Manuscripts Department
Library of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION
#3185
FEDERAL SOLDIERS LETTERS
Inventory
Abstract: Chiefly Civil War letters from Federal soldiers
throughout the South, in camps, hospitals, and
prisons, to family and friends in the North. This
collection is made up of unrelated single items or
small groups of items, some of which have been
catalogued separately.
Online Catalog Terms:
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Hospitals.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and
prisons.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
Size: 163 items (0.5 linear feet).
Provenance: Received from various sources.
Access: No restrictions.
Processing Note: This collection was processed with support
from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers,
or their descendants, as stipulated by United
States copyright law.
Table of Contents:
Unit Descriptions
Shelf List
Unit 1
Size: 14 items.
Dates: 1861-1864.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
March 1956.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters received by Emerett Harrison of Dry Brook,
Conn., from her father, Sylvanus Harrison, and her
brother, Elizur Harrison. Sylvanus Harrison wrote
from camp at Annapolis, Md., telling of his
enlistment and trip from Connecticut to Maryland,
about waiting for a naval expedition to begin, and
advising his son Elizur not to enlist until he was
at least 21. Elizur Harrison of the 1st
Connecticut Volunteer Artillery wrote from Fort
Richardson, near Washington and Alexandria, and
from Petersburg, Va., in August 1863 or 1864.
Online Catalog Terms:
Annapolis (Md.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Fort Richardson.
Harrison, Elizur H., fl. 1863.
Harrison, Emerett, fl. 1861-1864.
Harrison, Sylvanus.
Petersburg (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States--Description and travel--1849-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval
operations.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army. Connecticut Volunteer Artillery, 1st.
Unit 2
Size: 15 items.
Dates: 1863-1864.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
March 1956.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from Lieutenant Charles P. Miller, serving
in Virginia Company C, 6th New York Artillery, to
his mother, Mary B. Miller, at Brighthope in or
near New York, N.Y., and two letters from her to
her son. Charles Miller's letters describe his
poor health and his attempts to get out of the
army and to get an appointment at West Point.
Online Catalog Terms:
Miller, Charles P.
Miller, Mary B., fl. 1863-1864.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Officers--Correspondence--History--Civil
War, 1861-1865.
United States. Army--Officers--Health and hygiene--History--
Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States. Army. New York Artillery Regiment, 6th (1863-
1865).
Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Unit 3
Size: 27 items.
Dates: 1862-1866.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
March, May, and September 1956.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters written by Andrew H. Minnick of Company H
(later Company C), 69th Indiana Volunteers,
serving in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee,
Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama, to his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Minnick, at
Middletown, Ind. His letters contain accounts of
camp life; reports of rumors he had heard;
mentions of battles; comments on weather,
illnesses among the troops, people in the
vicinity, officers, news from home, lack of
tobacco and writing material; mention of taking
and guarding prisoners; mention of building a fort
at Morganza Bend, La.; description of his
weariness with soldiering and hopes for getting
the fighting over with or for a furlough; and a
comment on African-American brigades with them in
April 1865. Also included is a letter, 1866, from
Mollie A. Bushong to Andrew Minnick's sister,
Sophie Minnick, describing a trip from New Castle,
Ind., to Greenville, Va., and telling about her
visit in Virginia.
Online Catalog Terms:
Alabama--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Bushong, Mollie, fl. 1866.
Indiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Kentucky--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Louisiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Minnick, Andrew J., fl. 1862-1865.
Minnick, Michael.
Minnick, Sophie, fl. 1866.
Mississippi--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Morganza Bend (La.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Health and hygiene--History--Civil
War, 1861-1865.
Tennessee--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States--Description and travel--1865-1900.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Health aspects.
United States. Army---African American troops--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army. Indiana Infantry Regiment, 69th (1862-
1865).
Virginia--Social life and customs--19th century.
Unit 4
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 7 May 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
December 1955.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from John E. Bartlett, Battery F, 1st Rhode
Island Volunteers, Burnside Expedition, to his
cousin describing his situation, fruits and
flowers, and his fellow soldiers and activities.
Unit 5
Size: 2 items.
