[Letter] 1862 December 17, Camp near Elixandria [to] Mother / [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 addresses his mother's wish to hear from him more often; he too would like to write two or three times a week. He tells her he got another horse, and explains that though she thinks it was wrong to take a farmer's mule because it didn't belong to him, that the Government has given them the clearance to do so. Rupert reveals that he and Lloyd are thinking of joining the regular service instead of the volunteers since it is "much nicer and cleaner." He mentions mutual acquaintances and assures her that he is able to read her letters as well as Lucy's. 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.