Manuscripts

Henry Edward Williams letters, (bulk 1862-1864)

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Description: Letters of Henry Edward Williams of the 34th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment from Virginia and West Virginia to his family. In his letters, Williams discusses military operations including the raid on Harrisburg in December 1863, skirmishes outside of Charleston, South Carolina, and encounters with guerrillas. He also mentions his time in Libby Prison and military hospitals, Confederate deserters and prisoners, as well as fugitive slaves. In a letter dated 1864 August 28, Williams expressed his unhappiness about having shared a hospital room with wounded African American soldiers. Also included is a 1914 letter setting up a foundation to benefit the estate of Colonel George D. Wells, one of the commanders of Williams' regiment who died in 1864 after being wounded in battle, other regiment information, and biographies and obituaries of Williams.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Production date: 1862-1953.
Call number: mssWilliamsh

Henry Williams letter to Edward Gould

Manuscripts

Henry Williams writes that he has given up the idea of going to Oregon, and is thinking of settling at a farm outside San Francisco.

mssHM 31529

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David Wood letter to William J. Hiles

Manuscripts

An autograph, signed letter from David Wood, a member of the West Virginia 1st Cavalry Regiment; he is writing to a former member of the regiment, William J. Hiles. The letter is written from Camp Russell, Virginia, and contains news of many fellow soldiers in the regiment, some of whom have had horses shot out from under them or had been wounded in various battles; Wood also mentions some who have been ill and left the Army or have deserted. The letter is beginning to tear along the folds and there is an old repair along the top of the letter. Enclosed with the letter is the back only of a pictorial envelope.

mssHM 84102

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Richard Edwards May papers

Manuscripts

Consists of letters from Corporal Richard E. May written to family while serving in the 20th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers from Virginia, Tennessee, and the South, 1862 to 1865; May's daily pocket diaries, 1864 to 1865; and his memoir of Civil War experiences, written in 1903. Also present are two essays by school girl Elizabeth May, "The effect of foreign emigration to the United States upon the morals and prosperity of the American people" (1852) and "The past - the present - the future" (1855).

mssHM 20725-20751

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Calvin Gibbs Hutchinson papers, (bulk 1862-1864)

Manuscripts

Letters from Calvin G. Hutchinson to his wife Roxanna (1862-1864); letters to William W. Hill, assistant editor of the Boston Morning Journal, many of them intended for publication; a prize list (Jan. 1865) of the capture of the Stag, a Confederate steamer, official correspondence relating to Hutchinson's duties of the paymaster, his memoirs (1911-1912), and ephemera.

mssHM 41742-41749

Craver, Thomas Henry. Pocket diary. 1864, Jan. 1 -- April 26th

Manuscripts

Pocket diary in pencil and pen. Describes the brief period of four months while Thomas was in the 4th Iowa Cavalry Regiment, Company E, prior to his falling ill and dying in May of 1864. Includes his comments on falling sick and fighting the "flux."

mssHM 76855

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1862-1864

Manuscripts

Personal, political, and business correspondence of Caleb Blood Smith, chiefly letters addressed to him. The bulk of the correspondence covers his tenure as the Secretary of the Interior and U.S. Judge, with material relating to other aspects of Smith's legal and political career. The letters discuss the state of the Republican Party in Indiana, slavery and abolitionism, national politics, Indian affairs, war news, and requests for political patronage. Correspondents include Cassius Marcellus Clay, William Sprague, Frederick William Seward, Richard Wigginton Thompson, and others. There is also a draft of Smith's speech on the role of oratory in the government, which he gave in 1862. Also included are items related to Smith's death, including a copy of President Lincoln's "Order of Condolence" and letters of condolence, real estate and railroad lands, and Masonic papers and certificates. Also included are personal and professional correspondence of Walton John Smith and letters addressed to Smith's wife Elizabeth Walton Smith in response to her 1862 campaign to raise funds for a Christmas dinner for wounded soldiers in Washington, D.C. hospitals. Military papers and personal correspondence of Charles William Spooner. The collection contains a letter book with copies of communications, orders, accounts, received and sent by Spooner during his service aboard the Reindeer. The letter book also contains a roster of the crew and copies of Spooner's post-war official correspondence. Also included are descriptive lists and muster rolls of the Reindeer, some Navy instructions, and newspaper clippings and hand drawn maps dealing with Morgan's Raid. The post-war portion of Spooner's material deals chiefly with his European travels, language and law studies, legal practice, and membership in veterans' organizations. A large portion of his correspondence is in German and French. There are some materials of William L. Spooner. The collection contains a substantial amount of Civil War newspaper clippings.

mssSS

Henry Edward Williams letters, (bulk 1862-1864)

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Henry Williams letter to Edward Gould

David Wood letter to William J. Hiles

Richard Edwards May papers

Calvin Gibbs Hutchinson papers, (bulk 1862-1864)

Craver, Thomas Henry. Pocket diary. 1864, Jan. 1 -- April 26th

1862-1864