Letter 30 Original Page 1
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Letter 30 Enhanced Page 1
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Letter 30 Enhanced Page 4
THE
CORRESPONDANCE BETWEEN ROBERT BOND JR. (1819- 1894) AND WIFE SARAH ANN (MAIDEN
NAME “FISK”—1823-1909) BETWEEN 1862 AND 1868
From the Mary/Sue Collection
Transcription of Letter “30”—from Robert to Sarah
14 February 1864—Date Provided in Letter
Transcribed by William B. Bond—Sept., 2013
PAGE
1:
No. 1 Camp Luisa1
Teen2
Miels3 Eaust4 of Vicksburg
feb
14th, 1864
Ever Dear
Wife sitting hear today
as it is
Sunday reading your letter
of Nov 225
when I saw thee words
from your
own True & Devoted
Wife you
said you did hope I had
not
forgotten us I asure6 you I have not
forgotten
one that I have had Confi
dance7
in for twenty years you Said
you should
be verry8 happy to have me
to spend
Christmas and Newears9
with you I
should been very
glad to have
don10 so but I can not
do as I wood11
like to but never mind
you said
next Friday if you live to
see the day
you wood11 be forty
years old,
what do I care for that
I fel12
it my Duety13 to think mor14
of you then
hever15 as you get oldder16
PAGE
2:
No 2 you youst17 to tel18
me it was
pascun19,
But it was not, it was
pure love,
and I hope there will not
be eny20
Cuse21 to turn, this love so
good Night
true Sarah A Bond
from your
ever true husband
Robert Bond
one word to
Louisa M GiffineA & Sarah E
BondB
I love you both with a
Father love
I hope you will be true
and love grils22
do noththing23 to make
me and your
Mother a Shame24 of
you I hope
your Mothe love
will love
your Mother for my
Sake and
Remember that one
that took
Care of you wen25 you
Coud26
not take care of your Slaf27 it
was that
Mother hoe28 is working her life
out for your
well fare29 love her and
faful30
Father Robert Bond
PAGE
3:
No 3 I have
one word for Luella BondC
& Willie
BondD, now Babys I am
agood31
way oof32 but I think of you everyday
and hope you
will think of me, fore33 I
Love you
with a Father love, I hope you
will love me
in return, and I hope you
will love
your Mother, fore33 she wood11 work her
Life away
fore33 you, now what will you
do fore33
her, will you love and work fore33
her when she
gets old, will you love her for
my Sake,
your Mother will not see
you abuce34
for the Love she has for me
if I Should
not Live to com35 home
I hope you
will received thee36 fuve37
lines from
your ever faful30 Father
Robert
Bond
feb Monday
15th peach trees in bloom
tueday38
feb 16th bloing39 Clod40 wenday41
17th
Stel42 Clod40 thersday43 18th
Snowing
friday 19th
noe44 Snow on the ground now
I fear that
you will Suffer for the
wont45
of wood ternover46
PAGE
4:
No 4 I hope
thear47 is no naber48 that
will let you
Suffer for wood
if thear47
is enny49 I think God will
Bring them
into Jucment50 I do not
expect to
get enny49 thing don10 unlest51
I paid for
it, and I hope thay52 will do
by my famley53,
as thay52 wood11 like me
to be donby54,
I have given my time
and life to
my Country if required,
I hope you
will burn all thee rales55
that is on
the plase56 Sooner then57 freeze
I hope you
will not worey58 for me
for I am
well and I hope to See you
the Same be
for59 long and then I
will Sqve60
you to Sarah A Bond
from Robert Bond
I have not
had enny20 letter from
you Senc61
Jan 5th(62) I hope I shall get
one from you
before I male63 this
we do not
here from the regment64
Senc61
I rote65 to you before I hope you
will write
to me as Soon as you can
NOTES:
1. I can find no reference to a “Camp Luisa” 10
miles east of Vicksburg in February 1864. See Additional Note 4 below.
2. ten
3. miles
4. east
5. This seems to be referring to Sarah’s letter
dated December 20th, 1863.
6. assure
7. confidence
8. very
9. New Year’s
10.
done
11. would
12. feel
13. duty
14. more
15. ever
16. older
17. used
18. tell
19. passion
20. any
21. cause
22. girls
23. nothing
24. ashamed
25. when
26. could
27. self
28. who
29.
welfare
30. faithful
31. a good
32. off
33. for
34. abused?
