Title Toward a more perfect Union : the Civil War letters of Frederic and Elizabeth Lockley / [edited by] Charles E. Rankin

Published Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, [2023] ©2023

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Description 1 online resource (xxiii, 425 pages, 18 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations, maps Contents The Setting -- "Days of Roman heroism" -- August 13 to September 9, 1862 -- "It's all for our country" -- September 13 to November 22, 1862 -- "Not exactly a bed of roses" -- December 10 to December 25, 1862 -- "We must ride the tempest" -- January 21 to May 10, 1863 -- "Your letters are my meat & drink" -- May 13 to June 7, 1863 -- "Would you fancy the surprise?" -- June 10 to July 8, 1863 -- "I am at my old lunes" -- July 15 to September 30, 1863 -- "Hope is the anchor of the soul" -- October 4 to October 28, 1863 -- "A rather scandalous affair" -- November 22, 1863, to January 1, 1864 -- "This morning that boy was buried" -- January 10 to March 19, 1864 -- "I left Josey standing on the stoop" -- March 22 to April 21, 1864 -- "Sergt. Major! We have got our orders!" -- May 8 to June 21, 1864 -- "Soldiering in its roughest, sternest form" -- June 22 to July 8, 1864 -- "An epoch of endurance" -- July 10 to August 7, 1864 -- "No Sundays in the army" -- August 15 to September 21, 1864 -- "Fighting is almost incessant" -- September 25 to October 12, 1864 -- "Which ticket are you going to vote?" -- October 13 to November 7, 1864 -- "Johnnies deserting by wholesale" -- December 1, 1864, to January 27, 1865 -- "The fighting is nearly over" -- February 10 to March 7, 1865 -- "The little mischief" -- March 12 to April 14, 1865 -- "A soul struggling to be free" -- April 16 to May 3, 1865 -- "I share with you this impatience" -- May 9 to May 24, 1865 -- "My last letter!!" -- May 28 to June 14, 1865 Summary "Toward a More Perfect Union is an extraordinary book of husband-and-wife letters written during the Civil War, selected from the Frederic E. Lockley Collection at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Appearing here are 162 letters exchanged between Frederic Lockley and his wife Elizabeth, chosen from 405 letters preserved in the collection. The survival of such two-way exchanges is rare. Few soldiers in the field had the opportunity to save letters from home. The Lockleys' selected letters narrate a chronological three-year story, from 1862 to 1865. When Frederic enlisted at thirty-seven, he and Elizabeth promised each other they would write twice a week and, for the most part, they did. These are not average letters. A published author, Frederic was remarkably insightful and articulate and Elizabeth was literate and expressive as well. Although primarily a love story set during the Civil War, Toward a More Perfect Union also offers ample military material, some not well represented elsewhere in Civil War literature. Frederic wrote of life in garrison duty in defense of Washington, manning the siege lines at Petersburg, and guarding Union parolees and Confederate prisoners of war. But his letters also show strong ties to home and his need for those ties in order to maintain his own mental and emotional equilibrium in the face of the horrors of war. Elizabeth's letters reflect an urban setting and the perspective of a young, recently married woman who spent much of her time parenting three young children from Frederic's first marriage. In fact, children and parenting assume a theme in Fred and Lizzie's correspondence almost as constant and consequential as the war itself. Providing background and framework for these exceptional letters, editor Charles E. Rankin's introduction and contextualization create a continuous narrative that allows readers to follow these correspondents through a time critical to their marriage and to our nation's history. "-- Provided by publisher Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Online resource; title from PDF title page (Project MUSE platform, viewed July 10, 2023) Subject Lockley, Elizabeth, 1843-1929 -- Correspondence Lockley, Frederic E., 1824-1905 -- Correspondence United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 7th (1861-1863) United States. Army. New York Veteran Infantry Regiment, 7th (1864-1865) United States. Army. New York Heavy Artillery Regiment, 7th (1862-1865) SUBJECT United States. Army. New York Veteran Infantry Regiment, 7th (1864-1865) fast United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 7th (1861-1863) fast United States. Army. New York Heavy Artillery Regiment, 7th (1862-1865) fast Subject Wives -- New York (State) -- Albany -- Correspondence Married people -- New York (State) -- Correspondence Soldiers -- New York (State) -- Correspondence LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Letters. HISTORY / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877) Married people Soldiers Wives SUBJECT United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140261 New York (N.Y.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives Subject New York (State) -- New York New York (State) New York (State) -- Albany United States Genre/Form History Personal correspondence Personal narratives Form Electronic book Author Rankin, Charles E., editor. LC no. 2022049680 ISBN 9781496234926 1496234928 9781496234919 149623491X

Other Titles Civil War letters of Frederic and Elizabeth Lockley

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