October 3, 1863: Henry Warner to his Father

Henry Warner was the youngest son of Henry and Mary Warner, the great-grandparents of the poet Marianne Moore.  Henry served in the Pennsylvania  Independent Artillery, Battery G from August 1862 until June 1865. In this letter he has just heard of the death of his sister-in-law Jennie Craig Warner, who died of typhoid. These family letters are preserved as part of the Marianne Moore family papers.

Transcript:

Fort Delaware Oct. 3/63

Dear Father

Your letter of the 1^st I received about an hour since—Can I describe my feelings! I was scarcely ever more shocked than I was this morning—Rev Mr Coleman from Birmingham arrived here this morning and after passing compliments mentioned in a casual manner than he had seen my mother in Harrisburgh—My mother! I exclaimed surely you must be mistaken—“No!” he said “you have certainly heard of the death of John’s wife”—Well if I had been shot I could have hardly been more shocked—And I got no further particulars until your letter arrived—John has never written to me since I returned from Shp—and I thought Jennie must surely have been getting better—Poor John I fear this will sit very heavy on him—Coleman said Mother told him she was going to take the babe home with her—but I think the Craigs will not let her—I hardly know what would be best to be done—

May-be Mother will take a notion to come to Fort Delaware—If not—I wish you would write me all the particulars immediately upon her return—Every thing the same with me

Your affc Son

Henry

Maxwell & Jane is just in from seeing Hugh & Isabella are just gone to East Liberty will leave for Cambridge at noon next Monday, is in a great hurry to vote against Vallandignham

Citation: Henry Warner, autograph letter to John Riddle Warner. Fort Delaware,3 October 1863. Moore VI:5:24