The letters of Lieutenant Philip R. Woodcock, 121st Regiment, NYS Infantry, September 4, 1862-November 9, 1865

Many years ago, my great-great grandfather, Philip R. Woodcock, stuffed his many letters and diaries into an old shoebox which he gave to his granddaughter, Roby Amelia Woodcock.  She of course, grew up, married, had children who in turn, had more children.  Sometime before her death in the 1980's, my grandmother gave this somewhat unobtrusive box to my

brother, Donald Jones.  What he found in it was something nothing short of miraculous.  Over 600 letters and diaries were written over a three year span during Philip's time in the Civil War.  I'm told there is no greater collection in our American history.  We have yet to put them into a museum. 

After a long course of deciphering his somewhat difficult handwriting and subsequent crash of a computer file, my brother abandoned the task of typing up his letters and diaries.  The box was passed to my step-mother to type and then eventually to me.  I've been slowly reading over these letters and found that his story needs to be told.  Publishers have ignored my queries (so far), so I have decided to "write" my book online--one day at a time, give or take a few.  Each post will be a new letter, a new diary, a new day.  From the beginning of the war until his weary, but welcome return home to civilian life so many, many long years ago.

Welcome to the letters and diaries of Philip R. Woodcock.  

Glad you found him.