As I was pulling out all the different folders and envelopes from our genealogy cabinet, I was very careful to treat one folder with tender loving care. Inside is a pencil drawing that has survived 146 years, created by my great-great grandfather during The Civil War. It was Christmas Eve, 1863, and he was writing to his wife on one side of the sheet of paper, and providing her with a look at his camp on the other.
Years ago, my dad took a magnifying glass and was able to decipher the letter on the back of the drawing.
What I had never noticed before was the news clipping inside the folder. It shows the Third Brigade Band, which my great-great grandfather belonged to as a member of the 126th N.Y. Volunteers.
and here is a photocopy of the drawing to show the detail….
