Daniel N. Speer papers

The largest portion of the collection consists of personal and military correspondence that Daniel N. Speer kept during his Civil War service. Also included are pieces of correspondence of John F. Moreland, his father-in-law, and documents dealing with family slaves.

Speer's letters to his wife discuss the life in the Confederate Army, including the organization of the 4th Regiment of Georgia Infantry Battalion; the defenses of Skidaway Island and its evacuation; the organization of the 60th Regiment of Georgia Infantry; the Maryland campaign of 1862, including the battle of Antietam, the campaign in Virginia in the summer of 1863. The letters from Speer's wife and in-laws describe their life in LaGrange, Ga. Also included are a few letters by his brother John A. Speer. Speer's military correspondence includes letters, orders, and communications, both incoming and outgoing, that cover the period from July 7, 1861 to March 1865 and deal mostly with logistics and transportation.