Dates: 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Emily Driscoll of New York, N.Y.,
in December 1955.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from "Mark," a federal soldier serving in
Virginia, describing a trip on a flat car from
Camp Wade to Warrenton, Va.; the situation in
Warrenton; the military threat; the morale of the
two sides; and describing camp life and the good
effect on morale produced by news of a new draft.
Online Catalog Terms:
Camp Wade.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Transportation--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
Warrenton (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Unit 6
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 25 June 1861.
Provenance: Purchased from Charles Hamilton Autographs of New
York, N.Y., in December 1955.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from J. M. Drake of Company A, 4th
Massachusetts Regiment, at Camp Butler, Newport
News, Va., to his father, telling of his hopes
that his company will be discharged soon; the
wrongs done by U.S. Army soldiers in Virginia; his
experiences when detailed to go under a flag of
truce to bring back the dead following the battle
of Bethel and his impression of Col. John Bankhead
Magruder; discussion of the Battle of Big Bethel;
experiences when detailed with a group to attempt
to capture Col. Jones, C.S.A., at his house in the
neighborhood.
Online Catalog Terms:
Big Bethel, Battle of, 1861.
Camp Butler (Newport News, Va.).
Drake, J.M., fl. 1861.
Magruder, John Bankhead, 1810-1871.
Newport News (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army. Massachusetts Regiment, 4th.
Unit 7
Size: 3 items.
Dates: 1863-1865.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
September 1956.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from L. W. Coly, Company B, 8th Illinois
Volunteer Infantry Regiment, one from camp near
Nashville, Tenn., and two from camp ten miles from
New Orleans, La., commenting on food,
accommodations, health, troop activities, and the
countryside.
Online Catalog Terms:
Coly, L. W., fl. 1863-1865.
Nashville (Tenn.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
New Orleans (La.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army. Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment,
8th.
Unit 8
Size: 5 items.
Dates: 1863-1864.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
May 1956.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters written by Maltby Linsley, Halsey Linsley,
and James H. Linsley to relatives at Northford,
Conn. Also included is one letter written by John
S. Linsley to his wife while he was at a field
hospital near Falmouth, Va., visiting his sons,
John, who had been near death, and Maltby, who had
been nursing John and who was also ill. The
letters tell of illness, conditions in hospital
tents, and eagerness to get back to active duty,
and mention new recruits in the 10th Connecticut
Regiment.
Online Catalog Terms:
Linsley family.
Linsley, Halsey.
Linsley, James H.
Linsley, John.
Linsley, John S.
Linsley, Maltby.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Hospitals.
United States. Army--Medical care--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army. Connecticut Regiment, 10th.
Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Unit 9
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 6 October 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
March 1956.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from Albert at Point Pleasant, Va., to a
friend about personal matters.
Unit 10
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 5 July 1865.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
March 1956.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from David Hafer at camp near Alexandria,
Va., to his wife Sarah at Chambersburg, Pa., about
waiting for his honorable discharge and pay,
although many soldiers were leaving without it.
Unit 11
Size: 2 items.
Dates: 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Charles Hamilton Autographs of New
York, N.Y., in March 1957.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Two letters from a Union soldier named Andrew from
camp near Yorktown, Va., and from Camp Baker at
Chickamauga, Miss., to Lizzie S. Lovejoy in
Boston, Mass.
Unit 12
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 21 September 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Charles Hamilton Autographs of New
York, N.Y., in March 1957.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from Commodore Charles Henry Davis,
commander of the Western Flotilla, to Lieutenant
Commander Wilson McGunnigle at Cairo, Ill. Davis
(1807-1877) was a naval officer and scientist from
Massachusetts and was on the board planning the
blockade of the South Atlantic coast. He
occasionally commanded a flotilla of the Upper
Mississippi and was occasionally head of the
Bureau of Detail. He was the father-in-law of
Brooks Adams and Henry Cabot Lodge.
Unit 13
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 25 January 1863.
Provenance: Purchased from Charles Hamilton Autographs of New
York, N.Y., in March 1957.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from L. D. Perry in Sterling (Ill.?) to H.
H. Kenyon in Granville (Penn.?) commenting on the
war and the national situation, wheat and other
crops, his longing for an honorable peace, and
inquiring after old friends in Granville.
