Additional information may be found at http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/wm/viw00070.frame
William Tell Cobb (1840-1913) served in the Union Army during the Civil War, as a private in the 20th Pennsylvania Infantry, an orderly sergeant in Company F, 5th Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers from 1861- 1862, and as a private in Company B, 2nd U.S. Cavalry from 1862-1864. He also served in the U.S. Navy as an ordinary seaman on the ships Allegheny, Daylight, Shenandoah, and Princeton from 1864-1865.
Edwin Cobb (b. 1838), younger brother of William Tell Cobb, served in the U.S. Navy as well, as a 1st Lieutenant on the ship C. W. Holmes in 1862.
Acc. No. 1993.45A; Purchased: 188 items, 7/01/1993. (Same as 98 C63).
Processed by Kathy Feeney in 1998.
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William Tell Cobb Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
This collection is organized into three series. Series 1 contains letters and typescripts; Series 2 contains miscellaneous material; and Series 3 contains transcripts. Theis collection is arranged into series by item description and then by chronologically by date.
Letters of William Tell Cobb (1840-1913), of Mauricetown, New Jersey, and his brother, Edwin Cobb (b. 1838), also of Mauricetown, New Jersey. William Cobb participated in the battles of Fair Oaks and 2nd Manassas while in the Army, and the battle of Fort Fisher while in the Navy; he describes these battles in his letters. Edwin Cobb provides an eyewitness account of the battle between the "Monitor" and the "Merrimac". Other topics dealt with in the letters are camp conditions and everyday life in the Army and Navy, interaction between Union and Confederate soldiers, and the financial difficulties faced by William Tell Cobb and his family during the war. The collection also includes a photo of William Tell Cobb, his copy of "The Soldier's Guide" and a collection of typescripts of the letters
Mostly from William Tell Cobb, a soldier in the Union Army, to his father, Samuel Cobb of Mauncetown, New Jersey. Letters describe Union camp conditions and skirmishes with Confederate troops in Virginia and West Virginia. There are 12 letters included, each with typescripts.
Mostly from William Tell Cobb, in camps in Northern Virginia and the Peninsula, to his father, Samuel Cobb, of Mauricetown, New Jersey. Letters describe camp conditions, the battles of Four Oaks and 2nd Manassas, the death of William's wife, and William's attempts to get promoted or transferred to another regiment. Included in the letters is a drawing done by William of the position of artillery at Harrison's Landing, Virginia. Also included is a letter from William's brother Edwin Cobb to his father, giving an account of the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac. There are 26 letters included, each with typescripts.
Mainly from William Tell Cobb, in camps in Virginia and Maryland, to his father, Samuel Cobb, of Mauricetown, New Jersey, at the Headquarters of the Army of the Potomac, fighting at Fredericksburg and Aldie, Virginia, and the lateness of wages. There are 10 letters included, each with typescripts.
Mostly from William Tell Cobb, in camp near Mitchell's Station, Virginia and on board Union Navy vessels in the Atlantic to his father, Samuel Cobb, of Mauricetown, New Jersey. Letters describe interaction between Confederate and Union troops along picket lines, life in the Navy, the Cobb family's financial problems, the battles of Fort Fisher (North Carolina), and conditions in Charleston, South Carolina after the city was captured by Union forces. There are 15 letters included, each with typescripts.
The folder contains miscellaneous items as well as an envelope, a soldier's manual, a photograph, and negatives.
Typescripts of letters written by William Tell Cobb and his brother, Edwin Cobb, during the Civil War. Includes copy of transcripts on computer disk and information about a photo of William Tell Cobb.