Francis H. Webster, a shoemaker from Methuen, Massachusetts, served in Company B of the 1st Massachusetts Artillery Regiment during the Civil War. In the summer of 1863, his regiment was stationed at Maryland Heights, near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and moved to Frederick, Maryland, in early July. The regiment continued to serve throughout Maryland and northern Virginia throughout the war, and Francis mustered out shortly after the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Webster's wife Susan joined his regiment near Harpers Ferry, where she cooked for the soldiers. The couple had a single daughter named Clara. After his service, Francis returned to Methuen, where he died on September 20, 1883.
From the guide to the Francis H. Webster letters, Webster, Francis H. letters, 1863, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
