`I am hoping for a speedy reunion': The Civil War Correspondence of Private Henry Hoberg

Henry Hoberg, of Warren County, served in the 33rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry from 1862 to 1865. In seven extant letters written to his family during his stint in the military, Hoberg sheds light on the life of the “common soldier” during the Civil War. He offers up “lucid accounts of battle, ceaseless prayer for divine blessing, and meditations on the nature of war and life” in his correspondence. Roll helps explain the soldier’s experience in relation to the larger war and provides details of his life not mentioned in the letters. He ends his article with a description of Hoberg’s life in the years following the conflict.