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Civil War Soldiers Letter Archive, 1864-1865 [181378]

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Civil War Soldiers Letter Archive, 1864-1865  [181378]
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About 53 letters of roughly four pages each between Henry Nolop and his wife Elizabeth Nolop of Pole Grove, Jackson County, Wisconsin.
Nolop was born in Canada, March, 1834 and died in May, 1916 in Jackson County, Wisconsin. He immigrated to the US in 1861 and enlisted in the Wisconsin Volunteers in February 1864 as a Private in the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry Co. I. He mustered out in August 1865. After the Civil War, he returned home and was a farmer and a blacksmith. They had four children, two born before he left for the War, and two after returning home.
The letter group was tied with string in the usual manner, with specific groups intact and undisturbed, indicating the group may not have been read for more than 100 years.
The first letter is from Baton Rouge dated a full two weeks before his official "enlistment." Apparently the Wisconsin Volunteers had been sent to Baton Rouge for training weeks earlier. The letters do not indicate a "start" date.
Nolop's spirits were high. "I think the war will be over in less than 3 months." "We have drills every day". He commented that they had to protect local blacks: "I was put at the company today to guard some negroes that cut some cord wood cotton." He commented on the state of the war: "God has only been putting us through the furnace."
By March, they were sent to camp Randel (sp?) in Madison, Wisconsin. He stated he had 112 men in his barracks. By the first of April, they were in Chicago, on the way back to Baton Rouge "The ladies of Chicago gave us a great supper ... women would wave their white flags and cheer us on." On April 8 they boarded the steamer Sultana with 150 men onboard. He was offered a promotion to Sargent, but refused it "I do not want to be an officer."
each of the letters discuss what he was doing and where going. Their outfit remained healthy, and at one point stated "there has only 3 died out of 1250 men." On July 1st they headed upriver to Vicksburg "to guard a railroad with General Bailey." "We are camped on a cotton plantation that belongs to a man by the name of Morgan. He is a Rebel." By July 7th they were in Morganzia (may have been their name for the Morgan Plantation, later known as Morganza?) here the letters begin discussions of the Rebel encounters. "We got one Rebel captain ... when we got there, the Rebs run for life into the woods , destroyed their oat, took 7 prisoners.
Still stationed at the same camp, for 2 or three weeks, "I was sent with 78 men to bring a dispatch to Captain Baker 12 miles from here. He was out in Rebeldom."
On August 11 they boarded the steamer Nebraska for the trip back to Baton Rouge. "We were inspected again ... he said we were the best regiment in the Department "(Dept. of the Gulf)
Letters from October reflect many raids
At the end of January, 1865: "we have got some good news come from the Rebels it is that a white flag is flying over Richmond and that will end the war."
By April they were camped at Spanish Bay, and he mentions shelling the Rebel fort. They were apparently completely unaware that the war was declared over on April 6. There are no letters between April 7, 1865 and June 11. Thus there is no discussion of Lee's surrender on April 9 at Appomattox or of Lincoln's assassination on April 14.
Two months later they were in Vicksburg, apparently gathering Government property. There was no mention made of the Emancipation Proclamation, though the last letter is dated June 23.
Letters from Elizabeth show her concern for Henry's welfare, but his own letters begged for news of her and their children.
The entire archive could easily become a published work, particularly with anecdotal material surrounding the issues Nolop was involved with, since he did not participate in the major battles that became prominant in later historical summaries.