This early war home-front letter was penned by schoolmaster Jeremiah Shindle Shuman (1839-1918), the 22-year-old son of Solomon and Hannah (Miller) Shuman of Catawissa, Columbia county, Pennsylvania. He addressed it to his friend, Corp. Joseph Shelly of Co. F, 42nd Pennsylvania Volunteers (13th Reserves), also known as the "1st Pennsylvania Rifles" and "Bucktails" under the command of Col. Charles John Biddle.

Nearly all of the recruits for the 42nd Pennsylvania came from Berks
County- they prided themselves as being woodsmen and liked to call themselves the “Bucktails,” because of the bucktails they wore on their hats. Ostensibly in response to Shelly bragging about his new regiment, Shuman wrote, “I think you have been [too] flattering about your regiment… although I have no doubt it is a good one on account of the number of deer hunters in it.”  

Corp. Shelly would not survive the war. He was killed at Charles City Cross Roads on 30 June 1862. Letter comes with a stamped envelop bearing a patriotic colorized image of George Washington holding a raised sword and a US flag.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Abraham Lincoln, Paper Ephemera]