Unit 14
Size: 3 items.
Dates: 1863-1864.
Provenance: Purchased from Charles Hamilton Autographs of New
York, N.Y., in March 1957.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from Charles A. Phillips, Captain, 5th
Massachusetts Battery, U.S. Volunteers, including
one to an officer in Massachusetts getting
conscripts for the battery, giving instructions
about clothes and advising him to study a book on
field artillery instruction; one to 2nd Lieutenant
Nathan Appleton in Lynn, Mass., giving detailed
instructions about what clothes and equipment to
bring; and one to a fellow officer at home on
leave with a wound, asking him to return or
resign.
Online Catalog Terms:
Appleton, Nathan, 1843-1906.
Phillips, Charles A., fl. 1863-1864.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Equipment and
supplies.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army--Officers--Correspondence--History--Civil
War, 1861-1865.
United States. Army--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Supplies and stores--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army. Massachusetts Battery, 5th.
Unit 15
Size: 1 item.
Dates: Undated.
Provenance: Purchased from Charles Hamilton Autographs of New
York, N.Y., in March 1957.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from Libbie Dorleskie of Capac (Copake,
N.Y.?) to her friend about mutual friends,
relatives, the war, and the draft.
Unit 16
Size: 8 items.
Dates: 1863-1865.
Provenance: Purchased from Charles Elder, Bookseller, of
Nashville, Tenn., in May 1957.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from Michael Green of Company K, 159th New
York Volunteer Regiment, 19th Army Corps, 2nd
Division, 2nd Brigade, serving in Louisiana and
Virginia, to his wife Mary. The letters are
concerned chiefly with his immediate personal
needs, such as pay, liquor ration, and writing
paper; prayer; hardships; speculation about the
enemy's next move in his vicinity; and inquiries
about family members.
Online Catalog Terms:
Green, Michael, fl. 1863-1865.
Green, Mary, fl. 1863-1865.
Louisiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army. New York Volunteer Regiment, 159th.
Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Unit 17
Size: 3 items.
Dates: 1862.
Provenance: Received from Raymond H. Weill of New Orleans,
La., in December 1957.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from A. E. McDaniel and Thomas J. McDaniel
to family and friends, principally about personal
matters but touch upon marching, building
breastworks, the position of troops, and being
alerted to move or to fight. Two of the letters
from May are from Tuscumbia, Ala., and near
Corith, Miss., but the other has no location
specified.
Unit 18
Size: 6 items.
Dates: 1861-1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Robert K. Black of Upper Montclair,
N.J., in February 1958.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters addressed to the Reverend Alexander E.
Thompson and Mrs. Thompson at New York, N.Y., and
Bridgeport, Conn., from a soldier who signed
himself "Johnnie." Johnnie was serving in the 9th
Regiment of the Connecticut Volunteers in
Louisiana and Mississippi. His letters describe
the trip from Boston, Miss., to Ship Island,
Miss.; life at Camp Parapet, La., and his
observations of the home guard and bounty men; the
trip from Camp Parapet, to Vicksburg, Miss., with
camping, marching, foraging, and burning along the
way; and the situation in Baton Rouge, La., after
his unit withdrew from Vicksburg.
Online Catalog Terms:
Baton Rouge (La.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Camp Parapet (La.).
Louisiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
Thompson, Alexander E., fl. 1861-1862.
United States--Description and travel--1848-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Destruction and
pillage.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army. Connecticut Volunteer Regiment, 9th.
Vicksburg (Miss.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Unit 19
Size: 2 items.
Dates: 1862-1864.
Provenance: Purchased from G. H. Mathewson of Jackson, Ga., in
March 1958.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from James W. Craig serving in Pensacola,
Fla., and Ship Island, Miss., to his wife
describing the island and mentioning his helping
to unload a cargo of horses.
Unit 20
Size: 3 items.
Dates: 1862-1864.
Provenance: Purchased from G. H. Matthewson of Jackson, Ga.,
in March 1958.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters to Pleasant Griggs from G. Voorhis serving
with Company D., 16th Regiment, Camp Morton,
Indianapolis, concerning the discomfort of camp
and paroled prisoners; from John Mathews at Coal
Mouth, Va., about the desolation of the country;
and from his son, James S. Griggs in Chattanooga,
Tenn., who had been helping load boats but hoped
to get back to his regiment by payday.
