A Rock Co. soldier writes home, 1862-1865

Civil War Letters of Daniel Densmore (1833-1915) and his family.

Given below are 15 letters written by Daniel Densmore (1833-1915) and members of his family between 1862 and 1865. Densmore was born in New York, came to Wisconsin with his parents in 1847. They lived in Emerald Grove, near Janesville, until 1857 when they moved to Redwing, Minn. In Aug. 1862, Daniel Densmore helped recruit Co. G of the 3rd Minnesota Infantry at Redwing. This unit was first sent to help suppress the Sioux Uprising of 1862 before going south in January 1863 to fight in the lower Mississippi campaigns. Daniel Densmore was mustered out in 1864 but re-enlisted in order to command the 68th Regiment of U.S. Colored Troops until Sept. 1865.

These letters give vivid first-hand descriptions of the Sioux Uprising, conditions at Benton Barracks in St. Louis, the May 1864 Sanitary Fair held there, and conditions in the South during the final months of the war. They contain much reflection on race relations, since both Daniel and his brother Benjamin recruited and commanded African-American soldiers in the South. Although a few of the letters shown here have typed transcripts, most do not.