"hudags" in an 1861 Civil War letter--full 1861 letter

[Beverly Flanigan]

Thanks, Jerry!

At 03:35 PM 3/6/2003 -0600, you wrote:
>   Yesterday Beverly Flanigan expressed interest in seeing the entire
>1861 Civil War letter which contains "hudags." A full and proper
>treatment will entail printing a xerox copy of the original letter
>with all of its owner's comments about it, together with the
>transcribed copy of course.  In a follow-up e-mail the owner (Selden
>Trimble, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, University of
>Missouri-Rolla) went into some detail about the difficulty of
>transcribing the letters he has and the resulting uncertainty about
>the transcription being entirely accurate.  I've been in touch with
>him about publishing the "hudag" letter, and meanwhile, below my
>signoff is his first (March 3, 2003) e-mail to me; a long
>introduction precedes the letter itself.
>
>Gerald Cohen
>
>
>
>
>Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 12:18:18 -0600
>To: gcohen at umr.edu
>From: Selden Trimble <strimble at rollanet.org>
>Subject: new word in old letter
>
>Dear Jerry,
>        Below is a copy of the article I wrote for myself about a
>Union cover and letter sent from Rolla in November, 1861.  It
>contains the plural word "hudags" as an adjective for a couple of
>Confederate prisoners.  I never saw the word before.  But remember
>that I'm spelling this as it appears to me from a script handwriting
>of 140 years ago.
>
>        The following letter was written in pencil on a 10 inch by 8
>inch piece of horizontally laid white paper folded to make four
>pages, each 8 inches tall and 5 inches wide.
>        In the top center of the first page, there is printed in blue
>two clothed women.  The left woman is seated on something and looking
>left, while holding balance scales in her right hand and a sword in
>her left.  Behind her and to the left is a ship at sail on a large
>body of water.  The right woman is seated on a cornucopia and looking
>right, while holding a rod with thread or flax at its tip in her
>right hand.  Behind her is a train crossing a bridge, under which
>runs a river with a barge on it.  The two women are leaning back on a
>shield on which is a scene of a bay and the word "EXCELSIOR" written
>in a ribbon underneath the bay.  An eagle appears to perch on the
>shield.  The eagle has spread its wings wide over the two women.
>Underneath the entire scene are three words in italics:  "Justice
>Truth   Hope.".  The entire scene extends down 1 and 7/8 inches.
>        Despite this elaborate scene, there is no printer's mark.
>        Very faint horizontal blue lines start about   7/8 ths of an
>inch from the top.  (This means that some of them run through the
>scene described above.)  There is about 5/16 of an inch between these
>lines.  The lines run from top to bottom on pages 2 and 3 and are
>completely absent on page 4.  The writing in the letter stays between
>the lines.
>        The spelling, punctuation, and line breaks in the letter have
>been preserved below as best as could be done.
>
>        The cover is written in black ink and is addressed to
>
>                                                    Mrs C J B Verbeck
>                                          Mission Point
>                                                Lasall Co
>                                                                       Ills
>
>Today, 2001, La Salle County is in the north central part of
>Illinois.  Interstates 80 and 39 cross there.  There does not seem to
>be a community called Mission Point in it.  But in 1862, there was a
>post office there.
>        The cover originally measured 5 and 5/8 inches by 3 and 1/8
>inches.  It has been trimmed on the right about 7/16 ths of an inch.
>The letter was folded three times to fit in it.
>        The cover has a black ROLLA MO Nov 28 cds on upper right side
>of it.  The month is in italics.  There is also a black PAID inside
>an oval stamped on it.  In fact, the cds "ties" the paid handstamped.
>There is no rate marking.  (November 28, 1861, was Thanksgiving, but
>it was not then an official holiday.)
>        In the upper left corner of the cover, about 2 and 1/4 inches
>long by 2 inches high, there is a red, gold, and blue patriotic
>design.  There is a large 5-pointed star with a shield inside it.
>The shield has a field of stars at its top and vertical red and white
>bars on its bottom.  Outside the shield, but on the star, are lines
>fanning out to the edge of the star; this area is colored gold.  On
>each side of the side is a draped U.S. flag in red, white, and blue;
>red and white bars dangle from underneath the star.  "THE NATION'S
>EMBLEMS." is in large blue letters underneath the star.  Still
>further underneath, in small blue letters, is "Let us hand them down
>untarnished to future / generations."
>        Docketing on the lower left front of the cover reads "Camp
>Rolla / Nove 26 1861".
>        There is no printer's mark on the cover.
>
>The letter follows:
>
>Camp Rolla Tent No 2 Nov 26
>                                1861
>Sister Jane
>                I take this
>unfavorable oportunity of
>writing you a few lines
>our tent is full and I have
>to set on our bed and write
>that is the reason why I write
>with a pencil.  I received your
>letter of the nineteenth was
>glad to get it for that was
>the only one that I recd for
>ten days.  but I am in
>hopes to get some tonight
>to day I h(????) five dont you
>think I will have some one
>of these days.  About Charly
>I guess he had better keep
>
>(2nd page now begins)
>
>him and let him run
>if he dont bother to much
>I should like to have him
>when I get home.  but if
>he can dispose of him so as
>to realize $100. dollars and
>endorse the same on my note
>he may let him go.  I had
>rather he would not be worked
>as he might run away and
>spoil him.  have you taken
>Cora over to Soyells yet or havent
>you got through with her.
>Yes I do have a considerable
>to do with the secesh for the
>other night I was sergt of the
>guard over to head Quarters
>and there was two sent
>in for a trial but as it
>was to late for that they had
>to be sent to the Regt to
>stay all night.  so they sent
>to for two men.  but as I
>wanted some fun I took my
>old Musket and got another
>
>(3rd page now begins)
>
>man and started off
>but did not have any
>adventure as they are but poor
>hudags.  it is fun to
>march them off but if I
>was in their place it wouldn't
>be quite so funny.  I suppose
>your are a going to keep
>Thanksgiving next thursday.  I
>expect too.  what is your opin
>ion of the war  my is that
>it is a humbug  hat it is
>not carried on fast enough
>I wish it could be carried
>on faster.  but as long as
>we are here we will not be
>killed by secesh.  but you
>know we came to do some-
>thing for our country.  therefore
>we are all disapointed.  we have
>been in hopes to go down
>the river but I am affraid
>we will not get the chance
>I was glad to hear that
>you got along so well
>
>(4th page now begins)
>
>the corn.  you must
>excuse my not finishing
>this.  for I have to finish
>in a hurry  write soon
>and when I get tired
>of your letters I will
>say so
>        Yours
>            L. R. P. Lauthe