Unit 21
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 17 July 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
September 1958.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from B. W. Mayo stationed at Camp Oliver in
New Bern, N.C., to a friend about personal news
and other boys from North Orange.
Unit 22
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 30 August 1861.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
September 1958.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from R. P. Bush, Company D, 12th Regiment
at Headquarters in Camp Onondaga, to a friend.
Unit 23
Size: 2 items.
Dates: 1865.
Provenance: Received from C. M. D. Thomas of Winnabow, N.C.,
in February 1960.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from Jacob H. Horn, corporal in Company G,
1st North Carolina Union Volunteers stationed at
Beaufort, N.C., to his sister Sydney A. Horn at
Wilmington, N.C.
Unit 24
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 6 June 1863.
Provenance: Purchased from Robert K. Black, dealer of Upper
Montclair, N.J., in January 1959.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from "Gould," hospitalized in New Orleans,
to a friend describing the siege of Port Hudson,
La., where he was wounded in May and a third of
his regiment, Company F, was lost. He also
mentions the "red zouaves."
Unit 25
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 16 May 1864.
Provenance: Lent for copying by Bruce Webb of Clearwater,
Fla., in June 1959.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from F. Ramsden, 3rd Assistant Engineer,
U.S.S. New Ironsides off Charleston, to his
brother Robert Ramsden in Easton, Penn.,
discussing his hopes that his ship will soon be
ordered home for repairs.
Unit 26
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 17 March 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
February 1960.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter written by Luther W. Randall of the
Pennsylvania cavalry, from Camp Leslie in northern
Virginia, to his sister, mentioning scouting to
Fairfax, Centreville, and Bull Run; describing
Confederate barracks at Centreville; and
expressing his expectation that his unit would
soon be sent to reinforce Burnside, Porter, and
Smith's Divisions.
Online Catalog Terms:
Camp Leslie (Va.).
Randall, Luther W., fl. 1862.
Scouts and scouting--Confederate States of America.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865, Scouts and
scouting.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Scouts and scouting.
Unit 27
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 12 September 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Alvin Lohr of Hagerstown, Md., in
February 1960.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter written by Newell Leonard of Yorktown, Va.,
to a friend at Columbia or Sylvania (Bradford
County, Penn.?) describing the past glory and
present degradation of Virginia, the present
military situation, the need to remove traitors in
the Union Army, and his own health.
Unit 28
Size: 2 item.
Dates: 1865.
Provenance: Purchased from Paul F. Hogg, dealer of Weatogue,
Conn., in April 1960 and November 1963.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters written home by W. Rufus Noble, Company B,
203rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, telling of action
and conditions at Jones Landing, Va.; news
received from "Mac" about the assault on Fort
Fisher where the 203rd participated; food, prices
of commodities, weather, and shelter; living
conditions on the voyage from Bermuda Hundred,
Va., to Federal Point and at camp on the sand; and
the appearance of the bombardment of Fort Fisher.
Online Catalog Terms:
Fort Fisher (N.C.).
Jones Landing (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Noble, W. Rufus, fl. 1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army. Pennsylvania Regiment, 203rd.
Unit 29
Size: 1 item.
Dates: Undated.
Provenance: Lent for copying by Frances L. Yocom of the
University of North Carolina Library, Chapel Hill,
N.C., in September 1960.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Parody on "The Bonnie Blue Flag" written by Lewis
Sabin Outcalt of Ohio, who later lived in Illinois
and California.
Online Catalog Terms:
Bonnie blue flag--Parodies, imitations, etc.
Outcalt, Lewis Sabin, 1844-1917.
Parodies.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Songs and music.
Unit 30
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 24 November 1861.
Provenance: Purchased from Schindler's of Charleston, S.C., in
March 1962.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter written by Captain James M. Chase, Camp
Hale, Manchester, requesting Simon M. Sanborn to
send written permission for his son to be mustered
in.
