John M. Young letters
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of forty-one letters dated between May 1, 1862 and July 28, 1863. Thirty-six of the letters were written by John M. Young to his wife, Rosetta. One was written by John Young to his brother-in-law, Wyatt Terwilliger. Two of the letters were written by Rosetta Young, one to John and one to an “Express Agent.” One letter was written by Charles Terwilliger to John Young, and one letter was written by Wyatt Terwilliger to his brother Charles.
John Young was a member of Companies C and F of the 14th Infantry Regiment, United States Army. Charles Terwilliger was in Company B, 107th New York Volunteer Infantry. He died of typhoid at Harper’s Ferry, Virgina, on October 15, 1862, less than three weeks after his letter in the collection was written. Wyatt Terwilliger was in Company C, 161st New York Volunteer Infantry. He died of “paralysis” in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May 12, 1863.
The letters cover such topics as troop strengths, movements and battles, U.S.Army pay scales, the cost of items, the value of the dollar and the general standard of living. He also furnishes the reader with interesting and stimulating information about his religious convictions and his own standard of education. Finally, Young also comments on U.S. Army policies in regard to insubordination and desertion.
The letters are arranged chronologically, with four unassociated envelopes and three miscellaneous documents at the end of the collection. These documents are an undated small sheet of paper containing Young's address in Washington, D.C.; a fragment of a note on "Union Forever" stationery which reads "Sergt. John M. Young left home for the army, Nov. 12th, 1862, for the second time ... [to?] Philadelphia first [then?] went to the Hospital ..."; and a note dated June 8, 1863 listing the numbers of men (totaling fourteen) in various companies.
Young's letters are available in published form as C. Russell Hunley, ed. The 14th U.S. Infantry Regiment in the Civil War: John Young Letters. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: Burd Street Press, 2000.
Dates
- Creation: 1862 - 1863
Creator
- Young, John M., 1832-1864 (Person)
Biographical Note
John M. Young (1832 - 1864) was the son of Robert and Sarah Caldwell Young, who emigrated from Northern Ireland and settled in the area of Elmira, Chemung County, New York prior to the Civil War. John Young, born in Elmira, was engaged in the lumber industry prior to the Civil War. He married Rossetta Roe Terwilliger on October 11, 1853; they had three daughters: Cora, Ida, and Emma.
John M. Young enlisted in the United States Army on February 15, 1862 in Company F, 14th United States Infantry, and was appointed as a corporal; he was later promoted to sergeant. Wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864, Young was captured by Confederate troops and taken to the hospital at Locust Grove, where he died on May 18, 1864.
Two of Rosetta Terwilliger Young's brothers, Charles and Wyatt Terwilliger, also enlisted in 1862 and feature in the correspondence in this collection. Both died of illness during the war.
Rosetta Young applied for a pension based on John's Civil War service, which was granted. In 1868 she married John's elder brother Hector Young of Horseheads, New York. Rosetta died on February 10, 1874. All three daughters survived to adulthood.
Extent
2.25 Linear Feet (One box and one oversize box.)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection consists of forty-one letters and three other documents, mostly letters from John M. Young (1832 - 1864) of Elmira, Chemung County, New York, to his wife Rosetta Terwilliger Young during his service in the Civil War (Companies C and F, 14th Regiment, United States Infantry). Several letters were written by Rosetta, and additional letters were written between John and Rosetta Young and two of Rosetta's brothers, Charles and Wyatt Terwilliger, both of whom were also serving in the Civil War.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase, 2004.
Cultural context
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the John M. Young letters
- Author
- Guide originally drafted in 2005 by Randall Miles, with comments by Timothy Bridgman. Updated 2023 by Jeremy Dibbell (Special Collections Librarian)
- Date
- 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Binghamton University Libraries Special Collections Repository