"A woman gave me a Bed Quilt the other day"

Quilt dated 1862 from the Dutton-Steers families, Virginia

A letter sold on an online auction a while ago was from a Union prisoner of war from New York. He  had lovely penmanship, creative spelling and a sad tale from prisons in Virginia:

Belle Isle is an island in the river outside Richmond where Union

prisoners were housed in tents.

"October 21 1862.

Camp P? Prisoners Near Elexandery Virginia
My dear Grandmother. I write these few lines to you hoping it find you as well as ever. I am just recovering My health. 6 weeks ago I walked Anopilas streets Maryland with a cane. But now I throwed that a side and begin to look like my self. I had come from that enfurnal hole called Bellislands Richmond there was about five thousand in all. We was hardest looking lot of boys....

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"We all got new clothes Blanketts and a'int had one in 2 months,

Each of these simple pieced quilts is dated 1862

A woman gave me a Bed Quilt the other day. The blanketts aint come yet a third of us is with out blankets. We seen hard times since we left york State. We get plenty to eat heare. What they going to do with [us] I dont now. We look like so many Criminals We took the oath not to take up arms against Southern Confedrancy....