Unit 31
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 24 March 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Schindler's of Charleston, S.C., in
March 1962.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Circular from the Office of the Signal Officer,
Army of Potomac, Washington, warning against
giving false alarms.
Unit 32
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 20 April 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Schindler's of Charleston, S.C., in
March 1962.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Brief note from Wilis, Company C, 78th Regiment,
3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, stationed on the plains
of Shiloh near Pittsburg Landing, to his wife at
Zanesville.
Unit 33
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 11 August 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Schindler's of Charleston, S.C., in
March 1962.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Special Order from Camp Carlile Headquarters
ordering the arrest of Colonel Elijah Morgan.
Unit 34
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 27 September 1863.
Provenance: Purchased from Schindler's of Charleston, S.C., in
March 1962.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter written by J. B. Frankenberry, Company B,
62nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, at camp
near Culpeper, to a friend (at Uniontown?),
inquiring about news from home and the draft.
Unit 35
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 24 May 1864.
Provenance: Purchased from Schindler's of Charleston, S.C., in
March 1962.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from Simon A. McCartney, Martinsburg,
W.Va., with Company D, 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry,
to Mr. I. P. Conn (at Spring Hill?) about
picketing and guarding trains, recent fighting in
the Valley of Virginia, description of the
country, and the destruction of property and
crops.
Online Catalog Terms:
Conn, I. P.
McCartney, Simon A., fl. 1864.
Shenandoah Valley Campaign, 1864 (May-August).
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Destruction and
pillage.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil war, 1861-
1865.
Virginia--Description and travel--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Unit 36
Size: 4 items.
Dates: 1861-1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Schindler's of Charleston, S.C., in
March 1962.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from Willard S. Woodis to his sister
Catherine, written while he was serving with the
U.S. Army in Virginia, 1861-1862. Woodis was in
charge of a wagon and team of horses traveling
from place to place in Virginia and was on the
battlefields or close to them during engagements.
He wrote vivid accounts of the scenes around him,
including a letter from Camp Homes, Halls Hill,
Va. (near Washington, D.C.), telling of picket
duty near Fairfax; one from Camp Willson, Halls
Hill, Va., telling of a terrible storm; one from
Halls Hill, Va., describing several months in the
costal part of Virginia, a series of rapid moves,
an assignment at the Manassas battlefield, and a
difficult trip northwards from Manassas; and one
from near Sharpsburg commenting on the miseries of
war and Woodis's admiration for General George
McClellan.
Online Catalog Terms:
Camp Homes (Va.).
Camp Willson (Va.).
Fairfax (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Halls Hill (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Manassas (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
McClellan, George Brinton, 1826-1885.
Sharpsburg (Md.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Woodis, Willard S., fl. 1861-1862.
Unit 37
Size: 2 items.
Dates: 1863-1864.
Provenance: Purchased from Schindler's of Charleston, S.C., in
March 1962.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from Benjamin C. Sparrow from Culpeper and
Petersburg, Va., to his cousin, Lucy A. S. Snow,
describing building a shanty for winter quarters;
moves in the vicinity of northern Virginia; and
comments on the war in general.
Unit 38
Size: 2 items.
Dates: 1864-1865.
Provenance: Purchased from Schindler's of Charleston, S.C., in
March 1962.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from Alfred S. Roe, Company A, 9th New
York Artillery, 6th Corps, to his parents,
probably at Fulton, N.Y.; one, 25 May 1864, North
Anna River, Va., describing the Fredericksburg
area; and another, 14 September 1865, Alexandria,
Va., giving advice to his parents about the store
at Fulton.
Online Catalog Terms:
Fredericksburg (Va.)--Description--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Roe, Alfred S. (Alfred Seelye), 1844-1917.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army. New York Artillery Regiment, 9th (1861-
1865).
Unit 39
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 31 March 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Schindler's of Charleston, S.C., in
September 1962.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter, written by Lieutenant A. H. Botkin, U.S.
Army, at Gallatin, Tenn., where action was at a
standstill. He lambasted Copperheads, spoke of
the Unionists in the vicinity of Gallatin, and
noted that his wife Martha was with him. The
letter is addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Bushey,
possibly his sister and brother-in-law.
