LETTERS HOME

The news has come that the Rebel Braggs army is whipped and cut to pieces One whole regiment come over to our side so I guess Kentucky is sick of fighting against the Union It is near 12 oclock and we have been taking up our tents and putting them in line so we have quite a village To see the fortifications forts and cannons that are planted here is astonishing There is men enough too Regiment after Regiment I am not discontented in the least I see no hardship but what I can endure for the good of my country The 144th Regiment of the New York Volunteer Infantry signed up its first recruit Bishop Asbury Cook on August 12 1862 and Cook remained with the regiment until it mustered out in July 1865 The letters contained in this volume span Cooks career with the regiment Letters written by Cook to his wife Louisa Maria Alexander Cook are grouped by month and describe the daily activities and everyday concerns of the average soldier Each months section contains a chronology of events for the Civil War nationwide a chronology of events within the 144th Regiment and a history of the regiment Supplemental historical background enhances and sometimes contrasts with the contents of Cooks letters