The following letter was written by Edwin L. Nickerson (1842-1863) who enlisted as a private on 25 February 1862 in Co. C, 13th Connecticut Infantry. He was promoted to a corporal in November 1862 but was killed at Irish Bend, Louisiana on 14 April 1863 during the Teche Campaign.

Edwin was the son of Smith Nickerson (1804-1853) and Mary Ann Davidson (1806-1845) from Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut. He had three brothers who served in the military; Uriah Nickerson (1838-1895), who fought in Company E of the 7th Connecticut Infantry, Henry F. Nickerson, who was part of the 10th Connecticut Infantry, and Mark S. Nickerson (1843-1915), who served in Company A of the 10th Massachusetts Infantry. In his correspondence, Edwin expressed profound concern for his brother Mark’s safety upon receiving news of the Battle of Fair Oaks (Seven Pines), during which the 10th Massachusetts endured 27 fatalities and 95 injuries in savage hand-to-hand combat. Remarkably, Mark survived the war and passed away at the age of 72. Ironically, it was Edwin who would ultimately fail to return home.

Edwin datelined his letter on 23 June 1862 from the Custom House in New Orleans where they quarters with Gen. Butler’s Headquarters and performed provost duty.

Transcription

Custom House, New Orleans
13th Regt. C. V. Co. C, USA
June 23, 1862

Dear Sister,

I received yours of May 27th the 12 of June & was very glad to hear from you again & I should have answered it before but I thought I had written several that not answered & would wait until we were paid off, hoping to receive another from you, but have not. I am well once more & am getting somewhat used to warm weather so I think I shall stand it. I don’t hear anything about the yellow fever now so I guess it has died out.

We were paid off the 18th instead of. and were paid only two months pay which took it up to the 1st of May but I had enough coming to me which I lent while in New Orleans so that I have sent you $30. It is all in U. S. Treasury Notes. Sent it by the Adams Express Co., and if nothing happens, it will be there before this will so immediately on receiving this you will please call at the office & get it. Should Mark write to you for $5, you will please send it to him on my account.

I see you do not understand that allotment business. It is not paid there at all. We receive it in checks in the name of any confidential person or persons whom we may have assigned it to, & those checks we send to the ones which it is assigned & they draw the money on them from any bank they choose & provided they are lost by the mail, we can get others in place of them from the paymaster.

I signed the roll in your name & expected to receive those checks but did not hear anything about it & I don’t know but they have [ ] it altogether. I hope they have for I would not have signed it had I known as much about it then as I do now.

I see by hte papers Mark has been in a great battle & I feel anxious to hear from him for I have seen some of the names & I don’t know but he may be one of them. I have not heard from him in a long, long time and how dreadful the suspense. Oh, I hope he is well. But I tremble lest he was one of the fallen. For God’s sake, write to let me know the truth.

But I must close as I have not time to write any longer. Direct to New Orleans, General Butler’s Expedition. We had green corn here the middle of May and the markets are now crowded with watermelons, muskmelons, plumbs, peaches, new potatoes, blackberries, &c. & have been since the middle of May. Please remember me kindly to all, not forgetting that I am still your brother, — Edwin L. Nickerson