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Civil War/Civil War Union Letters: "...Enfield rifles...from the British Government...for the Southe

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Civil War/Civil War Union Letters:  ...Enfield rifles...from the British Government...for the Southe
Archive of Letters From A Pennsylvania "Dutch" Union Soldier. An archive of 22 letters approximately 80 pages, 20 of the letters being written by John Schamper of the 173 Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. Written during 1862-63 to his family back in Schuykill County, Pennsylvania, seventeen of Schamper's letters are in German, and three are in English; seven of the German letters have translations. Two other letters, written by Solomon Zimerman, are in English. Seven letters are written on patriotic letterhead, and 15 of the 20 accompanying envelopes have patriotic designs; most are written from camps in Virginia. Some toning and soiling, especially on the envelopes, the overall condition being Fine. A few excerpts: Dec. 16, 1862: "...ther is more darkes here then white peopples and we hard that they have fighting at Fredrickburg and...they have burned away the town...we get our Emunition so it must be a little danger...."; Jan. 5, 1863: "...I have heard that I don't have to pay taxes as long as I am in the war...they let the blacks loose on New Year's day...there were over five thousand of them in the city of Norfolk...and they leaped in the air and yelled 'hooray' for the old Lincoln." Feb. 15, 1863: "...we are 12 miles from Kempsville...the people...are all gone for the Rebel War, and those who are still here can't do much, they are just the old ones...I got a pair of shoes and a pair of socks and a pair of pants and a Snack-coat, and also a new rifle, and that is a rifle which shoots 3 hundred yards, they are Enfield rifles, and they came from the British government. They were sent for the Southern soldiers, but our people took them from them, a whole shipload of rifles, and munitions....we caught a man, we thought he had hidden ssome Rebels, but we couldn't find anything other than a letter, which was written in the Rebel army, but that already on November 30, 1862...they had very hard times, and that the [yanks] had taken his knapsack and all his clothes...and that they had quite enough of the war...." April 22, 1863: We went to camp Norfolk County, West...we could hear the cannon the entire week but...we hear the Rebels were driven back again...We had to shred the trees and shrubs, so that the Rebels couln't get through...." May 10, 1863: "...they have brought in a herd of Rebel soldiers...I have talked to them and a few are still of the opinion they can beat us, but they look very rough. A good part of them have sworn allegiance to the Union, and those that didn't swear, they shipped off to the forts and locked them up." July 6, 1863: "...maybe the Rebels keep us back for a little while as we hear that there are quite a few of them in Pennsylvania, but we hear they get kicked quite well...."