mailing letters

[PvtRJBrown]

What format was used when mailing a letter home or to someone on the front? How would the letter be adressed? Name, town, regiment? What was the format used? I'm trying to put together a mail call for the men in my unit at our next event, but need to know how to properly adress the letters to the men in my unit.

Much Obliged Gents.

[lambrew]

Re: mailing letters

A letter to the soldier would be very simple; the soldier's name, Company letter, and regimental number, followed by where they were at, ie Washington D.C., Sharpsburg M.A. ect....
Likewise letters home are also very simple; name, address, and state. The Columbia Rifles Reasearch Compendium has an excellent artical on this subject as well as an artical on constructing period evlopes.

Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[Annette Bethke]

Re: mailing letters

As transcribed by Vicki Betts

GALVESTON WEEKLY NEWS, January 27, 1864, p. 1, c. 4

How Letters Should be Directed to Soldiers.

Ed. News:--Paper, ink, pens and envelopes are very
scarce, especially among soldiers, and it seems a pity that they
should waste so much writing material just for the want of a little
information. You would be astonished to see the amount of letters
lying in some of our offices, which, from the carelessness or
ignorance of the writer, will never reach their intended destination,
but will be finally sent to the Dead Letter Office. One reason of
this is the want of the proper endorsement. Letters may be sent by
soldiers without prepayment of postage, leaving the postage to be
collected upon the delivery of the letters, but letters so sent, says
the law, "shall be endorsed with the name, and shall be in account of
the individual sending the same, and shall contain a description of
the party who sends the same by the endorsement of his military
title, if an officer, or of the company and regiment to which he
belongs, if a musician or private." Again, many are under the
impression that by having their envelopes stamped "Paid" at one
office they are good for postage at any other office. Envelopes so
stamped are good for postage only at the office where the money was
paid, and letters enclosed in such envelopes cannot be mailed at a
different office, unless the postage is paid again. Again letters
endorsed official business cannot be mailed without prepayment of
postage. No letters are sent free of postage except such as relate
exclusively to post office business, and these must be endorsed "Post
Office Business," over the signature of the post master sending the
same.
In writing letters to soldiers great care should be
taken to give not only the number of the regiment, but also to state
whether it is cavalry, infantry, State Troops or Confederate; also
the name of the Colonel commanding. For instance, a letter directed
to the "wd Texas Regt.," may be forwarded by a postmaster to three
different regiments before sending it to the right one, and in this
round the chances are that it will be lost. There are four "2d Texas
Regiments"—two are cavalry and two are infantry—two are State Troops
and two are in the Confederate service, hence the necessity of
particularizing in subscribing letters. Much complaint is made in
regard to the mails, but the real cause of complaint is often with
the writer of letters, at least in the opinion of

A Postmaster.

[PvtRJBrown]

Re: mailing letters

Thank you both for the help! Both responses were very helpful and I will be sure to incorporate these methods in writing the letters to the men in my company. Sean, I tried to acess the reasearch compendium on the Columbia Rifles site and it didn't come up. Idk if theres a problem with the link or something.