SUBMITTED BY: Louis Stewart (vetted by Cheri Molter)
These letters were written by My Great-Great-Grandfather, Jacob Laban Hartsoe, who served in the Catawba Braves 46th-K. Jacob L. Hartsoe was born on July 29, 1833 and a native of Catawba County, North Carolina. He was a blacksmith by trade. Jacob was married to Perceda Lavinia Wike, and the couple had two daughters: Laura Ann and Amanda Elizabeth Hartsoe. When Jacob was twenty-nine years old, in March 1862, he enlisted in Catawba County and served in Company K of the 46th Regiment, North Carolina Troops, the “Catawba Braves.” He was reported as “absent sick” for most of the period from July 1862 through April 1863; however, he returned to duty prior to July 1, 1863. Afterward, Jacob was present or accounted for until he was killed at Wilderness, Virginia, on May 5, 1864 [NC TROOPS-A ROSTER 1861-1865, Vol. 11:232]. His daughter Amanda was born Nov. 22, 1863 and was six months old when her father died.
His letters can be found at this link: Hartsoe letters
