Letter written by Union occupation soldier John Stagenwalt

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A letter (a) with envelope (b) written by John Stagenwalt, a 1st U.S. Infantry soldier stationed at New Orleans during its occupation by the Union Army. Written in brown ink on one sheet of wove paper folded to form four pages, the letter is addressed to John B. Sheaffer, of Bareville, Leacock Township, Pennsylvania, with the salutation [My Dear Father]. At top right is [Greenville Barracks / March the 19, A.D., 1869 / New Orleans, La]. In the letter, Stagenwalt asks why Sheaffer doesn't write, tells him that he'll be going to Fort Leavenworth for a bit, and discusses what he'll do after his duty is up in June. The last page of the letter has Stagenwalt's return address and along the bottom the note [Written By / Michael J W Hawk / Co. K].

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