verbs - Historical usage of "was"/"were" with "you"


I was reading letters from a surgeon to his wife during the Civil War and noticed he used "was" as opposed to "were" on many occasions. Examples:



I truly wish you was here with me.




Was you planning to visit...?



Other than this strange (to me) usage, his language was very formal and correct. Has there been an evolution in the accepted usage of was/were?




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