Letters Home Letters from a young Union soldier to his family

Henry Varnum Freeman Joined the Union Army in 1861. He participated in the Battle of Stone River and the Battle of Nashville and other skirmishes. He was a member of the Pioneer Corps and was promoted to Captain of the Colored Troops. Contained within are his letters home to his family. His daily tasks and thoughts are revealed, as well as his values and morals. He entered at the age of 19, just as he had hoped to attend Yale University. He was a staunch supporter of Abraham Lincoln, having met him while attending the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. He was patriotic to the United States and worried for its future. Varnum was a prolific writer using quotes and prose while writing. He later did attend Yale University and went on to become a federal judge in Chicago, Illinois.

Anne Freeman has taken the letters her husband's great-grandfather wrote home from the Civil War and organized them, transcribed them, and compiled them into this book. Also contained in the book is Henry Varnum Freeman's later writings. Anne is a retired elementary school teacher with a Masters of Art degree. In this book, she has explained inferences and citations made by Varnum Freeman, the author of all the letters and writings. She hopes that persons interested in the Civil War from a Union perspective will find the everyday happenings of a young man valuable.The letters saved from the Civil War were passed down through two generations until they were identified by Varnum's great-grandson. His wife, Anne, undertook the task of deciphering the handwriting and typing them into book form.