The Civil War-1861-1865
Preface
Note: The Civil War section is brand new and a work in progress. Descendents of George Phillip Geller, whom served in the Civil War, will be featured. Similar to the Revolutionary War section, the brief histories I have available will be interspersed with historical facts and information.
Some years ago, on a visit to my parents, a discussion ensued about my love of history, especially our family’s military history. It was during this visit, that my mother presented me with a half dozen large freezer bags. Inside, I discovered, well worn, and yellowed envelopes, post cards, and handwritten letters that my grandfather had written to my mother and her parents. Basically, the entire collection were letters from a WWI Army Boot camp, through a trip to England and his brief duty in France before the Armistice ended the great war. Although I was elated to receive the material, little did I know what else mother had up her proverbial sleeves!
The Lone Letter
Months later, mother presented all us kids and relatives with bound copies of her
genealogical works. Several weeks later, while skimming through the new volumes, I discovered an
additional wealth of information about her side of the family, the Gellers.
Besides the
information on my Grandfather who served in WWI, was information about early family members
whom served in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Needless to say, it was quite an eye opener,
for a man interested in all things military!
About a month after receiving the massive volumes of geneology, she presented me with a lone freezer bag, which contained another old yellowed letter.
It’s a letter one of the boys wrote home, during the Civil War,
She
stated.
I was totally enthralled. Unlike the World War One letters she had given me previously, she couldn’t part with the Civil War letter. I sat on the couch with mother on one side and my wife on the other. I read the faded writing on the letter the best I could, We sat and marveled at a look back into the Civil War era, then returned the faded letter to it’s bag. Several weeks later, she called and asked me to come over. Upon arrival she stated that she didn't know why she was hanging on to the lone civil war letter, and gave it to me.
Vanished!
I was overwhelmed with her generosity, but curious as to whether she had any more letters. She hung her head in her hands and began to sob.
Honey, I had a whole box of these Civil War Letters!
She said.
But when dad and I retired and moved, they vanished!
I couldn’t believe my ears! How in the world, could such a person as my mother, meticulous in every way, be so careless, as to lose a box full of Civil War letters! Every important document they had, whether it be mortgage papers, bonds, etc., had always been kept in safety deposit boxes or a safe in their home. It is unknown to this day what happened to them. Hopefully someone had the good fortune to find them and save them for posterity. We will never know.