New Testament and Letters of Edwin O. Wentworth, 37th Massachusetts Infantry, Killed at the Battle of Spotsylvania / SOLD
New Testament and Letters of Edwin O. Wentworth, 37th Massachusetts Infantry, Killed at the Battle of Spotsylvania - Inventory Number: IDE 178 / SOLD
Pocket New Testament printed in New York by the American Bible Society in 1862. A printed paper label pasted inside the front cover by the Berkshire Co. Bible Society for Massachusetts volunteers is signed by Edwin O. Wentworth of Company I, 37th Massachusetts Infantry. Edwin Oberlin Wentworth was born on September 5, 1833, the oldest child of Pumice Hardin and Robert Wentworth. He worked as an itinerant printer, traveling as far West as Wisconsin to set type for various newspapers. In 1858, he married Caroline Warren. Caroline resided primarily in Turner, Maine, while Edwin continued to travel the Northeast in search of employment, stopping in Worchester, Cambridge, and Springfield, Massachusetts, among many other towns. Facing dire economic conditions, and with concern for the welfare of his wife and infant child, Anna Louise, who was born June 29, 1861, Wentworth decided to join the Union Army. With his wife's blessing, he enlisted on August 5, 1862 while in Springfield, a town which offered a sizable bounty in addition to what the Federal government provided. He served in the 37th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment from September 1862 until May 12, 1864, when he was killed in the “Bloody Angle” at the Battle of Spotsylvania, Virginia. His widow received a small government pension and worked as a housekeeper until her death in 1880. The collection is comprised of correspondence of several members of the Wentworth Adams family. It includes copies of letters by Edwin to his wife Caroline and to his father and sister in Buxton, Maine. The original letters written by Edwin are in the Library of Congress. Handwritten copies of the letters done by Edith Adams before she donated the originals are included here, and discuss soldier life, battles, including Fredericksburg and Rappahannock Station, Virginia, his political opinions, and many touching letters showing concern for the welfare of his family. Also included is the copy of a letter written by Edwin’s company commander, Francis Edward Gray, to Caroline Wentworth announcing her husband’s death. A wonderful and personal Civil War archive.
Edwin O. Wentworth - Residence Springfield MA; a 31 year-old Printer. Enlisted on 8/5/1862 as a Private. On 9/2/1862 he mustered into "I" Co. MA 37th Infantry. He was Killed on 5/12/1864 at Spotsylvania Court House, VA.