Simeon A. Howe letters

Collection

Identifier: c-00427

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains photocopies of handwritten transcriptions by the donor of eighty-nine Civil War letters (1863-1865) from Simeon A. Howe to his wife Cindonia Endocia Pratt Howe.

The letters relate the activities of Howe's regiment, Simeon's cooking, and give a descriptive view of army life in general. Near the end of Simeon's service, a few letters deal with the death of their young son, Owen.

Also included are a photocopy of an army pension document issued to Howe in 1890, and a copy of notes by the donor dealing with the activities of the First Regiment of Mechanics and Engineers.

These materials have been transcribed, scanned and placed online at http://civilwar.archives.msu.edu/collection/7-1C-45/howe/.

Dates

Creation: 1863 - 1890

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Biographical Note

Simeon A. Howe was born c.1830 in Maine. His family moved to Ohio when Simeon was a child, and after the death of his father, James Howe, in 1852, Simeon moved to Michigan along with his soon-to-be wife, Cindonia Eudocia Pratt. They purchased land and became farmers near St. Johns, Clinton County, Michigan. Simeon enlisted in the Union Army in October of 1863 as a private in Company M, First Michigan Regiment of Mechanics and Engineers and was mustered out at Nashville, Tennessee, as a sergeant on September 22, 1865. At first, he served as a cook for the regulars but was soon chosen to cook for officers. He saw service for two years, mainly in Tennessee and Alabama, and later in New York and North Carolina.