35. come
36. these
37. few
38. Tuesday
39. blowing
40. cold
41. Wednesday
42. still
43. Thursday
44. no
45. want
46. turnover
47. there
48. neighbor
49. any
50. judgement
51. unless
52. they
53. family
54. doneby
55. rails—presumably fence rails.
56. place
57. than
58. worry
59. before
60.
save?
61. since
62. This is letter #10
63. mail
64. regiment It is the regiment that would
presumably deliver mail—and pay—to the soldiers. See note #6 below.
65. wrote
LIST OF FAMILY MEMBERS MENTIONED:
A. Louisa Maria Bond (1845-1896)—Oldest child
and daughter of Robert and Sarah. Married to Alvaro N. Griffin who is away from
home during the Civil War serving in Company “E” of the 12th
Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry—the same as father-in law Robert.
B
. Sarah Elizabeth Bond
(1847-1912)—Second oldest child and daughter of Robert and Sarah.
C. Luella Hortense “Leellie” Bond
(1856-1893)—Third oldest child and daughter of Robert and Sarah.
D.
William Othello “Willie” Bond (1860-1928)—Fourth oldest child and only son of
Robert and Sarah.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
NOTE
1: Reading this letter is a challenge due to the unusual spelling and
grammar. In some cases I had to take a “best guess” as to what was written. But
it should be remembered that this letter was written “in the field” most likely
under very difficult circumstances. So it is a treasure that it exists at all. It
should be noted that Robert’s handwriting and spelling in this letter are much
improved over that found in letters 2 and 3.
If
anyone who examines a scan of the original letter can better make out what the
words are or can see anywhere that there is an error in the transcription, I
would welcome their input.
The
following is my attempt at a transcription of the entire letter with spelling
and grammar corrected:
PAGE 1:
No. 1 Camp Luisa
Ten
miles east of Vicksburg
Feb
14th, 1864
Ever dear wife. Sitting here today,
as it is Sunday, reading your letter
of Nov 22nd, when I saw
thee words
from your own true & devoted
wife. You said you did hope I had
not forgotten one that I have had
confi-
dance in for twenty years. You said
you should be very happy to have me
to spend Christmas and New Years
with you. I should (have) been very
glad to have done so, but I can not
do as I would like to. But never
mind
you said next Friday, if you live to
see the day, you would be forty
years old. What do I care for that?
I feel it my duty to think more
of you than ever as you get older
PAGE 2:
No. 2 You would tell me it was
passion, but it was not. It was
pure love, and I hope there will not
be any cause to turn this love. So
good night, true Sarah A Bond,
from your ever true husband,
Robert
Bond
One word to Louisa M Griffin &
Sarah E
Bond. I love you both with a
father(’s) love. I hope you will be
true
and love(ing) girls. Do nothing to
make
me and your mother ashame(d) of
you. I hope (you)
will love your mother for my
sake and remember that one
that took care of you when you
could not take care of yourself. It
was that mother who is working her
life
out for your welfare. Love her
and God will bless you. From your
faithful father, Robert Bond
PAGE 3:
No. 3 I have one word for Luella Bond
& Willie Bond. Now babies, I am
a good way off, but I think of you
every day
and I hope you will think of me. For
I
love you with a father(‘s) love. I
hope you
will love me in return, and I hope
you
will love your mother, for she would
work her
life away for you. Now what will you
do for her? Will you love and work
for
her when she gets old? Will you love
her for
my sake? Your mother will not see
you abuse(d) for the love she has
for me.
If I should not live to come home,
I hope you will receive these few
lines from your ever faithful
father,
Robert
Bond
Feb. Monday 15th. Peach trees
in bloom.
Tuesday Feb. 16th Blowing
cold. Wednesday
17th Still cold. Thursday
18th Snowing.
Friday 19th No snow on
the ground now.
I fear that you will suffer for the
want of wood. (turnover)
PAGE 4:
No. 4 I hope there is no neighbor that
will let you suffer for wood.
If there is any, I think God will
bring them into judgment. I do not
expect to get anything done unless
I pay for it, and I hope they will
do
by my family as they would like
to be done by. I have given my time
and life to my country if required.
I hope you will burn all the rails
that (are) on the place sooner than
freeze.
I hope you will not worry for me,
for I am well and I hope to see you
the same before long. And then I
will (save?) you. To Sarah A Bond
from
Robert Bond
I have not had any letter from
you since Jan. 5th. I
hope I shall get
one from you before I mail this.
We (have) not hear(d) from the
regiment
since I wrote to you before. I hope
you
will write to me as soon as you can.
