January 16, 1865

Epperly, Christian M., 1837-1904

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary Epperly

Discusses losses at the battles of Columbia and Nashville, Tennessee. Reports that General [John Bell] Hood is disbanding brigades.

GLC02715.117

18 June 1778

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Manuscript document

Title: to George Washington

Document in Samuel Shaw's hand, and signed by Shaw for Knox, giving Knox's opinion on several questions posed by Washington. Writes, "...it would be a most criminal degree of madness to hazard a general action at this time with the enemy, as by it we might lose every advantage which a three years war, combined with many fortunate circumstances, have given to America." Suggests the Continental Army remain at Valley Forge until the British completely evacuate Philadelphia. Does not advise a detachment to be sent to reinforce Continental troops in New Jersey. Gives advice for securing the…

GLC02437.00711

25 June 1778

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to William Knox

Reports that the British left Philadelphia. He and Lucy went into the city, but had to leave because it "stunk so abominably." Notes that the American and British armies are twenty miles apart, at Princeton and Allentown respectively. Comments on the great number of deserters in the British army. Writes, "if General Actions had no other consequences than merely the kill'd and wounded, we should attack them in 24 hours, but the fate of posterity and not the illusive [sic] [brilliancy] of military Glory govern's our [Fabian] Commander, the Man under God to whom America owes her present…

GLC02437.00712

17 October 1862

Jones, Joseph, fl. 1862-1865

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Nancy E. Jones

His regiment has not fought yet but Bill Elliot's has. There were 4,000-5,000 Confederates, outnumbering the Union four to one, but the Union won. He does not how many Union casualties there were but it was nothing "like so many as the rebbels."

GLC02739.019

26 April 1863

Allen, George D., fl. 1859-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary Mayberry

Writing to tell her he is alright, even though it is not his turn. Says he is about 10 miles from Washington, North Carolina under batteries which have caused them a great deal of trouble for the past 3-4 weeks. It was the cause of them not going to Philadelphia. Says the rebels sneaked in and built the batteries during the night and "They built them a little back from the river so that they could not be seen when they got them finished they cut the trees down in front of them." They were also built under the ground so they could not be shelled out. Says Commodore Hull ran the gauntlet of…

GLC02829.08

31 October 1861

Smith, Maria, fl. 1861

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Asa Smith

There are four separate notes from various family members to Asa Smith updating him on family and home life. One is from his sister "Maria," one from his sister "Carrie," another from his sister "Mary," and the last is from his mother. Maria's note: references receiving Asa's letter. She says they received a letter from Wallace ( Asa's brother William Wallace Smith) too. Wallace said he was under marching orders and expects to be in a battle soon. Wallace said he has not slept much, but eats well on corn beef, ham, rice, and beans. Says "Mother is fixing some trimming for an apron for me,…

GLC03742.02

14 October 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Soldiers talking about enlisting in regular service for $50 bounty and 40 day furlough but Tillitson says he will stick to his three-year enlistment. "Dont know but I could afford to loose a leg for the sake of going home but it would be rather a dangerous experiment to try here at least, for almost every one of our regiment who have had a leg amputated have since died. But then what could we reasonably expect of wounds that is left without dressing until maggots crawl out of them." News of other soldiers, mentions farms stripped of food and wood by foragers, command of brigade transferred…

GLC04558.048

23 November 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Rainy weather, rebels hold city, rebel pickets taunting about election, Bull Run and Antietam; Colonel courtmartialed twice for drunkenness but cleared, Colonel and regiment's surgeon trying to get regiment out of battle area, soldiers mutilating themselves to get discharged, Italian soldier bayoneting a fellow Italian, with final note dated 11/24 3 AM regarding marching orders. Signature followed by postscript "The orders to march today is countermanded 5 oclock A.M." The letter is continued on October 24th.

GLC04558.055

1 January 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Continued January 3 ["Dec."]. Written in pencil. Increasing strictness of the colonel for infractions, mentions that soldier mutilating himself (cutting off thumb) was court-martialed and sentenced to hard labor and half-pay for rest of service, marching orders given then countermanded. Regarding the war and Fredericksburg: "No; as I said before I dont believe this war will ever end by fighting. It is not the rebels at the North that troubles us but the rebels here, as the irishman says 'right finenst [sic] us.' You need not blame Burnside for not succeeding for he did as well probably…

GLC04558.060

February 15, 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Furloughs, rations (mentions receiving soft bread for the first time in five and a half months), says that they subsist on coffee and crackers while marching, reports a CT soldier discharged for cutting his throat from ear-to-ear because he was detailed too often for guard duty. Hopes for peace convention.

GLC04558.068

2 June 1863

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

A lazy day in which he day-dreams of being home; mentions combating a forest fire; relates farm news from Edwin who was injured and has hired "a couple of negroes;" instructions on sheep; responding to home news.

GLC04558.095

21 April 1864

Smith, Edward, fl. 1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Tobias Gibson

Dated at "Cotton Press No. 4." Smith, a member of the 2nd LA Cavalry, Co. G, informs Gibson of his being wounded, captured and imprisoned. He requests $200-$300 in city funds.

