3 pp, 4 3/4 x 7 3/4, Camp Piatt, Dec. 25th, 1861, Joseph Corbin writes to his sister, in pencil, very fine patriotic stationary with an exquisite design of an eagle on a shield and the words “The Union, the Constitution and the Enforcement of the Laws.” 

“...The first Christmas ever I spent in Western Virginia...Our company had 25 chickens for dinner. I had about a quart of gravy...The other night while two of our pickets was on post, a secess fired at them and our boys returned the fire. The long roll was beat and the regiment formed ready for a fight. Sip Myers also shouldered a musket. The report came here that England has taken up arms against us. I don’t know whether the report is false or true. They would better leave it alone. [Provides a recipe for soft ginger bread]...”

The United Kingdom and Ireland officially remained neutral throughout the Civil War.  It legally recognized the belligerent status of the Confederate States of America but never recognized it as a nation and didn’t sign a treaty with it or ever exchanged ambassadors.  Supplies and money still flowed from Britain into the southern states throughout the war. These resources were vital to the Confederate war effort, especially following the North’s imposition of a blockade against the South starting in April 1861.

JOSEPH H. CORBIN enlisted as a private on September 20, 1861, five months after the Civil War began.  He mustered into G Co. Ohio 44^th Infantry and was later transferred to the Ohio 8^th Infantry.  He was mustered out on July 30, 1865, at Clarksburg, W.VA.  During his enlistment, Corbin was promoted to corporal.

His brother DAVID L. CORBIN enlisted as a private on August 7, 1862, and was mustered into B Co. Ohio 94^th Infantry. He was mustered out on May 24, 1865, at Camp Dennison, Ohio.  A few months after his enlistment, Corbin was taken prisoner at Nolensville, TN (December 30, 1862). David would later become a physician.

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