Manuscripts
The bulk of the collection consists of letters that John W. Grosh wrote to his mother Sarah Lorenz Grosh, sister Fanny Grosh Bender, and brother Jacob L. Grosh in the course of his military service. Regular and richly detailed letters were posted from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia; there are no letters for the period between August 20 and October 15, 1862. The group also includes a few letters from Jacob L. Grosh to his brother and letters from Fanny's uncles Daniel and William H. Grosh. The letters contain a small "diary for the month of May 1862 Co. A. 79th Regiment P.V." and a pencil drawing titled "Interior of Tent No. 2 of Co. A 79th Regt. P.V. Encampment near Nashville, Tenn. March 16 1862." Also included is manuscript titled "History of the Campaign for the spring of 1863 by the 66th N.Y. V. Vols. Written by Edward H. Cornell on the 21st of December 1864" (This is most likely Edward H. Connell, of Co. I; he enlisted under that name and changed it to Cornell at the time of the discharge in 1865). There are also letters to Peter L. Grosh from his brother-in-law William Lorentz and the letters from Peter L. Grosh and John W. Grosh from Petersburg, Pennsylvania, and letters, mostly to Fanny Grosh Bender from her family and friends, written after John's death; correspondents include Mary C. Graeff, Mary A. Russell, and Lavinia Miller Summy (1832-1904). The collection also contains letter of condolence from John's commanding officer states that according to the Adjutant General's report, John died in hospital Richmond on November 21st, 1863. However, on June 5, 1865, Daniel Grosh thanked his niece of "extracts" of John's letters written from captivity, which showed that he died a slow death "by degrees." Also included are: Sarah Grosh's pension certificate; a newspaper clipping listing the casualties of the battle of Chickamauga, including John W. Grosh; clippings from patriotic envelopes; and a small broadside "Crippled Soldier's Song."
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