GLC04501.096

9 September 1861

McSherry, Eliza, 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Henry F. McSherry

Extremely faded letter with water damage and mold. Written by Eliza to her brother Henry in the U.S. Navy. Seems that several of Henry's friends have been killed. She says she especially is sad at the loss of Holmes and tries to console him. Says "I heard a lady say the other day that she would prefer her friend to be killed ... rather than wounded and suffering on the battlefield. that is terrible indeed." Updates him on friends and family.

GLC03523.21.11

20 July1862

Smith, Ann, fl. 1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Asa Smith

Written by Ann Smith to her brother Asa Smith in the Union Army. Says she is glad he is doing well. Says "I try & try to imagine how you look but don't succeed very well - If I could only see you for a little while." Goes on to say that "I tell Mother I'm prouder than ever of you." Says Lieutenant H.L. Potter of the 20th regiment has been back home now for a week because of a wound in his leg. Says "he was in the same hospital with you a week or more - he wishes he had seen you." Says that their brother William Wallace Smith was lucky to avoid injury. Is sending him a copy of a newspaper…

GLC03742.08

17 May 1864

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Has not heard from his wife since he left New York. Lengthy decription of the back and forth fighting around Richmond and the heavy losses by both sides. Cross writing questions whether money sent from Elmira was received.

GLC04558.134

16 June 1864

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Writing from a hospital after bullet hit GWT in the foot, bruising the foot and making him lame. Discusses Grants losses in the campaign and the defenses of Petersburg.

GLC04558.141

23 June 1864

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Written in pencil. Cross written. Coming back from the hospital, finding many of his regiment wounded GWT takes his place in the trenches surrounding Petersburg. Describes life in the trenches, gives the number of wounded and killed for his regiment.

GLC04558.142

26 June 1864

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Written in pencil. Camped less than a mile from the front. Observes that shells are more dangerous in the rear than at the front. Discusses events of past few days; wishes his foot had been wounded so he could get a furlough.

GLC04558.143

31 July 1864

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Written in pencil with portions of pages 1-4 traced in a darker pencil. The explosion and charge on fort along the rebel line by Burnside's 9th Corps was at first rumored to be a great success although GWT noticed Grant "appeared a little troubled." Later, GWT learned that casualties for the 9th Corps was 6,000 killed wounded and missing. GWT blamed "the disaster of yesterday" on a brigade of "negroes [who] when charged on scadaddled without fireing a volley."

GLC04558.151

5 August 1864

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

The discovery that rebels had mined some of the Union forts discouraged Burnside's plan to blow up additional rebel forts. Requests that his wife not publish his letters. "Maybe you wouldn't like to think that I had killed any body but I do know that I have hurt some of them."

GLC04558.152

3 October 1864

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Describes transfer from the fort to Chapins Farm and the action there including how he saved an officer. Long list of comrades killed, wounded and missing. Lost $130.

GLC04558.164

May 18, 1865

Coit, Charles M., 1838-1878

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his family

He writes that Quartermaster Merriam has given Coit his tent to make him more comfortable. They are camped 3-4 miles outside Manchester. Though he is in camp, he is considered sick and not on duty. He writes that he is putting off decisions about his future to see what pans out. He encloses a Richmond Times.

GLC03603.341

12 April 1862

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Says his last letter was dictated because he was unable to write. That was because he injured his finger while assisting the ship's doctor remove the tonsils of another sailor. After making the cut, the doctor handed the knife to him "the point of which was covered with pus, and just at that time the ship rolled suddenly, and I accidentally scratched the end of my fore-finger of my right hand with the instrument; the finger immediately commenced paining me; and in the course of the day, swelled to an enormous size; the swelling extending over the whole hand and half way up to the elbow."…

GLC02828.02

February 21, 1864

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Tells her he is now steaming up the English Channel and that he will send this letter by the first port they land in, either Calais or Dover. Left the waters around Brest on 17 January to go to Cadiz in order to reprovision, get coal, and have the ship repaired. Arrived in Cadiz on 23 January. Having taken care of the ship, they left Cadiz on 13 February and arrived at Brest again on 18 February. Reports the CSS "Florida" left Brest while they were away. Also, on 16 February, the CSS "Georgia" left Cherbourg. Says the "rebel Pirates" are probably sailing together. Will not be surprised if…

GLC02828.13

19 June 1864

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Written directly after the engagement with the "Alabama." Says one week ago while in Flushing, Holland, Captain Winslow received information of the arrival of the CSS "Alabama" at Cherbourg. Says they left immediately and remained sitting outside Cherbourg until this "forenoon" when the "Alabama" came out to give them battle. At 11:10 a.m. "precisely, the 'Alabama' fired the first gun and just three minutes afterwards the 'Kearsarge' opened her battery and kept up a continuous fire for the space of one hour & two minutes, when the 'Alabama' fired a gun to the leeward and hoisted a white…

GLC02828.17