Letters of Robert Walker: 1861-1864 (Abridged, Annotated)

Robert Walker went off to the American Civil War for the Union at the age of only 20. His concerns in the letters are those of most soldiers and a recurring theme is why the folks back home are not writing often enough. At one point he tells his mother through a letter to his sister that he won't write any more unless she writes.

He chafes a bit at his mother's mothering from afar:

"You sometimes inquire about my morality. I should not be ashamed to have my army proceedings read out to the wo...