16 May 1864

Coit, Charles M., 1838-1878

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his family

Writes that he feels as if the Brigader has forgotten the regiment and makes a comparison between officers with military educations to those who lack them. Tells about an attack two days before. Describes the temporary staffing changes due to the losses during battle. Also writes about the damage to the railroad lines being repaired.

GLC03603.283

24 June 1864

Coit, Charles M., 1838-1878

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his family

Writes that, after 48 hours "at the front" they have been relieved. He writes about taking over a "pit" that contained fancy furniture that had been stolen. Describes battle with the rebel soldiers and reacts to news from home. Says that he does not sleep very much. Also writes about reading the Spectator and the Atlantic and about food prices.

GLC03603.294

3 May 1863

Coit, Charles M., 1838-1878

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his family

Writes that there is a "heavy force across the river and the firing has been incessant." Notes that his Regiment is split in two with one half out on a mission and Coit's half camped in the woods. He passes on descriptions of fighting near the river, saying that the Rebels were "in rifle pits as usual." Believes that the goal of the Rebels is to capture part of the railroad and "forage the whole country and prevent the planting."

GLC03603.229

29 December 1862

Wheeler, Lysander, 1837-1917

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his parents and sister

Writes that he is anxious to receive a letter from Darius assuring that he arrived home safely. Wheeler expresses tremendous relief for the discharge of his brother-in-law and writes that Darius was very concerned about leaving Lysander behind. Reports that [Confederate General John Hunt Morgan] has not come after them yet and that they are currently building a fort should he attack. Writes that there has been no mail for three or four days due to torn up tracks. Requests that he be sent pepper, saleratus (salt), a bottle of ink, and some tea.

GLC07460.009

circa September

Sayles, Sumner, fl. 1862-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Isora Skinkle

Informs his sister that he will not be coming home on a furlough. Inquires on how her Sabbath school picnic went in Washington. Writes that there was an expedition in Louisiana to seek out the rebels. Reports that his brigade did not go on the expedition, they had to stay behind and guard Natchez, Louisiana. Reports that the rebels had sharpshooters that shot their men before they could be seen and that they blew up the magazine. Notes that they burnt the works before they left. Sumner Sayles' sister, Isora Sayles, has married and now goes by the name Isora Skinkle.

GLC03523.32.21

11 August 1861

Phelps, Diton, fl. 1861-1864

Autograph letter

Title: to Edith M. Phelps

Writes to his sister from Camp Gibson. Says that they are placing a masked battery about a mile from camp. Writes that they are clearing an area of trees that is about a mile in width. Says that 14 men out of his company were chopping down trees yesterday and today. Reports that they are about nine miles from Fairfax Court House where there is a rebel camp. They have picket guards in place between them and the rebel camp with the bridge being heavily guarded. Describes an impending battle that General [Winfield] Scott is planning. He is preparing a masked battery to relieve the picket…

GLC03523.49.04

circa 1862

Sayles, Sumner, fl. 1862-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Isora Sayles

Informs his sister about the condition of a friend of theirs named Spencer. Writes that the last time he saw Spencer was back at the junction in the hospital and that he heard that he was really sick. Notes that a gentleman told him that Spencer did not know anything at all for four days but that he has since improved. Comments that the rebels burned down the depot at Abbeville, Mississippi just before they arrived. Reports that several thousands of dollars were lost in property. They managed to save about 100 dollars in horse shoes, sugar molasses, and iron pots. Apologizes for not…

GLC03523.32.04

20 July 1863

Sayles, Sumner, fl. 1862-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Isora Sayles

Writes to his sister. Describes the beauty of Natchez, Mississippi. Notes that it is situated on a high bluff and that it is the main part of the town. Comments, "I thought that lake Providence louisanna [sic] was the gratest place for white Niggars in the whole world but i was mistaken for this place beats it all to piecies their is some of them that you can not tell from whites [sic]." Mentions that they have all kinds of vegetables like green corn, watermelons, muskmelons, potatoes, cucumbers, and peaches. Writes that they have been there for a week and have "lived on the fat of the…

GLC03523.32.18

7 August 1863

Sayles, Sumner, fl. 1862-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Isora Sayles

Informs his sister that there is no reason why he should not share his letters from her with the other boys. Comments that the information given is sure to leak out somehow anyway and that it is only fair that he shares his letters because the men share their letters with him. Says that if there is anything really bad in the letters that he will tear them up. Reports that they recently went on a foraging exhibition by steamboat. Comments that they went to one plantation and made the "Negroes" help load the boat with corn and cattle. Request that she sends him some stamps.

GLC03523.32.20

July 14, 1861

Phelps, Diton, fl. 1861-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to sister

Writes to his sister from Camp Biddle. Reports that the camp is empty except for a few picket guards placed to guard the railroad. Comments that they are surrounded by secessionists who are armed. Says that the pickets are shot at almost every night and a bullet grazed a guard's arm last night. Reports that the Massachusetts regiment shot two men that were tearing up the track. Writes about their tents leaking when they first arrived and having to sleep upon their blankets on the ground. Says that they have 15 tents, six men to a tent. Describes how three of their men went into town…

GLC03523.49.03

7 December 1861

Phelps, Diton, fl. 1861-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Edith M. Phelps

Writes to his sister from Camp Pierpont. Reports of his crew going on a "foraging" and returning with 102 loads of corn and 20 loads of oats and hay. Describes having a good turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. A man named Bill Waldron purchased a turkey for 50 cents and had it baked. Writes of Bill Waldron having things sent to him, requests that his parents send him six to ten pounds of butter and some chickens with Bill's stuff for Christmas. Says that butter is worth 30 cents where he is at. Reports having his picture taken in full uniform and looking very military. Written on "6th…

