The following letter was written by 43 year-old Silas Pardee (1820-1894) while serving in Co. I, 25th Connecticut Infantry—a nine-months regiment that served from mid-November 1862 until late August 1863.

Silas was married to Mary Brocket in 1844. The couple were divorced in February 1880—the cause for divorce attributed to intemperance on his part. In this letter to his 12 year-old daughter Estelle, Silas defends the reputation of a soldier named Josiah but I don’t believe he was in the same company as Silas. There are family references to “Fanny” so I suspect that Josiah was a relative but I haven’t established the relationship.

Transcription

Baton Rouge, Louisiana
May 15th 1863

Dear Daughter,

I once more sit down to write a few lines to you to let you know that my health is very poor. I have been very sick since I last wrote to you and for a while I thought I never should live to go home and see you anymore. But I have been prospered and am on the gain slowly. I hope these few lines will find you in good health. They think we shall be home the 7th of July and I hope we shall.

I have not much courage to write home for I don’t get any answer to the letters I wrote lately. I sent home my ten dollar check to you a good while ago and have not received any word whether you have received it or not. I want you to write just as soon as you receive it for it’s probably the [last] I shall write.

Josiah sends his best respects to you all and wants you to write. I suppose you have heard the report about Joe’s gambling and drinking all is money away from Fanny, but it is entirely false and it will be proved by good respectable men as live in Plainville and Bristol. They are men that won’t lie. They have been with him every day and night and know what he has been doing while he has been out here and so do I, and I think them same folks would find enough to do to mind their own business and not try to make disturbance among a man and his wife. Show this to Fanny when you see her, My best respects to you all. — Silas Pardee

In haste. Direct to Baton Rouge, La., US General Hospital, and that is all.