subject index to the Abraham and John Krewsen Papers
Alphabetic index to the Schoff Civil War Collections
| William L. Clements Library
The University of Michigan Schoff Civil War Collection Soldiers' Letters 21:42 |
Krewsen, Abraham Rank: Private Regiment: 174th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. Co. K (1862-1863) Service: 1862 November 4-1863 August 7
Krewsen, John Rank: Not listed in regimental roster Regiment: 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery Regiment. Co. F (1863-1865) Service: ?
Abraham and John Krewsen were two of the semi-literate sons of Abraham and Sarah Ann Krewsen of Bucks County, Pa. Abraham, Jr., was drafted into the 174th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment during the fall of 1862, while John entered the 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery a few months later under uncertain circumstances. John's name, in fact, does not appear on that regiment's official rosters. The brothers, who come across as among the least motivated of soldiers in the Union army, served unwillingly in northern Virginia. Neither appears ever to have taken a shine to military life. After the war, John Krewsen remained in Virginia assisting in the management of farms for the U.S. government, scheming to defraud the government to the best of his ability and remarking how he still considered African Americans slaves, the 14th Amendment notwithstanding.
About as vacant a collection as they come, the Krewsen letters still have their value. Here is a rare chance to observe from primary sources precisely the people who so often simply do not leave primary sources: the semi-literate. Both father and son are possessed of abysmal spelling and grammar, and it is clearly a distasteful task for either to sit down to write a letter. Even the surname is spelled in a variety of ways. Abraham Krewsen has the distinction of being one of the few draftees represented in the Clements' Civil War collections, another fact that does not speak well of the family' status. John Krewsen's (21:44) scabrous behavior after the war speaks for itself.
subject index to the Abraham and John Krewsen Papers
Alphabetic index to the Schoff Civil War Collections
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