This collection contains two letters Francis H. Webster wrote to his siblings while serving with the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Regiment in 1863. Webster described several aspects of camp life and provided his opinions about the conduct of the war. When his wife Susan joined the regiment near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Webster remarked about the impact that female assistance had on the troops. He also related rumors about the Confederate Army, then heading into Pennsylvania, while both armies prepared for the engagement at Gettysburg, July 1-3. He offered his opinions on a variety of subjects; for example, on military leadership, he wrote: "No wonder this war is not settled…way it car[ri]ed on, drunken Genrals & so on" (July 26, 1863).
Francis H. Webster, a shoemaker from Methuen, Massachusetts, served in Company B of the 1st Massachusetts Artillery Regiment during the Civil War. In the summer of 1863, his regiment was stationed at Maryland Heights, near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and moved to Frederick, Maryland, in early July. The regiment continued to serve throughout Maryland and northern Virginia throughout the war, and Francis mustered out shortly after the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Webster's wife Susan joined his regiment near Harpers Ferry, where she cooked for the soldiers. The couple had a single daughter named Clara. After his service, Francis returned to Methuen, where he died on September 20, 1883.