Online Catalog Terms:
Botkin, A. H., fl. 1862.
Copperheads.
Gallatin (Tenn.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army--Officers--Correspondence--History--Civil
War, 1861-1865.
Unit 40
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 20 February 1862.
Provenance: Transferred from the North Carolina Confederate
Papers (#551) and originally received from Winston
Broadfoot in 1957.
Access: No restrictions.
/Description: Letters from Henry Sturges on the U.S. steamer
Mount Vernon off Wilmington, N.C., to a friend
describing his surroundings and recent activities.
Unit 41
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 2 February 1864
Provenance: Purchased from Carnegie Book Shop of New York,
N.Y., in October 1963.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from Major N. G. Axtell, 142nd Regiment,
New York Volunteers stationed at Kiawah Island,
S.C., to Henry Coppee (1821-1895), author, at that
time editor of the U.S. Service Magazine, offering
to submit for publication sketches of the progress
in the Department of the South and also a history
of the siege of Charleston he was working on.
Axtell said he was writing in response to the
urging of his commanding officer General Truman
Seymour (1824-1891), brevet brigadier general and
brevet major general during the Civil War.
Unit 42
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 18 April 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Louis Ginsberg of Petersburg, Va.,
in December 1979.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from Joseph M. Efllem in New Bern, N.C., to
his cousin discussing rumors that General
Beauregard had been wounded and General Johnson
killed and telling about rebels surrendering to
General Burnside.
Unit 43
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 16 November 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Cohasco, Inc., in January 1979.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from a Union soldier of Company G, 44th
Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, New England
Guards, from Camp Stevenson, New Bern, N.C. He
described the occupation of North Carolina, the
hardships the soldiers had endured, and the
attitude of the freed slaves, and asked for news
of home.
Online Catalog Terms:
Freedmen--North Carolina.
New Bern (N.C.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
North Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Occupied
territories.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 44th
(1862-1863).
Unit 44
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 6 April 1863.
Provenance: Purchased from Cohasco, Inc., in January 1979.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Union soldier's letter, written in camp, New Bern,
N.C., 6 April 1863, discussing the Confederate
blockade of the river and the Union occupation of
the town. The letter also mentions the free time
the soldier (Carl) had for leisure and socializing
with the townspeople.
Online Catalog Terms:
New Bern (N.C.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
North Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Recreation--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Blockades.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Occupied
territories.
Unit 45
Size: 2 items.
Dates: 1865.
Provenance: Purchase from Cohasco, Inc., in January 1979.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Two letters from Union soldier Theodore W. Skinner
to the "Folks at Home." The letter of 16 January
1865 is from camp near Fort Fisher, N.C., and
discussed the capture of the fort. The letter of
23 February 1865 is from Wilmington, N.C., and
describes the capture of the city.
Online Catalog Terms:
Fort Fisher (N.C.)--Capture, 1865.
Skinner, Theodore W., fl. 1865.
Wilmington (N.C.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Unit 46
Size: 2 items.
Dates: 1865.
Provenance: Received from Linda Textoris of Chapel Hill, N.C.,
in November 1978.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters from John L. Barcus to his brother while
stationed at Camp Carrington and Wilmington, N.C.,
reporting that he might be sent to Georgia and
describing the fighting at Wilmington. Included
is a stanza of a drinking song.
Unit 47
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 13 February 1890.
Provenance: Transferred from the North Carolina Collection in
May 1986.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter to Capt. H. N. Newton from Samuel Roberts,
major of the 72nd Regiment of the Pennsylvania
Volunteers. Roberts comments in detail on
inaccuracies in an abstract from the report of
William Arch McClean, master in the equity case
between the 72nd Regiment and the Gettysburg
Battlefield Memorial Association, published in the
"Gettysburg Compiler." Roberts described in
detail the 72nd Regiment's position at the Battle
of Gettysburg; the letter also includes a sketch
of the various positions of participating
regiments.
Online Catalog Terms:
Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association.
Gettysburg compiler.
Gettysburg (Pa.), Battle of, 1863.
McClean, William Arch.
Newton, H. N., fl. 1890.
Roberts, Samuel, fl. 1861-1890.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Maps.
United States. Army--Officers--Correspondence.
