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1863, Union Soldier Autograph Letter Camp Curtin

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Civil War Union Letters

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Civil War Union Soldier's Letter - Life In "Camp Curtin" & "Camp Sands"

February 6, 1863, Union Soldier's Autograph Letter Signed, "J. M. McLaughlin," on Life in Camp Curtin and Camp Sands (both at Harrisburg, PA), Fine.
In this 4 page letter, written on light blue paper, measuring 9.75" x 8," addressed to Benjamin and Rebecca Mars (in Crawford County, PA), J. M. McLaughlin, describes life at two Union military camps protecting Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Camp Curtin, mentioned in this letter, was a major Union Army training center, and because of this, Gen. Robert E. Lee attempted to capture the city in 1862, but was prevented by the Battle of Antietam. In the early summer of 1863, Gen. Lee moved again to attack the city, and a network of forts and earthworks was hastily built to protect it. Lee's attempt to capture Harrisburg that summer led to the Battle of Gettysburg. This letter, which is dated at Camp Sands in February 1863, reads, in part (spelling and punctuation corrected):
".... I must tell you what I am doing tonight. I am on guard at Camp Curtin, sitting in the office where the officers used to stay, or in other words, in headquarters. It is a very comfortable place to stay. We commenced to guard on last Monday, and how long we will have to guard this camp, I can not tell, but I hope not long. It is the talk now that we will move back here to stay for awhile, but it may not be so. It is about a mile and a half from where we are encamped at present. I like our present place very well on several counts, and the first is we have cloth tents and can pick our own company; in the barracks, the whole company is together. And the next place (reason) is (it is) right in the city and (we) can go just were we please .... further than this I can not tell anything about where we will go. We may go down to Dixie ere tomorrow, or we may be away up in Crawford Co(unty) ...."
This letter is complete and intact, with some soiling, smudges, light foxing, fold separations, edge tears, and one tear repaired with clear tape. There is a little graffiti on the first page. This is a fascinating letter with great content (including a paragraph on lice).

Benjamin and Rebecca Mars were the recipients of this letter. Benjamin Mars was a leading farmer in Crawford County, Pennsylvania. Benjamin's first marriage was to Isabel McGinnett. He married her in 1846 and she died in 1852. They had two sons who died. In 1854 Benjamin married Rebecca Breed. They had three children: John Andrew, Mary Edith (who died in 1866) and Adelaide. Benjamin and Rebecca were Presbyterians and life-long Republicans.

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