Bidspirit auction | Civil War Letter Group 25th

Civil War Letter Group 25th Reg Wisco. Brothers - The Lucien Parce and wife Sarah [nee Weir] Parce and family letter correspondence collection. Additionally, there are also some earlier correspondences between Sarah Weir and her brother Robert, as well as several letters between Lucien and his brother George Parce . Lucien and Sarah married on September 13, 1859, in Grant Wisconsin. Lucien Parce was born 1834 in North Pitcher, Chenango County, New York. Parce entered service August 9, 1862, and enlisted as a PVT in COMPANY C, 25th Wisconsin US INF from Liberty Wisconsin. He participated in the Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi. He died aged 27 on August 27, 1863, in Memphis, Tennessee from “Disease” and was buried there at the National Cemetery. His brother George, born 1836 was a PVT in COMPANY B, 44th Illinois US INF and according to records he joined AUG 29, 1861, at CAMP ELLSWORTH and Mustered In on SEP 13, 1861 in CHICAGO, IL. Records are incomplete, but it would seem he saw the end of the War. Three binders contain: 55 original letters/documents; 128 transcriptions of original letters and 41 photocopies of original letters. The collection is organized for the most part into 3 binders. Each Letter/Transcription/Photocopy is in its own plastic sleeve and adjacent [with some exceptions] to its counterpart. In some cases, the original letter is not present, but a photocopy of it is in its place. In some cases, the transcripts have been miss filed or duplicated. The initial transcriptions of every letter were carried out by Robert Evans, Professor of History Univ of Wisconsin-Stout circa 1999. This transcription of each document was meticulously done and printed out on a heavyweight cream-colored paper. The font used is a cursive that mimics an original handwritten letter. Over the years, some original documents were removed and replaced with photocopies. In reviewing the collection, there have been some cases where a printed transcript was filed twice and was initially counted in the total transcripts. This accounts for the discrepancy in the number of total transcripts approximately [128] and the total number of original letters/documents [55] plus photocopies approximately [41] representing 93 letters. With a collection that is this extensive and thorough, there may be some misfiled or duplicated documents. Along with the correspondences, are several copies of a Certificate of Service for Lucien, as well as some high quality photo prints of him in uniform from the original daguerreotype. Several copies of another individual in a full-dress uniform may be Sarah’s brother Robert Weir, who was serving in what looks to be a Naval unit from the image. His letter [there is a transcript, but no original letter included] to her dated 26 Nov 1856 is sent from Tulnavert, Ireland. The winning bidder of this exceptional correspondence collection will no doubt want to do some re-organization of the material chronologically. Each document, whether it be an original letter, transcription or photocopy are kept in individual protective plastic sleeves. This allows for safe and easy reorganization of the material. Locations mentioned in the letters [in no particular order] : Tulnavert, Ireland; Liberty, WI; Camp Randall-Madison WI; Camp Solomon-La Crosse, WI; Fort Snelling, MN; Camp at Sauk Center, MN; Hastings, MN; In the Railcar-Cairo, IL; Camp/Fort Halleck near Columbus, Kentucky; Camp Rienzi-MS; Satartia, MS; Snider’s Bluff-12 miles from Vicksburg, MS; Lake Providence, LA; Jackson Hospital, Memphis, TN; Montfort, WI; Boscobel, WI; Camp Shaefer, Murfreesboro, TN. Lucien and his wife Sarah were very much in love with each other during the short time that they were married [Sept 1859], before Lucien’s death from “disease” in Memphis Tennessee in August 1863. They had a daughter, Emma Rebecca Parce [B. 1860 D. 1910], mentioned in the letters. They addressed each other “Dear Wife; Dear Husband; Beloved Companion; Dear Loving Wife; Loving Companion.” The penmanship of both is excellent, and so reading the original documents is quite easily accomplished. The added transcriptions by Professor Evans significantly cut down on the work it takes to extract relevant and important historical information of locations, military units and maneuvers, and significant military and civil leaders of the time. The issue of slavery, food, money and the value of goods and services are discussed in their letters. The challenges that a young bride with a small child, while her husband and his brother are off to War is well understood when reading these correspondences. Weather, the local environments, and even the fear of Indian Incursions [the Sioux] in Minnesota are conveyed. The photos of this group highlight some of the standouts in this comprehensive collection.