Henry A. Sand Papers, 1862-1863 | Historical Collections

The papers of Henry A. Sand were purchased for accession into the Green-Wood Historical Collection  because Henry Augustus Sand (1837-1862) is a permanent resident of Green-Wood, as is his mother, Isabella Sand (d.1883) from whom some materials in this collection derive. The collection consists of one official military document and six handwritten letters, all composed and sent within the Sand family. The document is a Commission of the New York State Militia, appointing Henry A. Sand as Captain in the 103rd New York Volunteers, with rank from March 12, 1862. Dated May 21, 1862, City of Albany. The letters span from 1862 to 1863, representing a sample of the correspondence between immediate members of the Sand family during those years. It was a significant period of time within the family, most notably because it was during this span that Henry A. Sand was hospitalized after a leg injury inflicted at the Battle of Antietam and died as a result. Included are letters written by Henry A. Sand, his brother Theodore, and their mother, Isabella.

The earliest letter was written by Captain Sand while serving as Captain of the 103^rd Regiment N.Y.S.V. for the Union cause in the American Civil War. At this time Henry is well and he describes the activities of his regiment, including an encounter with Confederate forces, to his brother Theodore. The following two letters, chronologically, were written by Isabella Sand and sent to her husband, the father of Henry A. Sand, while she accompanied Henry Sand in the field hospital following his injury. The two letters discuss the slow progress of Henry’s condition, which he would ultimately never recover from. The second of Isabella’s letters is dated October 26, 1862 – just four days before Henry’s death. The last three letters were written by Theodore Sand, the same person to whom the initial letter was addressed. Theodore writes, in different instances, to his mother, Isabella Sand, and to his father. At this time Theodore is a soldier in the war and recounts some of his experiences. They date to June and July and thus the death of his brother is not discussed.