Summer 2025 PD for K–12 teachers: Registration is now open!
to Mary Hughes
June 7, 1862
Hughes, Alfred, fl. 1862-1864
Conditions at Camp Chase.
GLC02166.001
June 22, 1862
"Revivals" by a Kentucky preacher; improved sleeping conditions.
GLC02166.005
June 27, 1862
Responding to receipt of two letters from home.
GLC02166.009
June 29, 1862
Sundays in prison.
GLC02166.010
August 10, 1862
Enduring Sundays in prison; mending his own clothes; receiving newspapers.
GLC02166.032
August 21, 1862
Cautioning his wife against a relapse; discussion of a passage from the Columbus Journal about the release of 140 citizen prisoners.
GLC02166.043
August 22, 1862
Hopes of hearing from his wife soon, speculations as to why citizens are no longer being arrested and required to take the oath.
GLC02166.044
September 1, 1862
More medical advice; adjusting to conditions in the Prison No. 2; propagation of secessionism in the prison.
GLC02166.056
September 2, 1862
Daily devotions; sensing his wife is unwell before she has told him; more medical advice.
GLC02166.057
to Alfred Hughes
September 16, 1862
Hughes, Mary, fl. 1862
Behavior of their son Tommy and news of the other children; making clothes for her husband; her health.
GLC02166.068
to Tom Bira
September 28, 1862
With postscript to Frank M. Myers. Inquiring whether Myers was seen before or after Bull Run.
GLC02166.077
October 12, 1862
Religious interpretation of premonitions; evening prayer service; false reports in the Wheeling Intelligencer.
GLC02166.087
October 17, 1862
Concerns over his and his wife's health; wishing not to give his wife false hopes of his release; fluctuation in the price of gold.
GLC02166.090
October 20, 1862
Rev. Dr. Baldwin's sermon; 12th chapter of Romans; his weight and measurements; advising his wife not to have contact with those who have taken the oath.
GLC02166.093
October 24, 1862
Replacing Judge Hitchcock with Samuel F. Galloway; new progress in examining cases and increase in released prisoners; future reunion with fellow prisoners; translations of the Lord's Prayer.
GLC02166.096
October 25, 1862
Departure of Rev. Drs. Baldwin, Wharton, Saurie, and Ford.
GLC02166.098
October 27, 1862
Good health despite the cold weather; improved opinion of his children's pictures; confidence that authorities in Richmond will release him.
GLC02166.100
November 12 1862
Study of the Bible. With autograph note signed of Tiffany on page 4 about advising Mrs. Hughes to come to Columbus, as her husband has been paroled.
GLC02166.110
June 11 1862
Making acquaintances Confederate prisoners.
GLC02166.002
July 1, 1862
Making a ring as a memento of his imprisonment.
GLC02166.011
to Colonel C.W.B. Allison
July 7, 1862
Reason for imprisonment.
GLC02166.014
July 16, 1862
Declining her offer to send his easy chair.
GLC02166.016
July 24, 1862
Health of his wife and children; financial matters at home; cramped conditions in prison; discouraging his wife from sending items from home.
GLC02166.022
July 29, 1862
His health; his wife's employment; false friends; shirts, honey, and newspapers from home.
GLC02166.024
August 15, 1862
Urging his wife to write regularly; fellow inmate's decision to take the oath [of allegiance?], and Hughes' opinion in the matter.
GLC02166.035
August 18, 1862
Questioning the arrest of a released inmate's daughter.
GLC02166.039
August 24, 1862
Receiving no newspapers; mending his own clothes.
GLC02166.046
August 27, 1862
Joy at receiving two of her letters; urging her to have patience.
GLC02166.050
September 3, 1862
Cautioning her against developing a "nervous" condition; self-preservation; arrival of political prisoners from Louisville.
GLC02166.058
September 12, 1862
Spiritual lessons learned at Camp Chase; his son Tommy; advising her to see the dentist.
GLC02166.063
Requesting newspapers; teaching the catechism to his children; arrival of prisoners taken at Martinsburg, Virginia.
GLC02166.067
September 22, 1862
Subtle change in prisoner conduct; politics in sermons.
GLC02166.073
September 23, 1862
Release of Judge Thompson; comments about his children.
GLC02166.074
October 6, 1862
More discussion of Judge [Thompson]'s departure from Camp Chase; requesting better photographs of his children.
