Civil War Valentines

[18thVirginia]

By 1861, Valentine's Cards were being sold to soldiers to send to their faraway sweethearts.

The small paper insert reads:

Fondly I gaze in
Thy sweet face,
And clasp thy little
Hand in mine,
Love swiftly speeds
Us to the place
Where I shall claim
My Valentine.

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/215143

 

[18thVirginia]

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/209917/page/1

 

[18thVirginia]

MY LOVE
'Mid bugle's blast and cannon's roar,
And 'mid the battles angry flame;
'Mid clashing sabres red with gore,
I fondly breathe they much-loved name.
I feel thee near at dead of night,
When I my vigil lone am keeping--
Thy image guards me, angel bright,
In dreams when wearied I am sleeping,
Each northward wind wafts on its breath,
To thee a yearning kiss of mine--
On glory's field or bed of death,
I live or die thy Valentine.

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/219755

 

[18thVirginia]

All three of these valentines were sent from Joseph Forrest to Elizabeth Ehrhart during the Civil War. They became engaged in their home county of Macon, Illinois.Joseph would enlist on July 25, 1861 and become a private in Company A of the Eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

They finally married when Joseph had a furlough and they could be together on August 9, 1863. Since Joseph was assigned to find deserters hiding back in Macon County, they likely spent part of their honeymoon seeking errant soldiers.

Joseph's unit was involved at Shiloh, Corinth and Vicksburg and Joseph was mustered out in December 1863. He rejoined and was wounded near Jackson, Mississippi. While he was recovering in New Orleans in 1864, their first child was born, but only survived a short time.

Joseph was mustered out at Marshal, Texas in July, 1865, but had suffered wounds that would harm his health for years. Like many other young couples, the Forrest's moved to Kansas after the War. The Forrests would have 4 more children and would live in Jewell County, where Joseph would be a Methodist minister. 1875 found them living in Minneapolis, Kansas, where Joseph died at the age of 35.

Elizabeth Forrest remained in Kansas, losing 2 more children to diphtheria in the year after Joseph's death. She applied for a veteran's pension and finished the Veteran's Homestead claim herself. She died in Kansas in 1920.

 

[18thVirginia]

Bank in Minneapolis, Kansas

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Depot, Minneapolis, Kansas

 

[18thVirginia]

Find A Grave for Joseph Forrest
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=41955424&ref=acom

 

[18thVirginia]

 

[18thVirginia]

Elizabeth Forrest

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/f...ll&GSst=18&GScntry=4&GSsr=3521&GRid=41955421&

 

[screnshaw]

Beautiful.

 

[Pat Young]

I am going to use these. At least the ones not mentioning death.

 

[18thVirginia]

Glad you liked them, or some of them..

 

[Allie]

View attachment 58808
Bank in Minneapolis, Kansas

View attachment 58805
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Depot, Minneapolis, Kansas

This had to happen.

 

[FarawayFriend]

I am going to use these. At least the ones not mentioning death.

Beautiful and heartbreaking.
Pat, I'm sure your sweetheart will be most pleased if you send her the first one. Its soooo romantic!! *sigh*

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

The Real Thing- thanks for these 18th. I'd had a brief shot at gathering General Barlow's story for a love story then decided we'd all go back to bed with those two poor people as Valentines- this is much better with an entire background too- Thanks so much!

 

[donna]

Also thanks for these and the story of Joseph and Elizabeth. Really like the first card. It is lovely.

 

[donna]

In book "The Southern Heritage Celebrations Cookbook", it states, "the first commercial valentines came out around 1800. Esther Howland of Massachusetts was making valentines of imported laces and fine papers around 1830, a business said to have made for her $100,000 per year."

 

[MRB1863]

Touching expressions of love and devotion. The Victorians were so elegant and eloquent. They had style!

 

[18thVirginia]

This Civil War-era Valentine features a portrait of General I.B. "The Fighting Duck" Richardson, a major general in the Union Army. This war-time Valentine envelope was postmarked Washington, D.C., of course.

Dearest accept this offering

From a heart that's truly thine

My dearest thoughts are in it spoken

To thee my only Valentine.

http://www.worthpoint.com/books-pap...king-beauty-19th-century-valentines-day-cards

 

[donna]

With Valentine's Day approaching, wanted to bring this thread back up.

 

[Aussie Billy Sherman]

Very cool post thanks