Charles L. Hewitt (1844-Aft1919) enlisted in the Union Army on 27 August 1861, was mustered on 7 September 1861 into Co. E, Connecticut 7th Infantry Regiment, and was mustered out on 12 September 1864. Charles was the son of John and Eliza (Platt) Hewitt of West Winsted, Litchfield County, Connecticut.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill contains a collection of 31 letters written by Charles L. Hewitt to his parents and siblings and a notebook in which Hewitt recorded the fates of nearly 120 of his fellow soldiers, including those who were wounded, killed in action, promoted, or deserted along with the dates and locations of these occurrances. Hewitt’s letters, written onboard a gunboat and from various locations in Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, document army life; his evaluations and speculations; his time drilling, serving in a boat infantry, and picketing; descriptions of his surroundings; family and social news; and descriptions of fighting.
The University of South Carolina’s Manuscript Divisions has six of Charles L. Hewitt’s letters written between January 1862 and November 1863…