GLC02166.083
October 13, 1862
Planned escape by several prisoners through a tunnel (unsuccessful because plans were divulged by fellow prisoners); inquiring after Judge Thompson.
GLC02166.088
October 19, 1862
Receipt of the Wheeling Intelligencer; Rev. Dr. Baldwin.
GLC02166.092
October 21, 1862
Concerns over irregular mail delivery; no desire to spend the winter in prison; discussion of a letter by Judge Thompson. With autograph note signed by D.B. Tiffany on page 4 assuring Mrs. Hughes of the comfort of her husband's quarters.
GLC02166.094
October 31, 1862
Continued efforts to secure parole or exchange; release of 15-20 prisoners daily on oath and bond; urging her to protect her health and the children's health.
GLC02166.104
to My Own Dear Mother
November 30, 1862
Death of their son Allie in a fire.
GLC02166.111
June 26, 1862
Repainting a buggy at home.
GLC02166.008
July 18, 1862
Sending four rings for those at home.
GLC02166.017
July 30, 1862
News in the Cincinnati Gazette pertaining to exchange of prisoners.
GLC02166.025
August 7, 1862
Delay in receiving mail.
GLC02166.030
August 19, 1862
Thanking her for the shirt she sent; advising her on various matters at home (ie. school for the children, the horse and buggy, accounts, etc.)
GLC02166.040
August 26, 1862
Receipt of his wife's latest letter; with autograph note signed by D.B. Tiffany, Prison Postmaster, attesting the frequency of Dr. Hughes's letters.
GLC02166.048
Departure of the POW's for Vicksburg; criticizing the political prisoners who chose to take the oath; deciding the fate of those who choose not to take the oath.
GLC02166.049
September 14, 1862
Darning and mending; prescriptions for headache and sore throat trouble; dental work.
GLC02166.064
September 15, 1862
Piety among prisoners of war and lack thereof among political prisoners; conversation with Judge Foster (a fellow inmate).
GLC02166.065
September 21, 1862
Soldiers who neglected to visit his wife while in Wheeling; various issues with their children; his wife's health.
GLC02166.072
to My dear son Tommy
September 26, 1862
Encouraging him to improve himself and his writing.
GLC02166.076
October 5, 1862
The weather; discussion with Rev. Dr. Baldwin about the origin of the races; photographs of his children; low opinion of Judge [Thompson] for not writing or assisting them.
GLC02166.082
October 9, 1862
More details of Judge Thompson's deception; requesting ten dollars in greenbacks or Ohio bills; news from Mr. Staub that he is quartered near 20,000 contrabands, 20 of whom are infected with smallpox.
GLC02166.085
November 3, 1862
Joy at the prospect of his speedy release; passing anniversaries and birthdays in prison.
GLC02166.106
November 6, 1862
Altered opinion of Rev. Dr. Baldwin's book Armageddon.
GLC02166.108
June 24, 1862
Desire to see his family.
GLC02166.006
Detailed description of the prison.
GLC02166.007
July 15, 1862
Sending provisions and personal effects to Camp Chase.
GLC02166.015
July 31, 1862
Explaining his appeal to Mrs. Thompson for parole; enclosing a clipping from the Cincinnati Gazette; numbering of letters.
GLC02166.027
August 13, 1862
Keeping track of sent/received letters.
GLC02166.034
August 20, 1862
News of his wife's diphtheria; vows to take the oath if necessary to return and nurse her back to health; receiving dispatch with news of her improved condition.
GLC02166.041
August 25, 1862
Moving to Prison No. 2, and possible discharge; restrictions placed on outgoing mail.
GLC02166.047
August 31, 1862
Hopes for release or parole; appointment of Judge Hitchcock to investigate cases of political prisoners at Camp Chase; Gen. Halleck's orders indicating release is inevitable; offers medical advice for her various ailments.
GLC02166.055
September 19, 1862
Account of their day of prayer and thanksgiving; escapes and attempted escapes from Camp Chase.
GLC02166.071
October 2, 1862
Birthdays of his wife and daughter; making her a present; inquiring after the children.
GLC02166.080
October 3, 1862
Retaining newspapers and their wrappers; arrival of Judge Hitchcock in Columbus to hear cases of political prisoners; hopes for parole.
GLC02166.081
November 5, 1862
Death of a young man named Cooper; verses for a song written after the death of a man named Rutherford; apologies for such a sad and gloomy letter.
