1862 Camp Benton St. Louis, Mo. Jan the 18 Respected friend it was with pleasure that I received your letter of the 7 which I received last Friday for I was glad to hear from you. I contained a good deal to interest me for there is nothing that transpires there but is of interest to me, I would like to except your offer to take supper with you to night for it is cold as Greenland.
Potter, Charles H. – January 16, 1862
Benton Barracks Thursday Jan 16th 1862 Dear Father Your Welcome letter was received last eveing & I was glad to hear that you were all well which I can not say of some of us at present there is only two or three of our company sick now.
Davidson, John – January 16, 1862
CERTIFICATE TO BE GIVEN TO VOLUNTEERS AT THE TIME OF THEIR DISCHARGE TO ENABLE THEM TO RECEIVE THEIR PAY, &c. I certify, on honor, that John Davison a Private of Captain W.W. Andrew’s Company (-) of the Artillery Regiment of Michigan Volunteers, of the State of Michigan, born in Livingston County, State of New York, aged 43 years; 5 feet 6 inches high: Light complexion, Blue eyes, Auburn hair, and by occupation a Moulder,
Crawford, John Gault – January 11, 1862
Head Qrs. 2d Batt. 2d Mich. Cav. New Haven, Ky. Jan. 11, 1863 Cousin James: Seated upon this beautiful Sabbath afternoon all alone within my tent, trying to pass away the time the thought occurred to my mind that I would do something I never did before in my life, “to wit,” write Cousin James a letter and see how mad he would be at my imprudence.
Potter, Charles H. – January 1, 1862
St Louis, Jan 1st Wensday 1862 Dear Father I received your letter this afternoon with pleasure and was glad to hear of your ecelant health my health is good now I am getting along first rate getting fat to. the rest of the boys are all well.
2nd Michigan Cavalry – January 1, 1862-February 28, 1862
2nd Michigan Cavalry Muster, Company F, January 1, 1862 to February 28, 1862
2nd Michigan Cavalry – January 1, 1862-February 28, 1862
2nd Michigan Cavalry Muster, Company G, January 1, 1862 to February 28, 1862
Potter, Charles H. – December 27, 1861
St. Louis Dec 27th Friday 1861 Dear Father I take this time and good chance to inform you of my health which is on the gain at least you would thought so if you had been here to of seen me dive into my Christmas rituals which I did to day for the first time to speak of.
Allen, Leroy – December 27, 1861
Benton Barracks St. Louis, Mo. Dec the 27 1861 Far distant friend I now sit down to answer it for I have not been able to answer it before I have been very sick since you the time you past[ ? ] that and am just able to get around
Wasson, Thomas – December 25, 1861
St. Louis 1861 Camp Benton Dec. the 25 respected friend It is with pleasure that I take up my pen to adress you. I hope you will excuse my tardy ness. I have been quite busy and they say better late than never. My health has been good since I came here and I hope this will find you the same. Our swords were not good and they are going to be sent back and we will have rifles.
Forquer, John M. – 1861
Abstract of the 4th Quarter of 1861
Potter, Charles H. – December 5, 1861
St. Louis MO Benton Barracks Dec 5th 1861 Dear Parents I received your letter last night with pleasure. I was very glad to hear that your are all well accept grand father and that he was getting better we are all well and in good spirits. I dont know as there is any thing new here now only that there was another man shot the other night
Potter, Charles H. – December 1, 1861
Camp Benton St Louis MO Dec 1st 1861 Sunday Eve Dear Parents, one & all I received two letters (this afternoon) in one and I now take the pleasure of answering the same it has been a rather sad day here to day it is all hurley burley all over the camp grounds this is a large camp ground and then is a great many men on it to there is about 200 area of land & about 20000 men
Graves, Ira – November 20, 1861
Nov 20 1861 CAMP BENTON (St. Louis.) Dear Glory I thought as I had time to write I would improve the time hear is a picher of the plase whare we are campt
Potter, Charles H. – November 17, 1861
St. Louis Missouri Camp Benton Nov 17th 1861 Dear Parents I take this opportunity to let you know how I like my new home so far away from home. we had a fine time on our way here. When we got to Detroit they had supper all ready for us evry thing nice they fill our Cantin with lager beer & give us Cigars & every thing else that we wanted.
Potter, Charles H. – November 11, 1861
Grand Rapids Nov 11th 1861 Camp Anderson Dear Father I take this opportunity to inform you of our health and how we are getting along we are all well and hope these few lines will find you the same. I was down to the city to day to get a clean shirt and while I was there I bought this paper.
Potter, Charles H. – November 5, 1861
Camp Anderson Nov 5th 1861 Dear Father & Mother I received your letter last night and was glad to hear from you. I got a letter from you last satturday dated Oct 22nd which had been a long time on the way I answered it sunday and send it to Detroit supposing you were there. this letter and and all the rest you have sent me have been opened by the same person
Potter, Charles H. – November 3, 1861
Camp Anderson Nov 3d 1861 Dear Father I received your letter last night [ ? ] 22nd it has been a long time on the way I should think, it was opened by the same person that opened the other one. we are all well yet there has not one of us been sick yet only hank & I got hurt by the horses the other day
Potter, Charles H. – October 29, 1861
Grand Rapids. Oct 29th 1861 Dear Father & Mother It has been a good while since I have writen to you and so I guess I will write a few lines to let you know that we are all well for there is nothing new I told you in my last letter that we was agoing to leave but we got sliped on it so now I cant tell when we shall leave
Potter, Charles H. – October 21, 1861
Grand Rapids Oct 21st 1861 Dear Father I take this opportunity to let you know when we shall leave the Lt Colnel told us at the breakfast table this morning that we should leave on wensday we will get our uniform to day there is nothing new here
Potter, Charles H. – October 21, 1861
Grand Rapids Oct 21st 1861 Dear Mother I take this opportunity to inform you that we are a going to leave here on wensday next the report is that we shall go to Kentucky but I dont know for certain whether we shall or not I am in a hurry this morning for I have got to go on guard in a little while
Potter, Charles H. – October 19, 1861
Grand Rapids Oct 19th Dear Father I received your letter this morning and was very glad to hear from you the boys are all well and in good spirits there is some 24 of us on guard to day on guard to take care of horses we have to take our turn as well as the rest we have got some of our clothing
Potter, Charles H. – October 14, 1861
Camp Anderson Oct 14th ‘61 Dear Mother I now take this chance to write to you to let you know I am getting along. I am well and so is all of the boys at present how does Ella get along & harvey and all of the rest I dont know when we shall leave here they talk some of sending us to Detroit to stay untill the second regiment gets ready
Potter, Charles H. – October 11, 1861
Grand Rapids Oct 11th Dear Father I arrived here all right it cost us only 2 cents a mile on the rail road we cant find out positive when we are a going to leave at any rate we shant leave ffore next thursday if we do before a week from Monday I think about one week from monday our cloths have not all come yet they expect them evry night