Lewis M. Foster Letter,
Scope and Content
The collection includes a letter from Lewis M. Foster to his mother in December 1864. Written near Petersburg, Virginia, Foster's note describes his regiment's travels from the Shenandoah Valley to the Petersburg area. He writes of the defenses of the nearby fort in detail, daily activities, and food and rations supplied to the troops. He also talks about living on the site of previous battles and building winter quarters there: "the boys have accidentally dug up dead Johnies when they have been building their houses and there is lots of solid shot Shell and Bullets and pieces of Muskets laying around all over the Ground[.]"
Dates
- 1864 - 1864
Creator
- Foster, Lewis M., b. abt. 1844 (Person)
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from Lewis M. Foster Letter must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Biographical Note
Lewis M. Foster served with Company C, 9th New York Heavy Artillery. He enlisted as a private in 1862. He became a corporal in November 1864. He mustered out with his regiment in July 1865.
At the time of his enlistment, Foster was 18, suggesting he was born about 1844. Prior to the war, he lived in Conquest, NY.
Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection includes a single letter from Lewis M. Foster to his mother, written near Petersburg, Virginia, December 1864.
Acquisition Information
The Lewis M. Foster Letter was purchased by Special Collections in March 2014.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Lewis M. Foster Letter was completed in June 2014.
- Title
- Lewis M. Foster Letter, 1864
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Kira A. Dietz, Archivist
- Date
- © 2014 Virginia Tech. All rights reserved.
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu