Stephen L. Nichols
Date of Birth
1841
Date of Death
May 12, 1864
Letters Authored
1
Letters Received
0
Stephen L. Nichols was born 182 years ago.
158 years ago, Stephen L. Nichols passed away at the age of 23.
Letters Authored in Collection
| Date | Recipient | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 19, 1862 | Family (Nichols) | Soldier writes home about the Battle of Fredericksburg |
History
INTRODUCTION
Stephen Nichols mustered into Company K of the 32nd Massachusetts Infantry on 7 July 1862 and re-enlisted 1 January 1864 and was killed in battle on 12 May 1864 at Laurel Hill, Virginia. He was 23 years old at his death.
THE LETTER
The Stephen Nichols letter was written from Fredericksburg on 19 December 1862 and describes the Battle of Fredericksburg which took place a week earlier. He ends the letter with a drawing of a soldier standing with a rifle which he entitles, “standing gard.”
HISTORY
The 32nd Massachusetts was heavily engaged at Fredericksburg where it made an assault on Mayre’s Heights. The Regiment was either present or engaged at some of the most significant battles of the Civil War. It was present at South Mountain and the battle of Antietam but was not engaged. It was present at the battle of Chancellorsville but it was minimally engaged. At Gettysburg, the 32nd saw heavy action in and near Devil’s Den, sustaining a loss of over a third of its number, with 22 killed or mortally wounded. It’s heaviest losses, however, were sustained during the Wilderness Campaign, where on 12 May 1864, the day Nichols was reportedly killed, the 12th Massachusetts was heavily engaged near Laurel Hill, losing 103 men including five color bearers, 46 being killed or mortally wounded.
FAMILY
As of yet, no family history.