GLC02166.107
July 4, 1862
GLC02166.013
August 6, 1862
Encouraging his wife to write more often.
GLC02166.029
August 12, 1862
Handmade sleeve buttons for his wife; diphtheria in Wheeling; draft dodgers; enclosing various clippings; transcribing a letter by N.A. Gray about contraband letters. With several lines on page three written over in a second, darker hand.
GLC02166.033
Postscript to previous letter urging his wife to say nothing of his remarks regarding Mr. G___'s cause.
GLC02166.036
Rejoicing in news of her recovery; news of a POW exchange, with the dispersal of political prisoners to follow directly; advising his wife they will have to cross over into the Confederacy after his release.
GLC02166.042
August 23, 1862
Medical advice; hopes for release next week; news of liberation at other prisons; heavily censored letter from Eliza.
GLC02166.045
September 5, 1862
Letter from his daughter Mary; weather; sermon by Rev. Dr. Baldwin (one of the political prisoners from Louisville); medical advice.
GLC02166.060
September 6, 1862
Mail distribution; reaction to censorship by Prison Postmaster Tiffany; her eating habits; departure of POW's for exchange. With an autograph note signed by Tiffany on verso denying having mutilated Hughes' letter.
GLC02166.061
September 18, 1862
Child-rearing advice; thanking her for her efforts at home; requesting socks; enclosing two newspaper clippings about escapes from Camp Chase.
GLC02166.070
October 22,1862
Optimism for the future; advising her not to visit him in prison; distrusting the efforts of those outside to secure his release.
GLC02166.095
October 29, 1862
Requesting copies of the World; conversation with a fellow inmate regarding the Bible and their respective wives; speculation about how to secure a pass to Richmond.
GLC02166.102
November 2, 1862
Details of Judge Foster's release; shooting of a fellow prisoner after a fight broke out.
GLC02166.105
November 7, 1862
News of friends moving to the South.
GLC02166.109
September 10, 1862
His wife's overexertion; encouraging his daughter's study of music, and the proper conduct of all his other children; prescribing medicine for his wife; tales of wickedness and cruelty told in prison. With clippings from unidentified papers entitled...
GLC02166.062
June 20, 1862
Receipt of a package from home.
GLC02166.004
August 3, 1862
"Dog days" of summer; uncomfortably hot conditions in prison (with pencil note from postal inspector: "Precisely the same quarters the Unions soldiers occupy.")
GLC02166.028
August 28, 1862
Affectionate sentiments to his wife; advising her to take Belladonna for her ailments.
GLC02166.051
August 29, 1862
Issues at home; opinions about Mr. G___ [fellow inmate who took the oath in items #35-37] and his family.
GLC02166.053
August 30, 1862
Mail between Cincinnati, Columbus, and Wheeling; misinformation regarding page limits on outgoing letters; Eliza's use of the word "nervous."
GLC02166.054
September 4, 1862
Criticism of the war; sentimental thoughts about his children.
GLC02166.059
September 17, 1862
Plans to observe a day of prayer and thanksgiving set aside by President Davis; Rev. Dr. Ford; wealthy gentlemen among the prisoners brought from Martinsburg; taking of thirty prisoners by one man.
GLC02166.069
September 25, 1862
Receiving socks from his wife; dubious loyalty Judge Thompson; new bunkmate.
GLC02166.075
September 29, 1862
Looking on his imprisonment as the start of a new era in his life; lack of rain; proficiency in mending and darning clothing.
GLC02166.078
September 30, 1862
Words of encouragement to his wife; asking departing POW's to advocate the political prisoners' cause to Confederate authorities; talking with Rev. Dr. Baldwin about their wives; antidote for Delia.
GLC02166.079
October 7, 1862
Reading her letters aloud to Rev. Dr. Baldwin ; Judge Thompson's deception.
GLC02166.084
October 15, 1862
His wife again taking ill and news of her recovery; confidence in securing parole; plans to write to Judge Hitchcock about his case.
GLC02166.089
Satisfaction in his wife's handling of matters at home; his daily routine; prisoners' proficiency at cooking, sewing, washing, and ironing.
GLC02166.097
October 30, 1862
Taking his wife's advice in responding to Judge Thompson; efforts by Thomas to secure his release despite that "terrible woman."
GLC02166.103
Showing results 1 - 94