George W. Williams Civil War correspondence

This collection contains one letter from George W. Williams to his father during the Civil War. The letter, dated December 26, 1861, was written on paper with a front page that contains a poem, "Hero's Memento," by James P. Herron and illustrated with the American flag, an eagle, and music notes. The letter was written in Falls Church, Virginia while Williams was serving the Union with Company G, 35th Regiment, New York Volunteers. Also included in the collection is one small envelope in which the letter was stored, but not the original envelope in which the letter was sent.

In the letter to his father, Williams describes standing guard and getting into skirmishes at night while on 48-hour picket guard, "but the enemy do not trouble us in day light." He also mentions no man being killed in his unit since he joined them and that they have won every battle. He tells his father that he is having easy times in camp and even lives in a shanty with a stove and an expensive blanket sent to him by a friend. They clear out every place the "Rebels" have been, taking "one hundred loads of corn and hay," and he says the weather is turning cold.

He finishes by saying that he has seen President Abraham Lincoln and that he saw the house where "General Washington" [President George Washington] was born.