Tag Archives: New York

10 May 1862: “when our troops first landed here they were attacked by a party of negroes and a number of us slashed up with nives and had their throats cut.”

Item description: Letter, dated 10 May 1862, from William Ray Wells, private in the 12th New York Infantry Regiment (“Onondaga Regiment”), to his family in New York. Wells makes mention of a secondhand report of an attack by “a party of … Continue reading

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26 April 1862: “…it always seemed to me that I was not destined to die here.”

Item description: Letter, 26 April 1862, from Union soldier Stephen Tippet Andrews to his beloved, Margaret (Maggie) Little. For an introduction to the correspondence between Andrews and Little, please see our post of 11 February 1862. [Transcription available below images.] … Continue reading

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1 March 1862: “Maggie we are beginning to have indications of spring the weather seems like April at the north”

Item description: Letter, 1 March 1862, from Union soldier Stephen Tippet Andrews to his beloved, Margaret (Maggie) Little. For an introduction to the correspondence between Andrews and Little, please see our post of 11 February 1862. [Transcription available below images.] … Continue reading

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11 February 1862: Introducing Stephen Tippet Andrews and Margaret “Maggie” Little

About Stephen Tippet Andrews: Stephen Tippet Andrews enlisted in the 85th New York Infantry Regiment on 26 August 1861. He helped organize Company F, and was mustered in as first sergeant of the company in the second half of 1861. … Continue reading

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22 November 1861: “they are going to take our guns from us and give us sabers and revolvers and make cannoniers of us.”

Item description: Letter, dated 22 November 1861, from William Ray Wells (12th New York Infantry Regiment, “Onondaga Regiment”) to his family in Tully, N.Y. [Transcription available below images.] Item citation: From folder 3 of the William Ray Wells Papers #2960-z, Southern … Continue reading

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11 November 1861: “It requires infinitely more courage to be a friend of the Union in North Carolina than here…”

Item description: A broadside, printed in New York and dated 11 November 1861, asking for donations of supplies or contributions of money to be gathered in support of “those loyal inhabitants of the coast of North Carolina who have been … Continue reading

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20 October 1861: “Those socks I need also more than any thing else.”

Item description: Letter, dated 26 August 1861, from William Ray Wells (12th New York Infantry Regiment, “Onondaga Regiment”) to his sister, Mary S. Hall, in Tully, N.Y. In his letter, Wells suggests a few things that his sister may send to … Continue reading

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4 October 1861: “He has many admirers & strangers who visit the island, exhibit great eagerness to get a sight of him.”

Item description: Diary entry, 4 October 1861, of Thomas Sparrow, captain of Company A, 7th North Carolina Infantry (“Washington Grays”), written while Sparrow was imprisoned at Governor’s Island, N.Y. The entry continues a thread from the previous day, giving an … Continue reading

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3 October 1861: “An improvement in the treatment of the prisoners at the Castle & the Baltimore political prisoners. Taken out to walk & sun, twice a day.”

Item description: Diary entry, 3 October 1861, of Thomas Sparrow, captain of Company A, 7th North Carolina Infantry (“Washington Grays”), written while Sparrow was imprisoned at Governor’s Island, N.Y. Thomas Sparrow (1819-1884), a native of New Bern and resident of … Continue reading

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28 August 1861: “Hatteras. A Blow For The Union”

Item description: Pictorial envelope, “Hatteras A Blow for the Union,” manufactured by Reagles & Co. (New York), [between 1861 and 1865]. This envelope commemorated the Union victory at the Battle of Hatteras Inlet. Item citation: Envelope, from catalog #VCC970.7 C58, … Continue reading

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