United States. Army. Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment, 72nd
(1861-1865).
Unit 48
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 25 March 1870.
Provenance: Received from Sarah A. Duque of Brea, Ca., in
November 1985.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from Edward Pennington Pearson, Jr., of
Reading, Pa., to his mother, Frederica Smith
Pearson, providing a brief description of Raleigh,
N.C., during Reconstruction from the point of view
of a Union soldier. Pearson also commented on the
Ku-Klux Klan's activities.
Online Catalog Terms:
Ku-Klux Klan (1865-1868)--North Carolina.
Pearson, Edward Pennington, b. 1837.
Pearson, Frederica Smith, fl. 1837-1870.
Raleigh (N.C.)--History--1865- .
Reconstruction--North Carolina.
Soldiers--North Carolina--Correspondence--History--1865- .
United States. Army--Military life--History--19th century.
Unit 49
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 16 April 1865.
Provenance: Purchased from Cohasco, Inc., of New York, N.Y.,
in October 1977.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter, 16 April 1865, from I. (Shoger?) in
Raleigh, N.C., to his wife reporting his
experiences in North Carolina around the time of
Lee's surrender. He wrote that the announcement
of the surrender was "redd by Genl Sherman in
front of the Court House" in Smithfield, and that
the soldiers then "threw up thair hats and chreed
[sic] with all thair might. they got a negro on a
blanket and threw him ten feet." Johnston's
departure from Raleigh and the surrender of that
city by "the mayor and counsil" are also
mentioned.
Online Catalog Terms:
North Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Raleigh (N.C.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Smithfield (N.C.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Peace.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
Unit 50
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 1 July 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Cohasco, Inc., of New York, N.Y.,
in November 1975.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from James(?) Shattuck in New Bern, N.C.,
to his mother describing the march of his regiment
from Washington to New Bern and telling of plans
to march to Goldsboro to cut off the Confederate
retreat from Richmond and that the citizens of
Washington regretted the regiment's departure.
Unit 51
Size: 1 item.
Dates: April 1863.
Provenance: Purchased from Cohasco, Inc., of New York, N.Y.,
in March 1972.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter, 17 April 1863, written to William L.
Whitney of Cambridge, Mass., from his son in the
Union army stationed at Washington, N.C.,
describing the departure of "The Rebs," and of his
present situation. Also included is a copy of
General Foster's Order commending the troops, 14
April 1863.
Unit 52
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 13 November 1864.
Provenance: Purchased from Paul F. Hogg, dealer of Weatogue,
Conn., in March 1966.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from W. W. McKnight, Company E, 175th Ohio
Volunteers in the hospital for jaundice at
Columbia, Tenn., to his friend John Heaton in
Pincastle, Ohio, describing his illness and the
hometown boys in Company E and inquiring about the
draft in Pincastle.
Unit 53
Size: 1 item.
Dates: Undated.
Provenance: Unknown.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Certificate of the oath of allegiance to the
United States for John Hones of Prince Edward
County.
Unit 54
Size: 9 items.
Dates: 1861-1862.
Provenance: Received from Mrs. Jackson M. Sneed of Richmond,
Va., in June 1977. According to Mrs. Sneed, these
letters were taken from the body of a Yankee
soldier killed during the Battle of Seven Pines-
Cold Harbor by her uncle, W. H. S. Burgwyn, who
was wounded and captured during the battle.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letters and fragments said to have been taken by
William Hyslop Summer Burgwyn (1845-1913) from the
body of a dead Union soldier. Some letters
apparently had been sent to J. G. (George) Smith,
who was from Massachusetts or Rhode Island. It is
not clear whether all the letters belonged to the
same person. The letters principally contain
family and local news from people, possibly
relatives and friends, in Maine, Rhode Island, and
Massachusetts. One letter and two fragments were
written by Patrick Conway with the Union army on
Waxsaw Island, Ga.
Online Catalog Terms:
Burgwyn, William Hyslop Summer, 1845-1913.
Conway, Patrick.
Georgia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Maine--Social conditions--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Massachusetts--Social conditions--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Rhode Island--Social conditions--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
Unit 55
Size: 1 item.
