Rosemary Youngs - The Civil War Love Letter Quilt: 121 Quilt Blocks Inspired by Love and War

THE CIVIL WAR
LOVE LETTER QUILT

Rosemary Youngs

2007 Rosemary Youngs
Published by

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Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2006935648
ISBN 978-089689-487-7

Designed by Marilyn McGrane
Edited by Susan Sliwicki

Printed in China

Dedication

It is with a heart full of love that I dedicate this book to my husband, Tom; my children, Stacey, Johnnathan, Amy and Jeffrey; and my first grandchildren, Hailey Marie and Sophia Grace, and all of those who will follow.

Acknowledgments

Thank you so much to my dear family: my husband Tom; my children: Stacey and her husband, Micah; Johnnathan; Amy and her husband, Matthew; and Jeffrey; as well as my granddaughters, Hailey Marie and Sophia Grace, for all their love and support.

Thank you to my quilting group Gay Bomers, Barbara David, Natalie Randall, Margo Spencer, Christine Yeager, Norma Zawistowski and Susan Zomberg who spent Mondays listening to my ideas and testing out the new block design. Thank you for working with the patterns to make a Civil War quilt for this book. Thank you also to Carol Schultz, Dagmar Kessler and Mary Ellen Zeitz for their willingness to make projects for this book.

To my very supportive friends who dont quilt Pat Kuieck, Marilyn Kozminski, Susan Olthof and Nancy Wagner thank you for your rare and wonderful friendships. You are truly a blessing in my life.

Thank you to the Attic Window Girls Pat Anisko, Audrey Berkenpas, Virginia Bergmans, Barbara David, Roberta Decker, Annette Hampton, Megan Harding, Sally Johnson, Bonnie Major, Suzanne Schultz, Sue Steinhauer and Norma Zawistowski for their inspiration on Tuesday mornings. Each of these women worked to appliqu a special block for the Civil War Soldiers Quilt.

Thank you to my special pen pals Maureen Baly, Judy Day and JoAnn Fuhler who inspire me weekly with their letters and who were willing to do a project for this book,

To Tammy Finkler, for her beautiful machine quilting expertise and her willingness to fit our quilting projects into her schedule.

To all of the quilters who have inspired me along my journey, whether I met you at Attic Window, Beaver Island, Grand Quilt, Paducah, Shipshewana or the West Michigan Quilt Guild.

Thank you to the team at Krause Publications for their confidence and encouragement during the writing of this book, especially to my acquisition editor, Candy Wiza, and my editor, Susan Sliwicki.

I am indebted to the families, historical societies, libraries, universities and all of those who helped me with my research. Thank you also to all of those who have treasured the Civil War letters of their ancestors and have preserved their stories.

For my special friends, especially my womens Bible study at Trinity Reformed Church, thank you for your friendships, your encouragement, your prayers and your belief in me.

Most importantly, I want to thank God for the wonderful opportunities and the people I have met through writing, and for always taking the pieces of my life, stitching them together and making something beautiful.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, and it touched the life of almost every person living in the United States during that time. More than 600,000 lives were lost, and the battles led to the economic destruction of homes, farms and industries.

Soldiers wrote letters to home from the battlefields, camps, hospitals and even prisons. The letters in this book provide a firsthand account of what the soldiers experienced during the Civil War. The letters are in the soldiers own words, although some simple grammar and spelling errors are corrected. In some cases, only partial letters are featured.

RUTHERFORD B. HAYES

Hayes joined the 23rd Regiment of Ohio and wrote letters home to his wife and children from the battlefields. In 1877, he became the 19th president of the United States of America. His Civil War letters and photographs are used with permission from the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center. Thank you to Nan Card, curator of manuscripts.

AMHERST B. CHENEY

Cheney enlisted in the Michigan 21st Infantry at the age of 20. He wrote his letters home to a friend, who ended up marrying his brother. Later in life, Cheney was elected to serve in the House of Representatives. His Civil War letters and photographs are used with permission from the Sparta Township Historical Commission. Thank you to Gail Klein.

NEWTON ROBERT SCOTT

Scott joined the 36th Infantry of Ohio volunteers at the age of 20. He wrote letters home to a childhood friend, Hannah, whom he married after the war was over. His Civil War letters and photographs are used with permission from the family of Marjorie Hannah Dalby. Thank you to William S. Proudfoot, Hannah Cones Newtons great-grandson.

SAMUEL MATSON FOX

Fox enlisted with the 6th New Jersey volunteers. He wrote his letters home to his brothers. Fox never returned home; he died of an unknown illness in September 1862. His Civil War letters and photographs are used with permission from David H. Fox, the great-grandson of Samuels brother, Charles H. Fox, recipient of the letters.

ANDREW L. GATEWOOD

Gatewood wrote letters home to his parents when he began to take classes at the Virginia Military Institute just prior to the start of the war. He later wrote his letters to home from the battlefields. His Civil War letters and photographs are used with permission from the Virginia Military Institute Archives. Thank you to Diane B. Jacob, head of archiving and records management.

DAVID COON

In 1864, at the age of 42, Coon left his wife and seven children to join the 36th Regiment of Wisconsin volunteers. He wrote his letters home to his wife and children. Coon never returned home from the war; he died at the Andersonville prison. His Civil War letters are used with permission from the Wisconsin Historical Society. Thank you to Harold L. Miller, reference archivist. The photographs are used with permission courtesy of David Coon, great-great-great grandson of David Coon.

DAVID READ EVANS WINN

Winn mustered into service with the 4th Georgia Regiment and wrote his letters home to his wife and two sons. He was killed in action in the battle of Gettysburg. His Civil War letters and photographs are used with permission from the David Read Evans Winn Papers, Special Collections and Archives, Robert W. Woodruff Library, Emory University. Thank you to the Coordinator for Research Services, Naomi L. Nelson and to Kathy Shoemaker, Special Collections and Archives Division Assistant.

SAMUEL CLEMENT ZINSER

Zinser enlisted with the 47th Illinois Infantry. He wrote letters home to his girlfriend, whom he married after the war. His Civil War letters and photographs are used with permission from the Special Collections Center, Bradley University Library. Thank you to Charles J. Frey, special collections librarian. Thank you also to Carol Dorward and the Zinser House in Washington, Illinois for helping me with biographical information.