Letter from Samuel Cabble to His Wife and Mother
06/1863
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In the midst of the Civil War, a formerly enslaved young African American man sent this letter to his wife, informing her that he had enlisted in the Union Army. In two hand-written pages, Pvt. Samuel Cabble of the Massachusetts 55th (Colored) Volunteer Infantry, acknowledged the nation's difficulties, but stated that he "looked forward to a brighter day when I shall have the opportunity of seeing you in the full enjoyment of freedom."
Samuel Cabble survived the Civil War. Afterwards, he returned to Missouri to legally marry his wife, and together they moved to Denver, Colorado. He lived until about 1905 and died of kidney disease. When he wrote to his wife during the war of freedom and liberty, he had no way of knowing what the outcome for the nation or for he and his wife would be.
Text adapted from “Letters from George Washington and Samuel Cabble, and Speeches by Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy” in the November/December 2008 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Social Education.
Samuel Cabble survived the Civil War. Afterwards, he returned to Missouri to legally marry his wife, and together they moved to Denver, Colorado. He lived until about 1905 and died of kidney disease. When he wrote to his wife during the war of freedom and liberty, he had no way of knowing what the outcome for the nation or for he and his wife would be.
Text adapted from “Letters from George Washington and Samuel Cabble, and Speeches by Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy” in the November/December 2008 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Social Education.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Adjutant General's Office.
National Archives Identifier: 5757351
Full Citation: Letter from Samuel Cabble to His Wife and Mother; 06/1863; Compiled Military Service Record of Samuel Cabble, 55th Massachusetts Infantry (Colored) Regiment; Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War, 1890 - 1912; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, Record Group 94; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/samuel-cabble-letter, April 25, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.