Dates: 16 February 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Louis Ginsberg of Petersburg, Va.,
in July 1986.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from Whittier(?), a U.S. Army soldier at
Hilton Head, S.C., to his mother, Polly Whittier,
describing the Union camp at Hilton Head. The
writer stated that there were a number of blacks
in the area and that he believed that the Union
should use them in some productive way. Whittier
commented that the blacks would starve to death if
not for the soldiers, and stated that he had been
informed by several former slaves that their
masters had not beaten them as he had been told at
home.
Online Catalog Terms:
African Americans--South Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Freedmen--South Carolina.
Hilton Head (S.C.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Slavery--South Carolina.
South Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865.
Whittier, Polly, fl. 1862.
Unit 56
Size: 2 items.
Dates: 1862-1863.
Provenance: Purchased from Cohasco, Inc., in October 1986.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter dated 7 July 1862 to "Dear Sister" from A.
F. Cowles describing brutal fighting conditions
along the James River near Richmond, Va. Letter
dated 25 December 1863 to "Dear Brother" from D.
S. Cowles describing fighting conditions near
Vicksburg, Miss.
Unit 57
Size: 1 item.
Date: 1863.
Provenance: Purchased from Cohasco, Inc., in October 1986.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: From dealer's catalog:
"Letter of Private Albert Morton Hayward, Company
H, 7th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry,
in June 1863 from Lincoln Hospital, Washington,
D.C., describing his journey from a
Fredericksburg, Va., hospital to the Capitol by
steamer. Hayward, a 22-year-old Boston
wheelwright, joined the Federal forces on 30
August 1862. He was severely wounded in the hand
during General John Sedgwick's assault and capture
of Marye's Heights (Second Battle of
Fredericksburg), during the Battle of
Chancellorsville in May 1863. His regiment was
noted for its part in the assault, losing 150 of
400 men in the first volley. Hayward spent four
months in Federal hospitals before returning to
duty in September 1863. He never realized his
wish to become a member of the Invalid Corps and
was mustered out on 27 June 1864 after
participating in the Wilderness, Spotsylvania
Court House, and Cold Harbor campaigns."
Unit 58
Size: 1 item.
Date: 1863.
Provenance: Unknown.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter to "My dear parents" from Charles
Garlick(?) of the 8th Regiment, Connecticut
Volunteers, from a camp near Portsmouth, Va.,
about his poor health and fighting in the area.
Unit 59
Size: 1 item.
Date: 1861.
Provenance: Unknown.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from Simon M. Sanborn certifying that his
son Harrison Sanborn was eighteen years of age and
has his father's consent to enlist in the army.
Unit 60
Size: 1 item.
Date: 1862.
Provenance: Purchased from Cohasco, Inc., in October 1986.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter dated 28 December 1862 from William P.
Davis to "Friend Durang." Davis was in camp near
Bells Plains, Va., and wrote of conditions in the
area.
Unit 61
Size: 1 item.
Date: 18 May [1864?].
Provenance: Purchased from Cohasco, Inc., in October 1986.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter from Thomas Parsons to his uncle giving
details of fighting near Peace Camp, Va., and
listing prices for various goods in Virginia.
Unit 62
Size: 1 item.
Date: 1862.
Provenance: Unknown.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter dated 7-12 October 1862 from "T. T. Mc" to
Miss Eley. The writer largely discussed his
health and made general conversation.
Unit 63
Size: 1 item.
Date: 19 March 1863.
Provenance: Purchased from Historical Collectible Auctions in
September 2005 (Acc. 100241).
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Letter dated 19 March 1863 from Charles W. Hill,
serving with the 5th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
in New Bern, N.C., to his wife Martha Hill in West Medway,
Mass. Letter mentions military movements of his regiment
and brigade, dislike of a superior officer's mishandling
of soldiers' pay, a conversation with Confederate General
J. Johnston Pettigrew's servant who had recently escaped,
and general morale.
Online Catalog Terms:
Confederate States of America. Army--African Americans.
Hill, Charles W., d.1896.
New Bern (N.C.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
North Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Pettigrew, James Johnston, 1828-1865.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence.
United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 5th (1861-1865)
United States. Army--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military life.