The following letter was written by Albert Clark Cooke (1840-1862), the son of Joseph Clark Cooke (1813-1882) and Amey Wade (1815-1873) of Putnam, Windham county, Connecticut. Albert was born in Rhode Island but moved with his family to Bureau county, Illinois, (where they were enumerated in 1850) before moving to Putnam, Connecticut.
Albert enlisted in Co. A, 6th Connecticut Infantry. He died at Beaufort, South Carolina, on Christmas day, 1862. His cause of death is rather unspecific. The surgeon recorded that he was “admitted with debility.” He was 22.
The 6th Connecticut Infantry was stationed in Beaufort, South Carolina, from September 1862 to March 1863 under the command of Colonel John Lyman Chatfield.
Letter 1
Hilton Head, South Carolina
December 21st 1861
Dear cousin Mary,
I received your letter dated December 4th yesterday and was very much pleased indeed to hear from you once more. I have written two letters today, one to Lizzie and one to Elmer and as I have a little more time to spare, I concluded to answer yours for I don’t know when I shall have a better time. We can’t sit down and write just when we choose here. I received some papers with your letter; they were very welcome visitors, I assure you. They are not very plenty here. Please accept a thousand thanks for them.
The weather here today is cloudy and quite cool. It looks some as though we were going to have a rain storm. We have not had a cloudy day before in a long time. Nearly the whole month so far has been warm and pleasant. Some days it has been fairly hot at midday.
If I could have my choice I think I should prefer to live in the New England states than any country that I have seen since I left Putnam. I have not seen anything very enchanting yet in “Dixie’s Land” except “contrabands.” I think some of taking one home with me if the Putnam girls don’t write me a line once in a while.
I presume you have heard of the burning of the City of Charleston, S. C. The “Port Royal” folks here had to hear of it quite a number of times before they would believe it. We were at last, however, compelled to credit it. A steamer came from there today and confirms it. If the foreign powers will only mind their own business, I think we can have the privilege of returning home in 6 or 8 months.
There was quite an excitement here last night when the mail arrived on account of the news relative to the prospect of a war with England, I hope that there is nothing in the reports. Perhaps we shall find out by the next mail.
Tell Henry I should like very much to have a letter from him and have his opinion of the war. But I have not time to write much more at present. I will write again as soon as I can and will try to do better. Please excuse everything for I have written in a great hurry. Give my love to all & especially to yourself & Emma. Write just as often as you can. In haste. From your cousin, — Albert
This is “secesh” cotton that grew a short distance from where we are encamped.
Letter 2
Beaufort, South Carolina
September 30th 1862
Dear cousin Mary,
Your very kind, welcome letter was received last Thursday (the 25th) with the greatest of pleasure, and I take the earliest opportunity to reply. I hope you will pardon me for not writing you long ere this in answer to the one you sent me. I suppose I could give excuses without number but that would be useless. I will endeavor to be more prompt inn answering your letters in future. I don’t know as I have any news of importance to write. We still remain here encamped in Beaufort. Our regiment has been on outpost duty about twelve miles from here for ten days. We returned one week ago last Sunday. The regiment is drilling every day on field movements &c. and firing and getting ready for battle “generally”—if it ever comes. I don’t think there will be much of any move down this way until we have reinforcements. When they do get ready to move, I think our regiment will be ready if any will. It is second to none on this island for efficiency in drill, &c. Gen. Brannan of this place speaks highly of it, and by the way, he is a very good general. Gen. O. M. Mitchell, the new commander of the “Department of the South,” is thought a great deal of. We think when he gets something to do with, there will be something done down this way.
I am glad to hear that you had heard from Frances and especially to hear such good news respecting her. I am very much pleased to hear that she has got “loosed” from that—what shall I call him—-friend in human shape. I wish the war was over and I was at home. I think I should soon procure a ticket for San Francisco. I am pleased to hear that Wm. Henry and family are living together again. I sincerely hope that they may always dwell together hereafter, and may health, happiness, and prosperity be theirs the remainder of their days. When you see Wm. Henry, please tell him I should like very much to hear from him, and if he will write me, I will answer.
Please tell Amey, Ann, Lizzie, yourself and everybody else that when they write me a letter and happen to blot it a little, I shall not excuse them for not sending them. “Cause why?” We don’t mind blots in the army. If I should send a letter free from blots &c., I fear you would be obliged to wait some time before you received any. I hope, however, you will excuse the blots. I certainly will. But I must close for it is getting late. I will write as often as I can and you must do the same. Oh! by the way, I receive papers from you almost every mail and if it is not too much trouble, I hope you will keep sending them for they are very acceptable and I thank you a thousand times for them. My love to all—yourself included. Goodbye for the present. — Albert
Spared & Shared 23 