NOTE 2:
This letter was written on a
single sheet of paper folded in half to make four “pages”. The top edge of page
1 has a thin red stripe, and the right edge of page 1 has a thin blue stripe.
With the white of the paper, it shows “red, white, and blue.” There is no
“embossed seal” indicating the paper manufacturer at the upper left of page 1
as was common on many papers of the time. Due to the red, white, and blue
decoration, I believe this paper was probably Government Issue.
NOTE 3: This letter was found loose and not in an
envelope.
NOTE 4: The book “STORY
OF THE SERVICE OF COMPANY E, AND OF THE TWELFTH WISCONSIN REGIMENT, VETERAN
VOLUNTEER INFANTRY IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION” (Published
1893 and available on CD), states “On the 14th
of February, after eleven days of marching, we reached Meridian, 140 miles east
of Vicksburg.” I can find no reference to “Camp Luisa”, but presumably it was on the march to Meridian or in
Meridian itself as part of the “Meridian Campaign.”
This means either the book or Robert’s letter got the date and/or distance from
Vicksburg wrong. I’m inclined to think that the letter is more likely to be
correct since the book was published in 1893—almost 30 years after the
event—from the memory of one of the soldiers.
NOTE 5: There is a letter in the
collection of Billie P dated “Feb 22nd 1864” from “Camp Luas”—which
is presumably the same as “Camp Luisa.” The February 22nd
letter is the front and back of a single sheet of paper which has the same blue
and red border as this letter dated February 14th at the top of page
1. Page numbers 1-4 are written in the upper left corner of each page of the
February 14th letter, and page numbers 5 & 6 are written in the
upper left corner of the February 22nd letter. So I am inclined to
think that Robert started writing pages 1-4 on February 14th, and
then finished the letter when he wrote pages 5 & 6 on February 22nd.
And then both parts were mailed together as pages 1-6 of a single letter. This
theory is supported when--in the “paragraph” at the bottom of page 3--Robert
writes about the weather conditions from Monday February 15th to
Friday February 19th. Although the letter is dated February 14th
at the top of page 1, he clearly did not mail the letter before February 19th. And on page 4 “…I have not had enny20 letter from you Senc61
Jan 5th(62) I hope I shall get one from you before I male63
this…” So the date the letter was first begun and the date it was
mailed are clearly not the same.
I
believe all of this provides strong evidence that the two parts are pages 1-6
of a single letter. How remarkable that
the collection of Mary and Sue would have pages 1-4, and the collection of
Billie P would have pages 5 & 6 of the same letter!
NOTE 6: At the bottom of page 4, Robert
writes: “we do not here from the regment64 Senc61
I rote65 to you before” From the context of
this and other letters, I believe that both the transfer of mail and the
receipt of pay would only occur when the “regiment” arrived to where the
soldiers were camped. And when
the regiment would arrive was unpredictable to the soldiers. Hence, when Robert
wrote his letters, he would write a page or two and then make a closing,
prepared to give it—at moments notice--to the regiment to be mailed when the
regiment arrived. If the regiment did not arrive within a day or two he would
continue the letter, and in some cases would make a second closing.
This
letter seems to show lots of evidence of “starts” and stops”. The first stop is
the closing at the top of page 2. The letter then continues on the second half
of page 2 and most of page 3 with messages—and closings--to Robert and Sarah’s
children. At the bottom of page 3, Robert describes the weather conditions
where he is camped over a 5 day period. Then at the very bottom of page 3 and
all of page 4, Robert continues the letter with a closing in the middle of page
4. And if pages 5 & 6 from the collection of Billie P are part of the same
letter, there is another continuation with yet another closing on page 6.
Presumably after page 6 was written, the regiment arrived and all 6 pages could
be mailed.
NOTE 7:
This is a very loving letter that Robert wrote to his wife and children.
In the letter, he lets Sarah know that he loves her more than ever in spite of
her getting older. He tells his older children—Louisa and Sarah—that he loves
them and for them to be good girls and look after their mother. In a separate
part of the letter, he tells his younger children—Luella and Willie—that he
loves them and to look after their mother. The letter includes a brief section
which describes the weather conditions where Robert is camped from February 15th
to 19th, 1864. The letter finishes with Robert’s concern that Sarah
has enough wood for the winter—her January 5th letter describes
extremely cold weather at Sarah’s home in Wisconsin--and that Robert had not
heard from Sarah since her January 5th letter.
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