Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from Lewis M. Foster Letter must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Lewis M. Foster Letter, Ms2014-007, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Lewis M. Foster Letter was purchased by Special Collections in March 2014.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Lewis M. Foster Letter was completed in June 2014.

Biographical Note

Lewis M. Foster served with Company C, 9th New York Heavy Artillery. He enlisted as a private in 1862. He became a corporal in November 1864. He mustered out with his regiment in July 1865.

At the time of his enlistment, Foster was 18, suggesting he was born about 1844. Prior to the war, he lived in Conquest, NY.

Scope and Content

The collection includes a letter from Lewis M. Foster to his mother in December 1864. Written near Petersburg, Virginia, Foster's note describes his regiment's travels from the Shenandoah Valley to the Petersburg area. He writes of the defenses of the nearby fort in detail, daily activities, and food and rations supplied to the troops. He also talks about living on the site of previous battles and building winter quarters there: "the boys have accidentally dug up dead Johnies when they have been building their houses and there is lots of solid shot Shell and Bullets and pieces of Muskets laying around all over the Ground[.]"

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Petersburg (Va.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
• Petersburg (Va.) -- History -- Siege, 1864-1865
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
• Virginia -- History