8 December 1863

Ward, Edward K., 1837-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Written from camp near Dalton, Georgia. Writes that he has been in poor spirits lately, especially since he was unable to see "P & M" ("M" refers to his brother Marshall). Desperately wants his sisters to visit him in Marietta, as he can get a few days off to see them. Updates his sister on their brother Marshall who has been living with a Mrs. Cook in Marietta. Provides a detailed description of fighting during the Battle of Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He expresses to his sister that he is thankful to God that his life has been spared once again. Mentions that a…

GLC02232.27

January 26, 1864

Ward, Edward K., 1837-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Tells his sister that George (possibly a friend) has taken Ward's daguerrotype of her and has asked to keep it. He requests a picture of his sister. Writes that he is afraid he won't get his furlough.

GLC02232.28

1 June 1862

Ubil, Frederick, fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Writes to a friend. Discusses working four miles from Delaware City and having beer and sweet cakes. Enjoys living in Delaware City and going out every Saturday night. Comments "they are the old time democrats true to the union and they think everything that is not for the union is fools…" States they went fishing for "cessesion hering" with "mules tales in their mouths." Mentions that "the old gentleman" heard General Nathaniel Banks was chased into Maryland. Reports that General George B. McClellan took Richmond, Virginia; Corinth, Mississippi was evacuated; and Memphis, Tennessee…

GLC03523.43.01

29 December 1862

Detterline, Hiram, fl. 1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Writes to Reeser wishing him well. States they will be heading to Richmond, Virginia. Comments on the boys being in good health and ready to fight the Confederates. Mentions hearing General Ambrose E. Burnside being defeated along the Potomac. Remarks on being in the Union army for sixteen months and being sick half of the time and wanting to take his ranks in the 97th regiment. Describes spending Christmas target shooting, having a foot race, wheelbarrow match, jig dancing, and tying "nigros" hands behind their back and having them search for a coin with their mouth out of a cornmeal-…

GLC03523.43.05

21 July 1863

Edwards, Daniel, fl. 1863-1865

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Describes the camp being nice and seeing the Potomac River. Reports seeing plenty of rebels that "are hard looking fases some of them are very neare naked and as dirty as hogs…" Mentions being able to wash every week and having a "sporting horse he can run with any and in the crowd when the spirs comes down he has to get up and run." Comments on being hungry when soldiering and "could eat the pork raw." Describes marching for two days and nights in the mud. Inquires about who has been drafted from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Chester, Pennsylvania. Complains about the rebels taking all…

GLC03523.43.07

29 August 1863

Engberth, Jacob M., fl. 1863-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Comments on deserters being shot. Describes a deserter being led through camp behind his coffin, allowed to speak a few words, and "his leges wos tide up and kneeled becide his coffen and then thair wos twelve men shot at him…" Reports that two soldiers were shot from the same division, five were shot from 112th regiment, and three were shot from 12th Corps. Adds that five will be executed today in the army Corps. Mentions that the war will not last long once Charleston, South Carolina falls "it will strike tearer [sic] to the harts of all the Southren Soldier…" Mentions that General…

GLC03523.43.08

14 September 1864

Bow, Nathan, fl. 1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Writes to John Reeser from Company B. Describes being about ten miles from fighting and hearing the soldiers firing at each other all the time. Comments that the rebels are "firing at our pickits every nights." Describes taking a man prisoner while on picket and sending him to head quarters. Informs Reeser that he will send ten dollars to him. Inquires after a friend who was sent to Philadelphia; sends message to have his friend join him in Company B.

