The following letter was written by Albert Sheldon Wood (1844-1923), the son of Silas R. Wood (1811-1857) and Lucy Barber (1816-1904) of Wyoming, Washington county, Rhode Island. Seventeen year-old Albert was working at the Hope Valley Mill when he enlisted in Battery F, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. He served three years and then returned to Hope Valley to work in the machinist’s trade.

In his letter, Albert asks his mother to give his regards to his sister Sarah Wood (1838-1918) who married Benjamin Franklin (“Frank”) Crandall (1833-1896), and also to his sister Angelina (“Lena”) Wood (1847-1940).

Transcription

At Newbern, North Carolina
1st Regiment, Co. F, USA Artillery
January 4th 1863

Dear Mother,

I received my gloves tonight and was very glad to get them and to hear from you. I like them very much. I am well. I wrote you a letter since I returned from our march and wrote all the particulars and if you don’t get it I will write another and write all about the battery. You say you are sorry you couldn’t send any things but never mind. I guess I can get along without them at present. You wrote that you heard that I sent Abby Bates my daguerreotype. Well, I did, and as soon as can get a pass, I will go down town and have one taken for you and send it. You say you wish this war was ended and so do I and I don’t much care how it ends for there is so many traitors in our army that it never will be settled by fighting. I want to see you and the rest of my folks but I don’t know as I ever shall for it seems like a long look. I think of home and of you all the time and wonder if I shall ever see you again. When I look around and see how the officers of this army is going on to make money, I wish that they had to come down to $13 a month and see if they would prolong the war as they do now. But let them go on and see where they will fetch up.

Tell Lina I received three papers last night and found a good lot of news that was interesting to me. You need not write again until you get another letter from me for I expect within forty-eight hours to leave here. We expect to go by water and see some very hard fighting before we return. I hope I shall get back as safe as I did before. I don’t know as we shall come back to New Bern again but as soon as we do stop at any place, I will write and let you know. Give my love to Sarah and Frank and Oscar and Lina and to all inquiring friends. As I can think of no more at present, I will close.

Accept my love, — Albert S. Wood

to Mrs. Silas R. Wood

P. S. Uncle Tom sends his love to all. Goodbye.