Amos E. Hardy correspondence

Letters that Hardy wrote to his parents during his Civil War service constitute the bulk of the collection. The letters describe the work on the defenses of Washington, D.C., including Forts Massachusetts (Stevens), DeRussey, Talbot, Ripley, Alexander, Franklin and Sumner; life in camp, particularly the food, healthcare, and various sports and amusements; the men of his regiment, including the hated regimental surgeon suspected of killing off "weak soldiers" and an "old Hypocrite" of a chaplain' encounters with fugitive slaves, slaveholders, Confederate prisoners, Union conscripts, etc. Hardy also discusses the affairs at home, (including the fate of his dog), and renders his opinion on war news and state and national politics, e.g. the draft and the Copperheads. Longing for a battle, he also shared various schemes that would allow him to be transferred to cavalry or the Navy. The letters also contain accounts of the beginning of Grant's Overland campaign and the battle of Poplar Springs where he lost his arm as well as descriptions of the Columbian Hospital in Washington, D.C. and the Beverly Hospital in New Jersey. The letter of Dec. 25, 1858 describes Christmas in Georgetown, Guyana and briefly recounts Hardy's impression of the West Indies. Also included are: Hardy's letter to his future employer, Mrs. Ames, written from Soldiers' Home in Bangor and detailing his Civil War service; his letters from Tillsonburg, Ont., discussing the town and Hardy's plans for the future; a letter from his son, Robert Samuel Hardy, with a detailed account of festivities in his Bangor, Me. school; a newspaper clipping with Amos E. Hardy's obituary, and an undated letter from G. Low to William Low of Castleton, Vt.