Civil War Blog

Elizabeth Ann Waite

October 30, 1863

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Dearest

We have passed through another encounter with the enemy and providentially have escaped unharmed. My Corps left Bridgeport on Tuesday the 27th and marched some fifteen or sixteen miles encamped at a place called Whitinder. You can hardly imagine a rougher country – rocks, hills and mountains with deep valleys. We met with coal miners on the top of the high peaks with an arrangement of a car, tramway and rope to let down the coal. [Illegible name] had a log-house […] one large woman and several small children. How poor, how filthy, how ignorant the people are. One abandoned house at the Depot was pretty fair. It had two rooms. We had it swept and a fire built. With [illegible] well out and some misgivings about the enemy we had a fair night. […]

Oliver Otis Howard to his wife, Elizabeth Ann Waite [Oliver Otis Howard Papers]

October 24, 1863

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Headquarters Eleventh Corps, Army of the Cumberland, Bridgeport

Dearest,

We received a letter written to Chm. and mailed Oct. 16 – It had reached him in eight days and I am glad to hear Jamie is so well and you say nothing of Guy’s illness so I presume his fever too was soon over. “Ruby has a little cough” to keep company with papa I hope nether will last long. This is a cold damp place, more so than Augusta it seems to me. […]

Oliver Otis Howard to his wife, Elizabeth Ann Waite [Oliver Otis Howard Papers]

July 14, 1863

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Farmington

My dear Lizzie,

I was very glad indeed to hear from you again. I wish I could see you, which would be far better. Rowland has not yet come home and I don;t know when he will come – though I shall look for him now everyday a little. I think he will go to Augusta if he can. But he has been away so much more yet than he anticipated, that I suppose he’ll feel as if he must hurry home as soon as possible. I hope he can go to Augusta – It would be so pleasant to see some one right from Otis. He was with Perry when he wrote last. Perry has lost an arm close up to the shoulder. I don’t know which one. Rowland said he was very much frustrated by it. The shock to his system was very great. […]

Mary Ellen “Ella” Howard to her sister-in-law, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Ann Waite [Oliver Otis Howard Papers]

June 27, 1863

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Headquarters Eleventh Corps, Near Middleton, Ma

Dearest,

I have received another good long letter from you written just after Maj Whittlesey and Mrs. W’s visit. I am glad they came to see you. I got a letter from Major Whittlesey at the same time. […] I am afraid you are working too hard or doing too much. Shopping you know is very dangerous.

We are working along up towards  you. The rebels are again bothering us and home. […]

Oliver Otis Howard to his wife, Elizabeth Ann Waite [Oliver Otis Howard Papers]

June 26, 1863

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Headquarters Eleventh Corps, Middleton, Ma

Dear Sister Lizzie,

I came to camp at Goose Creek, 6 miles from Leesburg on Tues: with the 11th Corps. Mail Carrier. The next day I “marched” with the Corps to Edwards Ferry, 6 miles, and the next to Point of Rocks and turning at that point to Jefferson , 5 miles from the Potomac where we spent the night in a house. The march was a hard one of 25 or 30 miles in a day. Today we have already moved 6 miles up this beautiful and fruitful valley to this lovely little town. There is no immediate prospect of a battle – the enemy being two days march ahead of us towards Penn.

Otis seems quite well, but works hard almost every moment and gets pretty tired every night and sometimes is awakened often during the night with Orders. […]

Charles Henry Howard to his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Ann Waite [Oliver Otis Howard Papers]

June 17, 1863

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Dear Lizzie,

It strikes me we might be a little more sisterly in the way of corresponding and yet I know it takes a good deal of time to write letters and you especially have very little to spare with your little family and your letters to Otis. For my own part, I don’t know but it is as much laziness as anything else that keeps me from writing for I have been intending to send you my love and congratulations ever since the deal little baby came. But you have them now and will you please kiss the little fellow for his Auntie. I  want very much to see him. I wish it wasn’t such a journey between Augusta and Farmington – and such an almost impossible journey with little children. I do wish you could come up and bring all four of them this summer. Is it quite out of the question? I should so love to have you. […]

Mary Ellen Patten [Ella] to her sister-in-law Elizabeth Ann Waite [Oliver Otis Howard Papers]

June 9, 1863

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Headquarters Eleventh Corps, Va.

Dear Sister Lizzie,

Otis has gone out to inspect the camps of one of his Divns and said to me as he was leaving that he had intended to write you this morning and asked me to do so. […]

Gen. [illegible] has been next up river with a Brigade of Infantry and some Artillery in conjunction with a Cavalry force and this moment I hear very distant firing.

Charles Henry Howard to his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Ann Waite [Oliver Otis Howard Papers]

 

 

May 23, 1863

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Headquarter’s Eleventh Corps. Near Brooke’s Station, Va.

Dearest,

I told you in yesterday’s letter that Miss Lizzie came from Washington with us. Yesterday Charles took her to Falmouth to see Fredericksburg and the troops on the way thither. She thinks she had a fine time notwithstanding the roughness of the roads and of the carriage. Last night we gave her a tea party, inviting all the ladies and a few gentlemen. […]

Oliver Otis Howard to his wife, Elizabeth Ann Waite [Oliver Otis Howard Papers]

April 3, 1863

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Stafford Ctt.

Dearest,

I wrote you a tiny letter yesterday and perhaps will not do much better today. I had not finished the above sentence before I was interrupted and it has been two hours since. I am learning the regiments and officers. This command is completely new to me. I will enclose a list of regiments as I have had them drum up, I imagine you and Jamie can pronounce German names about as well as I.

I am going to move Hd Qrts. to the vicinity of Brooke’s Station tomorrow. […]

Lovingly, Otis

Oliver Otis Howard to his wife, Elizabeth A. Waite [Oliver Otis Howard Papers]