I have no idea for sure if the young man writing this letter was a Civil War Soldier or not and I can’t find a date on the letter or envelope but I know anyone who knows postal history can tell better than I can. I did add an additional envelope with this letter because I found it in the same box as the other one. Don’t know if it even belongs but thought I’d throw it in. It’s just an envelope with a postmark from 1864 and addressed to “Selectmen of Carmel Me.” It has no letter.

However the other envelope that is addressed to “Mr. James Mead Upper Bartlett N. H.” does have a letter. There are a few clues that tell me our author might be a soldier. The first is that he does mention the “rebels” in his letter and the second he signs the letter as “Jeseph Mead, Roenoak Island, 6th Rig N. H. V. Co.” So does he mean Regiment when he writes “Rig” and is it the New Hampshire Volunteer Company? Plus I do know that there was a famous battle called “The Battle of Roanoke Island” that took place in February of 1862. Much more on this too on the web.

He’s a bit illiterate so perhaps this is what he means. Here is the actual letter exactly like he writes…..

“Dear father,

I thought I wod rite you a few lines today. I was glad to hear that you was geting a lon so well with you planting this spring and hope you will have a good crop this summer. I hope this rebellion will close so that I shall be to home in season to help in haying. I don’t hardley give up yet. The papers seam to say that they think that the rebells are on their last ledgs now. I hope they are but I think they will run so that we shall have to foller them. I want you to right to me and let me now how things are up there. I should like to have you rite what you under stand about the town paying Lisabeth eight dollars a month. How does the grass look up there and is there going to be eney pealing bark up there this spring and is business prety good up there. I should like to be up there and see the folks and the children and mother and want you to right…..I will try to rite more next time from Jeseph Mead to James Mead. Direct as before Jeseph Mead Roenoak Island 6th Rig N. H. V. Co. ____ by New York good by.”

There is a bit more but that should give you an idea. The letter itself measures about 5” x 6” and is written on both sides of the pages. There is some foxing and the envelope is in poor shape so please keep all of this in mind before purchasing.