GLC03523.49.05

29 December 1861

Phelps, Diton, fl. 1861-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his father and his sister, Edith M. Phelps

Writes to his father and sister from Camp Pierpont. Says that he received his letter and the cheese that his mother sent. Mentions having very cold weather for this part of the country. Says that they only have boards, no furs, in their tents to lie upon and that some of the boys have dug cellars two feet deep in their tents. Writes of there not being a fence in sight; they have all been cut down and used for fire wood. Reports that the surgeon says that it will be a year before Captain Daniel Bradbury is able to take charge of the camp again. Says that the Captain and his wife are…

GLC03523.49.06

8 April 1863

Carter, J. D., fl. 1863

Manuscript telegram

Title: to Eliakim P. Scammon

Telegram to Brigadier General Scammon of the 23rd Ohio. "I have arrested a S Edwin…for aiding the enemy…I took from his farm five (5) Horses and mules also three (3) negroes…Shall I keep them or return them when I have done with them? He is rich and a very mean secesh…."

GLC02414.227

23 June 1863

Pryerley, Jake, fl. 1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Miller A. Wright

Pryerley is marching a small band of convalescents from Richmond under his care to their division. They are to be armed in order to fight bushwhackers along the way. "Genl Ewells Hd. Qrs. is in Sharpsburg Md. a part of his corps was last Sunday morning in Chambersburg, Pa. making preperations [sic] to fire the town. Our Brigade done the principal part of the fighting at Winchester...Genl Ewell has so far proved himself to be as good if not better than Genl. Jackson...." Discusses capturing batteries and suggests that Miller's company should get a battery through his father's influence with…

GLC02691.11.039

22 June 1862

Jones, William B., fl. 1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Jones writes from headquarters, Camp White House. Wishes Reeser well. Reports that he is within twenty miles of Richmond, Virginia and his company is fighting off Confederate guerrilla parties. Describes a skirmish in which the Confederates wounded twenty Union men, burned some hay and grain wagons, and stole mules. Jones's men took sixty Confederate prisoners. Describes confederate soldiers acting as "farmers and younian men untill we get out of thare site… we cant yet to do as we pleas or we wold not hav afarmer in Viriginey we wold kill them as fast as we cold find them… " Mentions…

GLC03523.43.02

1 October 1863

Glauner, Mathias, fl. 1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Discusses arriving in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday to look for work. Comments on the low wages in Washington and finding higher wages in Alexandria. Describes beginning work on Saturday repairing a bridge that the rebels tried burning. Reports that the bridge is about two miles from Alexandria on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Inquires about his farm. Comments on his boss telling him he strikes the men too quickly.

GLC03523.43.09

4 November 1863

Holly, William H., ?-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary Ann Davis

Written at Vermilion Bayou to a friend. Describes reading Mary's letters on the march, and the expansive plantation of a Rebel General "Moota" (perhaps General Alfred Mouton), commenting "you can imagine how things will look here in a day or two, not a fence will be left, nor hardly a building will be left to mark the spot..." Continues, empathizing with th Confederates--"I cannot blame them Rebels for holding out and fighting to the last extremity when I see such destruction taking place and I can imagine how I shall feel if my home should be stripped of everything." Describes the guerrilla…

GLC02165.15

13 July 1863

Engberth, Jacob M., fl. 1863-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Describes fighting another hard battle. States, "the Army never fought So hard befor thair wos so men killed and wonded and missen in our Rege- thair is 40 men left in the three Compene and some of them wos wounded but some wore out by hard marches…all the officers is wonded but one Capt and Leutenet..." Describes the place being the prettiest area with the nicest girls. Comments on how many Copperheads there are in the states. Mentions the farmers complaining about the army marching through their fields: they "was not Pleased because we wos fiting on thair land but men in merland cheard…

GLC03523.43.06

20 July 1862

Davis, Samuel H., ?-1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Dolly Davis

Writes to his wife from Camp Priceville, Mississippi. Discusses goods and currency values. Mentions a battle being fought in Murfreesborough (likely referring to the First Battle of Murfreesboro, fought on 13 July 1862 in Rutherford County, Tennessee), the number prisoners taken and the amount of damages is noted. Portions of the document have been damaged and mended causing text loss. A draft transcript is available.

GLC02738.05

4 July 1864

Johnston, Witter H., fl. 1861-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Miss Sue Johnston

They marched for three hours before coming to a house that had been used by the rebels as a picket post. Some of the men destroyed furniture they found in the house. It was very hot.

GLC02167.21

February 4, 1863

Wright, Sereno A., fl. 1862-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Sister Rosetta

When they first landed, they scared 300 rebels and Frank Leslie's paper shows a good illustration of them driving the rebels out. The city of Baton Rouge is pretty much destroyed. He hopes they capture Vicksburg.

GLC02751.21

1914

Keystone View Company

Stereocard

Title: Once Fair Village of Coucy, near Reims, France.

Crumbling walls and stones that used to be buildings form a scene of total destruction in the village of Coucy, near Reims, in France.

GLC09584.091

1917-1918

Keystone View Company

Stereocard

Title: The Ruined Stronghold of Fort de la Malmaison, Chemin des Dames, France

Piles of dirt and stone that were once Fort de la Malmaison, a key element of the German defense of the ridge Chemin des Dames. The fort was destroyed by the French in a successful attempt to retake the region.

GLC09584.092

1917-1918

Keystone View Company

Stereocard

Title: Desolate Waste on Chemin des Dames Battlefield, France

A soldier stands amongst the now desolate countryside and fallen trees after the battles at Chemin des Dames in France

GLC09584.094

1918

Keystone View Company

Stereocard

Title: Weird Desolation of Berry au Bac, after Four Years of Fighting, France

The destroyed countryside of Berry au Bac at the end of the war.

GLC09584.097