Fisher, Conrad C., Letter Conrad C. Fisher Letter, 1865 Ms.1991.064

Conrad C. Fisher Letter, 1865 Ms.1991.064


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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech

Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu

John Jackson, Archivist

Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Identification
Ms.1991.064
Title
Conrad C. Fisher Letter 1865
Quantity
0.1 Cubic Feet, 1 folder
Creator
Fisher, Conrad C.
Language
The materials in the collection are in English.
Abstract
Letter from Corporal Conrad C. Fisher, Company B, 76th Pennsylvania Infantry, during the American Civil War, written in Virginia on January 2, 1865, and focusing on a recent military expedition to Wilmington, North Carolina, by sea; an infestation of body lice; and the recent execution of six deserters.

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

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Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Conrad C. Fisher Letter, Ms1991-064, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Conard C. Fisher Letter was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1991.

Processing Information

The processing of the Conrad C. Fisher Letter commenced and was completed in October, 2022.


Biographical Note

Conrad C. Fisher was born in Pennsylvania in 1843. The 1850 federal census lists an eight-year-old "Conrod" Fisher among the children living in the Mercer County, Pennsylvania, home of John and Anne Fisher. All were natives of Mercer County. Conrad Fisher enlisted as a private with Company B, 76th Pennsylvania Infantry (the "Keystone Zouaves") at Sharon (Mercer County), Pennsylvania, on September 24, 1861; and reenlisted at Hilton Head, South Carolina, on February 4, 1864. He mustered out with his regiment at Raleigh, North Carolina, on July 18, 1865. By 1880, Fisher had married, and the 1880 federal census lists him as a 37-year-old moulding room worker living in Erie County, Pennsylvania, with wife Electa, 26, and two young daughters. On April 30, 1895, Fisher was admitted to the Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Dayton, Ohio. He died there on June 26, 1900, and was buried in Dayton National Cemetery.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a letter written by Conrad C. Fisher, a corporal serving in Company B, 76th Pennsylvania Infantry during the American Civil War. Addressed to "my dear cousin" (Miss Nancy Jane Cozad), the letter employs phonetic spelling throughout and is dated "Chatnon Farm, Va., Jenuwar the 2, 1865." Fisher reports that he has just returned from a failed expedition to take Wilmington, North Carolina (following 22 days at sea, half-starved and covered with body lice), and he notes the loss of many horses and other things during a storm at sea. Fisher mentions Christmas, writing that he spent the day "Fightn For my Countrey in solt wattr up to my wast[;] that is the way to put in the holy daye." Fisher also reports on six soldiers having been recently shot for desertion to the enemy. "[A] deziter is a tratr to his contrey iney how," he writes; "tha ar [betr?] dead than a live." The letter is accompanied by an unstamped envelope addressed to "Miss Nancy Cozad, Sharon, Mercer Co., Pa.," postmarked Washington D. C. on March 12, 1865, with three cents postage due.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

  • Civil War
  • United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Conrad C. Fisher Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).

Container List

folder 1
Letter
1865