Collection is open for research.
Permission to publish material from Charles N. Hawkins Correspondence, 1863-1864 must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Charles N. Hawkins Correspondence, 1863-1864, Ms2012-026, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.
The collection was purchased by Special Collections in February 2012.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Charles N. Hawkins was completed in June 2012.
The Virginia Regimental Histories Series suggests that:
Charles N. Hawkins was born c. 1845 in Craig County, Virginia, and that his middle name is probably Nelson. Hawkins enlisted in Company D of the 22nd Virginia Infantry as a private on March 19, 1863 at Lewisburg, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, and by September 19, 1864 Hawkins was captured in Winchester, Virginia. On September 24, 1864, Hawkins was recorded as a Prisoner of War at Point Lookout, Maryland, but was released in an exchange on March 15, 1865.
George W. Rock was a resident of Craig County, Virginia, enlisting in Company C of the 22nd Virginia Infantry as a private on May 1, 1862 at White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County, West Virginia.
The collection consists of three letters written by Pvt. Charles N. Hawkins and Pvt. George Rock to Hawkins's cousin, Dollie L. Eakin, between August 1863 and April 1864. In the first letter, dated August 1, 1863, Hawkins describes the movements of his regiment and camp life in West Virginia near Packs Ferry and the Mouth of Indian Creek. The second letter, dated April 4, 1864, includes a reflection on Hawkins's most recent visit home, family news, and a description of life at Camp Gauley, West Virginia. In the third letter, dated April 21, 1864, Hawkins discusses news from home and his recent illness, then has Rock describe camp life and Hawkins's illness.
For more information about Charles N. Hawkins, see the George W. Rock Correspondence, 1863-1865, Ms2012-027.