[Letter to Pvt. Henry Brown, at Satterllee Hospital, West Phil., PA from his mother]

Thompson, CT May 10, 1864

 

Dear Henry,

We got a letter from you last night informing us you were sick in the hospital.  I feel extremely sorry to hear it.  How I wish I could take care of you.  Can’t you get a furlough from the hospital and come home and stay till you get well?  Father says he don’t believe you will get over it unless you come north.

I was thinking about your being on the way to Richmond, feeling afraid you would get killed or wounded as many thousands have.  We received a letter from you soon after you got to camp.  You spoke of having the headaches in Washington and I felt afraid then you was not going to be well.  I thought I should not have time to write two letters before the army started.

My poor, poor boy.  We just got a letter from you informing us that you are worse.  I feel dreadful bad.  It seems as though I must do something for you but you are not near enough.  Father is going to start tomorrow morning.  How I wish I could go but I am not well enough to go and carry the baby and I could not leave her.  She is so small.  I was in hopes to hear that you was better.  I hope now you will get well enough to come home but if it is otherwise, I hope we shall meet where there is no war nor sickness.  I think of you there with no one of us to do for your suffering and I can’t scarcely bear it, but I will try to be patient.

I did not think of your being so sick, so I waited a spell.  I wrote one the first day of May.  If you have not got it, I suppose it has gone to the battery.  I can’t write much now.  It is before breakfast and father is going up in town as soon as he eats.    I hope you will be able to come home.  Poor child how much you have suffered.  The fever and ague is dreadful bad.  I have seen Uncle Chandler have it and he had got better too.  We are all well now.  If you can’t come home, let us know if you are worse.

Goodbye Henry.   From your affectionate Mother,

Mary Brown

[ Back ] [ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ]

1864

[ 01/10/64 - Warrenton, VA, Cavalry Winter Camp 1864 Civil War Letters ] [ 04/15/1864 Warrenton, VA - Back from leave 1864 Civil War Letters ] [ 05/06/1864 Washington, D.C. - Sick at Carver Hospital 1864 Civil War Letters ] [ 05/10/1864 Thompson, CT - Letter from Mother ] [ 05/19 Washington, D.C. - Feeling better ] [ 06/05/1864 Philadelphia, PA - Saterlee Hospital ] [ 06/10/1864 Philadelphia, PA - Letter from Father to Mother ] [ 06/12 Philadelphia, PA - Letter from Father to Mother ] [ 06/19 Philadelphia, PA - The end is near ] [ 06/20 Philadelphia, PA - A Soldiers Death ] [ Poem Honoring Henry Brown - 21st MVM ] [ Soldiers from Thompson, CT who died during the Civil War ]

 
Copyright ©  1995 - 2002  Mario Espinola and John Proctor, All Rights Reserved. All colorized historic images are included in copyright. Information in this document is subject to change without notice.