Curious about a detail on written letters

Solomon

Private
Joined
Aug 20, 2017
Location
Knoxville, TN
I recently purchased my first soldier's letter and have noticed a detail adorning quite a few of them (all, or most, Union letters anyway). There is typically an eagle impressed into the paper, near the top, about 1/2" across, and the one on my letter has the word "commercial" accompanying it. I tried taking pictures of it, but my phone isn't cooperating very well, so I posted a closeup from the pic in the listing (you may have to squint a little ☺). Ive googled it, but to no avail. Anyone familiar with this, perhaps as a piece of postal history? My apologies if this is posted in the wrong place. Thanks!!

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As a side note, it is a wonderful letter from a sergeant in the 22nd Connecticut, mentioning some casualties at Antietam. He was apparently married shortly before this and died soon after, of typhoid fever. Here is the transcript listed with the letter when purchased:

Camp Halleck
September 28th 1862


Dear Lucy,

I take this time to write you a few lines. I got back in to camp the night I left home and have been well since. The report is now that we have got to leave on Tuesday but I think it is doubtful. It may be so but it seems to me that we are not ready yet. We had ten dollars paid us yesterday. We have not got our arms yet and I don’t know whether we get them before we leave or not. If we don’t, we shall not have the care of them on the road. There is not many men on the ground today but I think most likely that there will be most men back tomorrow. Wright don’t get back yet although his furlough [ ] mine did. It don’t seem as though I had got you [ ] soon and not see you again for nine months of both of our lives are spared so long. But I suppose it is so.

It seems the Union [Tolland county] boys suffered badly in the 16th Regiment.

There is so much noise that I can’t think of anything that I want to and I think most likely that I shall spell bad, but never mind that if you can make out any sent. I can’t give any direction where to direct a letter but will try and let you know when I find out. There is some talk that out letter will be changed but don’t know how it will be. We are not drilled well enough to leave but we can’t keep the men together here so as to drill. When we get away, the men will have to stay so it will not be so hard for the Union [Tolland county] boys for I think they have to do more than their share of guard duty.

Miner [Healy Corbin] was on guard yesterday and William is today. There is not hardly enough men on the ground for two guards. The sergeants above me are most of them away so I have got to call the roll at noon and make the noon report and call the men into line for inspection at ten o’clock which is on hand soon. I have [to] draw the rations for the company so you see my time is taken up.

Now you will have to excuse me this time. Yours in haste, — E. B. Foster
 
@connecticut yankee is spot on. Soldiers would buy packets of paper and envelops to write home and they would have patriotic themes on the paper and envelopes such as this one. Nice letter with great content.
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Gotcha. Just so we're on the same page though, so to say, are they typically raised, as if pressed with a dye or something? There is no coloration to it, and when I backlight it (if I'm understanding the Smithsonian article correctly), there is nothing visible - you actually can't even see the eagle, with light shining through. I got my phone to take a better picture, hopefully catching some of the shadow and depth of the impression, and you can actually see where it's made an impression on the other side, as it was done after the paper was folded (so def after the paper was made):

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