Holt Civil War Letters

Letters written during the Civil War by Warren and Lewis Holt to their sister, Caroline Holt Flemings, is the topic of this historical lecture. In July, 1861, Lewis and Warren Holt (brothers) enlisted in what became the "1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Regiment," Company H. Both wrote letters to their sister, Caroline: Warren: 16 letters, Lewis: 55 letters. Both brothers survived the Civil War and their letters became a written record of their experiences. Example scans of the first envelope and first page of the first letter (dated 05 AUG 1861) are attached to this email. All of the original letters, a 1982 word for word transcription of these letters (by Eleanor Flemings Munch, Caroline's great-granddaughter), and a 2018 annotated & indexed transcription (by Bill Munch, Caroline's great-great-grandson) have been put in the Library of VA, Richmond as part of this library's sesquicentennial collection of Civil War documents. Some of the text from these Holt Civil War letters have been quoted in two Civil War books: “Andover in the Civil War: The Spirit and Sacrifice of a New England Town” by Joan Silva Patrakis, 2008 and “Harpers Ferry Under Fire” by Dennis Frye, 2012. Quoting from the introduction to Eleanor Munch's 1982 transcription of the Holt Civil War letters: "Reading these letters provides us rare glimpses into our Nation's past ... a period most of us would prefer to forget. Yet here is a new view of life and hopes and travail of our growing nation -- a nation which is stronger because of men like Lewis and Warren...and because of schoolteacher Caroline who encouraged and supported her brothers and our Nation through these difficult times. And without her diligence in saving these remembrances, we would be much poorer for never having these glimpses of our past."

Letters written during the Civil War by Warren and Lewis Holt to their sister, Caroline Holt Flemings, is the topic of this historical lecture. Quoting from the introduction to Eleanor Munch's 1982 transcription of the Holt Civil War letters: "Reading these letters provides us rare glimpses into our Nation's past ... a period most of us would prefer to forget. Yet here is a new view of life and hopes and travail of our growing nation -- a nation which is stronger because of men like Lewis and Warren...and because of schoolteacher Caroline who encouraged and supported her brothers and our Nation through these difficult times. And without her diligence in saving these remembrances, we would be much poorer for never having these glimpses of our past."

https://www.bathtownshippubliclibrary.org/library-calendar-2/holt-civil-war-letters
Holt Civil War Letters
2023-11-09T12:00:00-05:00
2023-11-09T13:00:00-05:00
Letters written during the Civil War by Warren and Lewis Holt to their sister, Caroline Holt Flemings, is the topic of this historical lecture. Quoting from the introduction to Eleanor Munch's 1982 transcription of the Holt Civil War letters: "Reading these letters provides us rare glimpses into our Nation's past ... a period most of us would prefer to forget. Yet here is a new view of life and hopes and travail of our growing nation -- a nation which is stronger because of men like Lewis and Warren...and because of schoolteacher Caroline who encouraged and supported her brothers and our Nation through these difficult times. And without her diligence in saving these remembrances, we would be much poorer for never having these glimpses of our past."

When Nov 09, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 01:00 PM (US/Eastern / UTC-500)
Where Bath Township Public Library
Contact Name Joana
Contact Phone 517-641-7111
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All of the original letters, a 1982 word for word transcription of these letters (by Eleanor Flemings Munch, Caroline's great-granddaughter), and a 2018 annotated & indexed transcription (by Bill Munch, Caroline's great-great-grandson) have been put in the Library of VA, Richmond as part of this library's sesquicentennial collection of Civil War documents. Some of the text from these Holt Civil War letters have been quoted in two Civil War books: “Andover in the Civil War: The Spirit and Sacrifice of a New England Town” by Joan Silva Patrakis, 2008 and “Harpers Ferry Under Fire” by Dennis Frye, 2012.

Quoting from the introduction to Eleanor Munch's 1982 transcription of the Holt Civil War letters: "Reading these letters provides us rare glimpses into our Nation's past ... a period most of us would prefer to forget. Yet here is a new view of life and hopes and travail of our growing nation -- a nation which is stronger because of men like Lewis and Warren...and because of schoolteacher Caroline who encouraged and supported her brothers and our Nation through these difficult times. And without her diligence in saving these remembrances, we would be much poorer for never having these glimpses of our past."