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Collection Number: 05423-z

Collection Title: Charles L. Hewitt Letters and Notebook, 1861-1864

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


This collection was processed with support from Elizabeth Moore Ruffin.

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Size 32 items
Abstract Charles L. Hewitt enlisted in the Union Army on 27 August 1861, was mustered on 7 September 1861 into Company E, Connecticut 7th Infantry Regiment, and was mustered out on 12 September 1864. The collection consists of 31 letters written by Charles L. Hewitt to his parents and siblings and a notebook in which Hewitt recorded the fates of nearly 120 of his fellow soldiers, including those who were wounded, killed in action, promoted, or deserted along with the dates and locations of these occurrances. Hewitt's letters, written onboard a gunboat and from various locations in Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, document army life; his evaluations and speculations; his time drilling, serving in a boat infantry, and picketing; descriptions of his surroundings; family and social news; and descriptions of fighting.
Creator Hewitt, Charles L., fl. 1861-1864.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Restrictions to Use
No usage restrictions.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Charles L. Hewitt Letters and Notebook #5423-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Alternate Form of Material
The majority of the letters have been transcribed onto lined notebook paper.
Acquisitions Information
Purchased from Historical Collectible Auctions in May 2009 (Acc. 101105).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: Kiley Orchard, May 2010

Encoded by: Kiley Orchard, May 2010

This collection was processed with support from Elizabeth Moore Ruffin.

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The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Charles L. Hewitt, son of John Hewitt of West Winsted, Conn., enlisted in the Union Army on 27 August 1861, was mustered on 7 September 1861 into Company E, Connecticut 7th Infantry Regiment, and was mustered out on 12 September 1864. He had a sister named Eveline who married William P. Lawrence.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection consists of 31 letters written by Charles L. Hewitt to his parents and siblings and a notebook in which Hewitt recorded the fates of nearly 120 of his fellow soldiers, including those who were wounded, killed in action, promoted, or deserted along with the dates and locations of these occurrances. Hewitt's letters, written onboard a gunboat and from from Tybee Island, Ga.; Fort Pulaski, Ga.; Hilton Head, S.C.; Camp Hitchcock, Hilton Head, S.C.; Camp Palmer, Beaufort, S.C.; Morris Island, S.C.; Saint Helena Island, S.C.; Gloucester Point, Va.; and Bermuda Hundredth, Va., document army life; his evaluations and speculations; his time drilling, serving in a boat infantry, and picketing; descriptions of his surroundings; family and social news; and descriptions of fighting.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Letters, 1861-1864, and undated.

32 items.
Folder 1

Letters, 1861-1864

Written onboard a gunboat and from Tybee Island, Ga.; Fort Pulaski, Ga.; Hilton Head, S.C.; Camp Hitchcock, Hilton Head, S.C.; Camp Palmer, Beaufort, S.C.; Morris Island, S.C.; Saint Helena Island, S.C.; Gloucester Point, Va.; and Bermuda Hundredth, Va. The letters document army life; Hewitt's evaluations and speculations; his time drilling on Saint Helena Island, serving in a boat infantry, and picketing; descriptions of his surroundings; family and social news; and descriptions of fighting. Envelopes, when present, are filed behind corresponding letters.

Folder 2

Notebook, 1864

Maintained by Hewitt, who recorded the fates of nearly 120 of his fellow soldiers, including those who were wounded, killed in action, promoted, or who deserted, as well as the dates and locations of these various occurrances. Also included is a newspaper clipping and a fragment of a letter written to Mrs. Hewitt on behalf of Charles while he was on guard duty.

Folder 3

Transcribed letters, 1862-1864

Transcribed onto lined notebook paper. The transcriber is unknown.

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