Description:

Civil War
Chemung, IL, ca. July 1861
Illinois Farmer Writes of Increased Demand for Beef & Beans from Civil War Soldiers
ALS

[CIVIL WAR.] A. Johnson, Autograph Letter Signed, to "Remembered Friend," July 1861, Chemung, Illinois. 6 pp., 5" x 8". Postmark for "Chemung, Ill" at top of first page; minor edge tears, expected folds; separation on one fold; very good.

"The soldiers I suppose will be wanting considerable Beeff and Beans Now they are going to work It appears from the Paper this way that they have Had some pretty Bloody Fights down there & the best of it is they are Killing of some of those Blessed Sutherners."

Complete Transcript
1861
Remembered Friend
I take this opportynity to answer your Last yours was gladly received I am glad to Hear From Home as often as you see fit to write. We are all well Here as common doing well I think hope it is so with you Crops are looking better here than when I wrote before allthough Wheat they say is going to be badly eaten with the worms or Bugs Corn is doing well Grass is very good Wheat has Risen 6 or 7 cts very suddenly in the market. Wheat is now 54 to 56 cts Corn & Oat are not worth much of any thing I guess I [Ha?] seen any for sometime (Jul 14) I had to to leave writing Yesterday pretty sudden so today I will try & finish up this Letter. E.C. Went to Chicago yes- He says wheat fell there about 3 cts on a [?]
Friday We sent 3 cars of Wheat 2 of them Drew thought would go for No. 1. Sure & said he had had worse Wheat than the other one go for No. 1 & didn't know but that might but instead of that only one of the best ones went No. 1 the other No 2 & the 3d I expect went rejected but he dident say much about that any way from all appearances He felt rather Disappointed about it said He had got to stop paying No. 1 prices for No 2 Wheat
There is about as good demand for White Beans as any thing now Drew sent in about 50 bushs Last Week to Chicago hey sold readily a $1.25 per bush I suppose T.K. & T.D.L & any body else who have fat cattle to sell will do prety well on them now The soldiers I suppose will be wanting considerable Beeff and Beans Now they are going to work It appears from the Paper this way that they have Had some pretty Bloody Fights down there & the best of it is they are Killing of some of those Blessed Sutherners I Presume you will have seen an account of the Tornado at Rockford they Had a very Hard blow there indeed took of Chimneys & took up one Steeple on a Stone Church moved it about (18 inches) set it down again all right I tore up a great deal of srubbery Destroyed a Reaper Manafactury &c.
I was down their the fourth of Jule to a celebration they called it but I thought it to be the Deadest Celebration that I ever saw I wasent half as good as they could get up at Barnstead Centre they had a pretty good Speech perhaps as good a they could get there even if they got R.S. Webster to make it
How does Smith get along now where is His Family Fanny in Particular Where is Sim now & what doing How do the boys make it there at the North Trading &c I must take another Sheet of Paper
Then Martha has really got a [drawing of hat] has She that is very fine indeed. Does She Keep Her Hair Shingled yet that close well we must stop making fun of Martha because she has got a [drawing of a top hat] seems to me you are having a great many trainings Who Trains T.K.P. & them. I asked Drew about those Pistols He says He don't think He had them at all says He had some of his own thinks it must have been some of the other Boys if so they would be at his Fathers they had two or 3 prs of old Pistols up there Last Spring I know tell Thomas he mustnt Drive round with Addie so but that He can write well, once in 6 months will do in regard to the memmorandum I would be very glad to have you Keep one if you can as well as not but for me to go to Keeping one you wouldent have to read the business of only 1 day to get a pretty good Idea of the season you know I am here Every day dong go any where Just the same things Every day packing Butter Eggs &c taking in gain in the Store sometime so that I shouldent know how to go to work to keep a Diary if any thing striking takes place Here I will indever to Let you know it any way tell Asa James that I wrote Him Long time ago and want Him to answer it if he hasent & if he has Write again & do so yourself very son Give My spects to all
A Johnson
[Postscript up left margin of final page:] Tell the Girls to write if they dont I shant like them

[Postscript in top margin of first page:] I spok to mary about those leaves and her photograph but she has none at present

A. Johnson (b. ca. 1790) was born in Pennsylvania. In 1860, he was a farmer in McHenry County, Illinois, where he lived with his wife Julia Johnson (b. ca. 1801) and several of their adult and teenage children.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

  • Dimensions: 5" x 8"
  • Medium: ALS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

February 18, 2026 10:00 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000