Civil War Union Soldier's Letters

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The collection is open to research.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Civil War Union Soldier's Letters, Ms1988-081, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.1 Cubic Feet 1 folder
Abstract:
Four letters from a Union soldier identified only as "Isaac," written to his parents from various points in Virginia, during the American Civil War.
Language:
The materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Civil War Union Soldier's Letters, Ms1988-081, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains four letters, dated 1862-1863, from a Union soldier identified only as "Isaac," written to his parents. In the first letter, dated from Fairfax Court House on October 30, 1862, Isaac writes of gathering chestnuts and selling them, looking forward to gathering persimmons after the frost, and of his other activities in camp. His second letter, written from Dumfries, Virginia, on January 4, 1863, likewise focuses on personal matters and camp activities. In an undated letter, apparently written soon after the Battle of Chancellorsville, Isaac disputes reports of the roles played by the XI and XII Corps in the recent battle. (From his defense of the XI Corps, and particularly the artillery, we might infer that Isaac was a member of an artillery battery within the XI Corps.) He also writes of Confederate soldiers crossing to the Union lines under a flag of truce after the battle to request medical supplies for Union soldiers that had been taken prisoner. In a final, undated letter written from Brook Station, Isaac again provides some camp description and notes that the local farmers are beginning to plant, but the prospects of a good crop are not bright.

Acquisition information:
The Union Civil War Union Solder's Letters were purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1988.
Processing information:

The processing and description of the Civil War Union Soldier's Letters commenced and was completed in April, 2021.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard