavalryman. 15th Regiment of Cavalry. Image courtesy of the Digital Public Library of America and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

In a letter written from the battlefront, Oscar Chapin briefly apprises his mother Lucinda of his good health and how difficult things have been for him and his regiment. Several of his letters to her seem to have gotten lost in the mail, and some of hers to him must have been lost as well, because Oscar recounts several times he sent letters without his mother’s acknowledgement of receiving them. He relays several messages to friends and family back home.

Though only one letter from 1863 has stood the test of time, it is worth noting that several major Civil War battles occurred this year at which several authors of letters in this collection were present. E. Schwartze, a close family friend of Lucinda and Union soldier, bore witness to the fall of Vicksburg, Mississippi that took place from mid-May to July of 1863.

A map of the battlefield of Chickamauga.

The Union victory at Vicksburg is often considered a turning point in the war, due to the geographical split it caused in the South–effectively dividing it in two–and the Union’s gain of control over the Mississippi River. With now complete authority over the River, the once-weakened Union supply lines were significantly bolstered and provided a major material advantage to Ulysses S. Grant’s troops.

Richard Christy, future husband of Marcia Christy, was present at the Battle of Chickamauga in September of 1863; it was the first major battle in the state of Georgia, a significant Confederate victory, and one of the bloodiest confrontations of the entire war, second only to the Battle of Gettysburg in casualties.