One Soldier, One Family, One War

One Soldier, One Family, One War. The Homespun Letters of James Nugent. , "Oh! father, it would make your blood run cold to see the fights... War is awful." – James Nugent, City Point, April 27, 1865, In the closing months of the Civil War, a young Wisconsin college student was drafted and soon saw combat in the hellish siege of Petersburg, Letters to his family were found in a Michigan bank vault. The City Point excerpts used here were published in The Washington Post May 30, 1989. They tell a timeless story of soldiers and their families., April 3, 1865 , Between Petersburg and Richmond Somewhere , Dear Father, , I am not hit yet although we have been through one of the hardest fights of this war. Petersburg is ours. I heard that Richmond is also. Oh, father, it would make your blood run cold to see the fights I have seen within the last week. War is awful.... The Rebellion is about played out, I think. We have taken ten thousand Prisoners within the last two days., City Point, April 27 , Dear Mother, , ...My wound is healing nicely. I can walk around with a cane first rate, but the Doctor orders me to keep to bed as much as possible. I borrowed a fiddle the other day and with that, reading, writing, and thinking of home, I manage to kill time quite comfortably., City Point, May 3 , ..."I am about as sound as ever. My wound is healed, almost. One thing, Mother, you need not worry any more about fighting, for it is all done, that will be done in this war. I make my calculations to be home by the 4th of Jul. Write soon, dear Mother. Love to all., More than 600,000 men died in the Civil War. James Nugent survived, was mustered out of the army on June 20, 1865 and went on to a business career in the Midwest. His letters were provided to The Washington Post by descendents living in Reston, Virginia., The Post Hospital , The Post Hospital was situated on the grounds of the Methodist Church located just beyond the ravine at the head of Prince Henry Avenue. This hospital was used by the garrison of City Point which numbered between 1,000-1,500 troops under the command of Brigadier General Marsena R. Patrick. Other patients included conscripts and convalescent soldiers returning from furlough who were not able to immediately march to their regiments. Nonmilitary patients such as civilian workers and newly freed slaves were allowed to use this hospital. As of July 1, 1864 seventy-nine soldiers were patients here. Records show that the Post Hospital was established on June 10, 1864 and remained in operation until August 12, 1865 when it was transferred to the Post Hospital in Petersburg., Hospital tents surrounded a small white frame church which predated the Union army's occupation. Wood structures replaced the tents before the onset of winter. Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Robert Loughran of the 20th New York State Militia served as surgeon in chief for the Post Hospital. Doctors working here not only cared for the ill but were also in charged of sanitation and the policing of the post of City Point., [Captions:] , "Oh, Mother, I must tell you, I had a dish of strawberries and cream yesterday. And I picked the strawberries myself. The wild ones here are ripe. I picked my cap full in about an hour." , James Nugent, City Point. May 3, 1865, One of seven hospitals established at City Point: the Post Hospital served the garrison stationed here. Doctors from the provisional Brigade set up another hospital for contagious diseases outside the defense line and removed from the normal operations of the post.