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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)John M. Jackson
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The collection is open to research.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Fred Lyman Letter, Ms1991-043, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Fred Lyman Letter was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1991.
The processing and description of the Fred Lyman Letter commenced and was completed in October, 2022.
"Fred" Lyman was likely Frederick D. Lyman, a native of Herkimer County, New York. Born June 5, 1839, Frederick Dillon Lyman was the son of Dillon T. and Margaret Weber Lyman. The 1850 federal census lists the younger Lyman as a resident in the Warren (Herkimer County) home of his parents. By 1860, the Lymans were living in Frankfort (Herkimer County), with Frederick D. Lyman described as a 21-year-old farm laborer. Lyman enlisted for two years' service in Company E, 14th New York Infantry at Frankfort, on May 1, 1861, and mustered in as a private with the company on May 17. He was promoted to corporal on May 1, 1863, and mustered out with the regiment at Utica, New York, on May 24, 1863. Lyman married Clara Tillinghast (1843-1920) on February 22, 1865; the couple would have five children. The Lymans lived in Friendship, New York, for a brief time but by June were living with Lyman's parents in Cuba (Allegany County), New York. Within five years, according to the federal census, the young couple had moved into a house next to the younger Lyman's parents. They continued to live and farm in Cuba through 1910. Frederick D. Lyman died in Alleghany County, New York, on October 20, 1915, and was buried in Cuba Cemetery, Alleghany County.
This collection consists of a single letter written by Fred Lyman, a soldier serving in an unidentified unit (possibly Company E, 14th New York Infantry) during the American Civil War. Written at Miners Hill, Virginia, December 8-9, 1861, the letter is addressed to "Dear Brother and Sister." Lyman writes at length of the recent Indian summer-like weather, then recounts the killing of a hog while on picket, noting that it is against orders to kill anything but that in a heavy fog the hog had been mistaken for a Confederate soldier. Lyman adds that the hog had been the property of "a rebel Justice of the Peace who is a Lieutenant in the rebel Army [who] has left two old slaves to take care of his property[.]" Lyman also mentions his Thanksgiving dinner, the low price of goods purchased locally, and his desire for a lieutenant's commission and raise in pay ("I would rather have $100 per month than $13.00.")
The guide to the Fred Lyman Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).