Michigan in the Civil War
Richardson, Jonas D., 1839-1864.
Forty letters written to his parents while he was serving as corporal in Company D, 4th Michigan Infantry. He tells of camps and camp life, picket duty, and food. He describes a sham battle of which an artist from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly made a sketch, the camp decorations for Christmas, 1861, three reviews of troops by General McClellan, scenes from the steamer Daniel Webster bound for Yorktown, and the bombardment and evacuation of Yorktown. He is enthusiastic about soldiering, enjoys the bands, admires and defends General McClellan, and is sure of the quick defeat of the enemy. He speaks of the battles of Bull Run and Leesburg, and comments on the Mason-Slidell affair. From Sept. 1863 he was in Lincoln Hospital in Washington. Richardson was from Washtenaw County, Mich.
This collection is available on microfilm for interlibrary loan.