GLC03523.43.12

15 October 1864

Powell, Joseph, fl. 1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Comments on being ill today and not working. Writes that he is working for Construction Corpse Smith's Gang. Describes working at a carpenter business making $2.75 per day with boarding and good quarters. Mentions that they receive $5.00 when working all night, time and a half when working on a Sabbath, and after three months will receive free transportation home. Writes that they are putting up a stationary engine in the south part of town. Reports that the Confederate "Jonies" are about twenty miles from them, between them and Atlanta, Georgia. Comments that they expect the…

GLC03523.43.15

2 November 1864

Ubil, Frederick, fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Apologizes for not writing sooner, and for Si not writing. Mentions that Si is unhappy here because he doesn't have a girl yet but he is looking at two or three and will soon be all right. Writes that many of his friends have quit and moved away. Discusses a political meeting they had on Friday where the union spoke. Says that there is another meeting tomorrow and the Democrats will speak, or the "smut machine as the unnion speaker calls them." Writes that the election is on Tuesday and "after that the country is saved so the speakers said on both sides if they voted for there men."…

GLC03523.43.16

3 November 1864

Howe, Nathan, fl. 1864-1865

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Reeser

Discusses putting Lincoln in for four more years. Inquires if Reeser received his letter requesting gloves and if so for Reeser to send him the gloves along with ten dollars. Tells him that he is out of money and won't get paid for another month. Inquires after a female, saying that if she is a Copperhead that she need not write to him. Comments that he will fight until the rebels are locked out. Describes giving the rebels hell on the 24th on the old barracks battleground.

GLC03523.43.17

28 September 1863

Kessler, Samuel, fl. 1861-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary Kessler

Writes to his sister from camp. Describes the "great battle" [the Battle of Chickamauga] that is taking place. Notes his regiment has been in the battle since the beginning. Writes they fell back five miles and have been fortifying ever since. Notes that the rebels, who are commanded by General Braxton Bragg, have reinforced and now outnumber them three to one. Comments that the Confederates are in front of them and will try to push them into the Louisiana River but believe they are too well fortified for that to happen. Reports on the death toll and wounded soldiers.

GLC03523.52.14

26 September 1863

Kessler, Thomas J., fl. 1843-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Elizabeth N. Kessler

Writes to his sister from Camp Douglas. Reports 1500 Confederate prisoners have arrived in camp over the last two days. Discusses two men who were killed in camp. The first was a sharpshooter who shot himself. The other was a "negro boy" who was shot by a guard. Writes, "… He felt getting Rather careless He was going to His quarters and crossed the gard [sic] when the gard [sic] Halted him 3 times and He did not stop the 4th time shot him…" Thanks her for the stamps. Encourages her to go to school this winter. The letter has a watermark on the top left hand corner. Addressee name…

GLC03523.52.15

22 October 1863

Kessler, Thomas J., fl. 1843-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his friends

Writes to his friends from Camp Douglas. Informs them that he has been sick and confined to bed which has given him the opportunity to practice. Comments if he does not get well soon he will have to quit all exertions. Reports that they are short hospitals rooms for the rebel prisoners and they are dying off in great numbers. The letter has a watermark on the top left hand corner. Letter is addressed to his friends but envelope is addressed to his father, A. P. Kessler.

GLC03523.52.19

6 November 1863

Kessler, Thomas J., fl. 1843-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to A. P. Kessler

Writes to his father from Camp Douglas. Informs him not to send him boots. Reports two cases of smallpox in camp. Notes all soldiers are to be vaccinated. Comments if it spreads to the rebel prisoners it will take them clean. Reports one hospital has over 200 sick rebels and many die every day. The letter has a watermark on the top left hand corner.

GLC03523.52.21

12 December 1863

Kessler, Thomas J., fl. 1843-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to A. P. Kessler

Writes to his father from Camp Douglas. Informs him that he has been sick for a week with dysentery. Notes most of the camp has it. Discusses the President's message that allows prisoners to keep their property if they take an oath of allegiance. Comments that there have been nearly 200 prisoners from camp who have taken the allegiance and joined the United States Navy. Reports that he and a few other soldiers are still trying to get a discharge. Writes of Congress repealing the $300 bonus for joining the army. Believes that if Congress goes through with the repeal it will put the poor…

GLC03523.52.26

5 April 1864

Morgan, George, fl. 1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Libbie Kessler

Writes to his friend from Camp Blue Springs. Discusses the weather. Notes they will not be doing any hard marches before the fall of Richmond, Virginia. Writes, "the fall of Richmond which I judge will come to pass before long for Gen. grant is the man to take it if it can be taken." The letter has a watermark on the top left hand corner.

