Peter Randall Letters (c.00528)

This collection includes Civil War letters written by Peter Randall, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, to his wife, Mary while he was serving in the Union Army on February 26, 1864. Peter enlisted in Company F, 6th Michigan Heavy Artillery. Peter never saw combat so his letters describe daily life in Army camps. Also included is a letter of condolence to Mary from Randall's Sergeant. Peter Randall was born in Vermont around 1837. He moved to Michigan with his family and settled in Washtenaw County (the exact date is unknown). When Peter was 13, he and his brother Leonard, 15, left home. In 1860, Peter married Mary Catherine Haynes and settled in Ypsilanti, Michigan. After one year, their first and only child, Clara, was born. He enlisted on 26 February 1864 and served in Company F, 6th Michigan Heavy Artillery. He died on 28 October 1864 of chronic diarrhea and is buried in the government cemetery in Fort Gaines, Dauphin Island, Alabama.