[Letter] 1862 December 14, Camp near Elixandria [to] Lucy Rupert / F. Rupert

The letter is part of the Stuckey-Nunn collection of Civil War correspondence between Union soldiers (Joseph D. Richardson and Francis Rupert) and their families, as well as one letter from a Confederate soldier, William T. Bickham to his cousin; see additional letters from Francis Rupert in the collection.

Francis describes picket duty and records his estimation of his Captain whom he thinks is "first rate." He characterizes the soldiers in his company as nice men who "all use me and Lloyd like men." He speculates on his chances of getting a furlough, going to the front with Burnsides, going into winter quarters, and says that Lloyd is well. Rupert served with the 2nd Regiment of the Pennsylvania Cavalry, 59th Volunteers which saw action in Northern Virginia, assisted in the defenses of Washington, and was present at major battles of the war including Antietam, Gettysburg, and the surrender of Lee at Appomattox Court House. Rupert became a POW and died at Andersonville Prison in Georgia on June 26, 1864; the overcrowded conditions there led to the deaths of 13,000 from disease, malnutrition, and exposure.