A.S. Cogswell, a Vermont soldier in the War of 1812, wrote to a friend back home in Tunbridge on this day in 1813. The news was not good.

When the U.S. declared war on Britain in June of 1812, Burlington became a hub of strategic importance. Soldiers were rushed into the city and forced to live in hastily constructed barracks and converted UVM buildings, including the Old Mill.

The quarters were crowded and dirty, which led to disease. Cogswell’s letter reported that 295 men had died since November and 76 of them were from his own 11th Regiment.

Image courtesy UVM's Bailey-Howe Library, Special Collections.