GLC03523.52.43

circa 1864

Kessler, Thomas J., fl. 1843-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to A. P. Kessler [incomplete]

Writes to his father. Discusses the farm and the prospects of his father buying a new farm. Comments he does not believe he will be fit enough to work on a farm or to do any hard work. Reports on a battle that took place a week ago. Notes they lost over 1000 men and the rebels lost ten men to their one as well as two of their generals. Part of the letter is missing. The letter has a watermark on the top left hand corner.

GLC03523.52.47

21 April 1864

Kessler, Thomas J., fl. 1843-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his friends

Writes to his friends from camp. Informs them he received marching orders for tomorrow. Relays a rumor that General Robert E. Lee may be heading towards Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and they may head there too. Notes he sent a trunk of clothes home so he would not have to haul them. Discusses that his band made an appeal to the Secretary of War. Comments he is very discouraged and wants an honorable discharge. The letter has a watermark on the top left hand corner. Letter is addressed to his friends but envelope is addressed to his father, A. P. Kessler.

GLC03523.52.50

circa June 1865

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875

Pamphlet

Title: [Amnesty Proclamation]

Full printing of the oath with several circular letters appended. [The proclamation states the terms on which the citizens of the Southern states could be restored to their civil rights; Johnson's terms were much more stringent than Lincoln's, excluding 14 classes of prominent Confederates from taking the oath.] Housed in folder with .01 and .02.

GLC09326.03

2 May 1862

Humphrey, Marshall, fl. 1806

Manuscript document signed

Title: to A.C. Moore

General orders to Col. A. C. Moore to recall all troops on furlough from the 29th Va. Volunteers: "Events render it imperative that there shall be no delay in executing this order. The country demands the energies of all its soldiers, and the General relies upon them to fulfill their whole duty at any sacrifice." The previous December, Marshall had threatened to arrest and court-martial Moore because he did not bring his troops to the defense of Abington quickly enough to suit the general.

GLC09368

February 21, 1865

Owen, John, fl. 1865

Autograph letter signed

Title: to James

Captain of 36th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops, mentions the locations of fellow Harvard alums, including "[Robert Todd] Lincoln in the army," and the health of those released from POW camps. He announces the news that "at this moment [received from] the Orderly…'By telegraph…a despatch from Admiral Dahlgren that Charleston is evacuated & that he is running up to take possession - you will fire a…salute…for the Capture of Charleston & Columbia, U.S. Grant.…' Hurra for Dahlgren & Sherman - The fall of Ch. & Columbia ­ Yea! verily the end approaches & one last fight more…

GLC09371

15 June 1865

Fendall, Philip Richard II, 1794-1868

Autograph letter

Title: to James R.Y. Fendall

Encourages his son to come home to rest and discuss plans for the future, rather than stay in Mississippi, which will take some time to recover economically after the end of the war.

GLC03135.11.02

26 June 1865

Fendall, Philip Richard II, 1794-1868

Autograph letter

Title: to James R.Y. Fendall

Reiterates his desire for his son to return to Washington, D.C., and promises to consider his son's suggestions regarding employment. Also provides information on property belonging to James's aunt.

GLC03135.11.03

26 June 1865

Fendall, Philip Richard II, 1794-1868

Autograph letter

Title: to James R.Y. Fendall

In an addendum to his earlier letter of the same date (see GLC03135.11.03). Discusses a packet of letters he is trying to send to various political figures in Mississippi, including Governor William L. Sharkey.

GLC03135.11.04

25 July 1865

Fendall, Philip Richard II, 1794-1868

Autograph letter

Title: to James R.Y. Fendall

Discusses the possibility of James taking an appointment with the Post Office in New Orleans, but mentions that he would have to take an oath of allegiance to the United States, as recently mandated by Congress. Also mentions the provisional Governorship of William L. Sharkey in Mississippi.

GLC03135.11.06