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Searchable Civil War Letters: Browsable ListThe links on this list will take you to the full text of the letter. If an author has more than one letter, the link will take you first to an index of that author's letters. To search the entire collection of letters by keyword, author, or subject, go to the search page.
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These two letters to sisters Sallie and Lizzie offer a Union soldier's views on camp life and on the conduct of Union officers.
In this letter dated August 15, 1864, Alexander tells a Mr. Laughlin about his commission to muster a new regiment and makes a reference to Lincoln's replacement in the presidency.
This collection contains letters written to Henry A. Bitner by six men who each describe the participation of Franklin Countians in the war. Alex Cressler writes from Chambersburg in the months immediately following secession and talks about the gathering of troops in and around that city. Thad Donely and William Martin report on the activities of the 130th Pennsylvania in Virginia in 1862-1863, and David Daihl and David Shoemaker's letters from Tennessee describe the positions of the 77th Pennsylvania and 11th Ohio respectively. William Kindig likewise writes about the 170th Pennsylvania and describes in detail its participation in battles around Culpeper and Manassas, Virginia, in 1862. All six writers and Henry Bitner had been neighbors in Shippensburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, before the war. More information about these men can be found in the detailed biographies compiled by the Electronic Text Center at the University of Virginia.
In this letter dated June 28, 1863, Blackford, a Confederate soldier from Virginia, tells his father, William M. Blackford, about his company's march from Berryville, Virginia, to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He tells of seeing Pickett's Division, Generals Lee and Longstreet, and of passing through Hagerstown on the way to Pennsylvania. He also describes the Confederate soldiers' treatment of Chambersburg residents.
In these three letters to his sister, Josiah Bloss provides a Union soldier's perspective on the final months and defeat of the Confederacy. Bloss was a member of the 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry.
Peter Boyer was a private in Company C, 117th Pennsylvania, a regiment which included several other companies that were from Franklin County. In February 1863, Boyer's company was assigned to escort General George Meade's Fifth Corp of the Army of the Potomac. Boyer became frustrated with the mundane duties that this assignment entailed, and he writes about his feelings in these letters to his father (also named Peter Boyer) and his brothers John D. Boyer, Cyrus Boyer, and Daniel Boyer. He also writes about the 117th's engagements in northern Virginia, including battles at Cold Harbor and Petersburg.
Simon Cameron was the United States Secretary of War during the first year of war. This collection contains letters written by Franklin County men regarding a variety of issues, from requests for Cameron's influence in obtaining government positions to offers of support for Cameron's Senate candidacy in 1862. Correspondents include: Eliab Negly, J.S. Myers, William S. Garvin, H.C. Fortescue, W.H. Etter, J.A.S. Cramer, and W. Maxwell.
Jeremiah T. Cooper was a private in the 77th Pennsylvania, having enlisted in 1861 when he was 21 years old. In this letter dated June 6, [1862?], he writes to Lt. George D. Schott about his injuries and about the possible deaths of other soldiers in a recent battle.
David Andrew Demus was a farm laborer in Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, when he enlisted in Company K, 54th Massachusetts, on May 6, 1863. His letters to his wife, Mary Jane (Christy) Demus, whom he married in 1860, detail his military service from the time of his enlistment to his discharge for medical reasons in June 1865. Demus' letters offer valuable insight into the 54th Mass.'s charge on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, where he was wounded in the head in the summer of 1863, the unequal pay of black soldiers, and the daily life of a soldier serving in South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. Other letters in this extensive collection were written by Mary Jane Demus, who remained in Mercersburg and worked for a neighbor, and her brothers, Jacob, John, Joseph, Samuel, and William, several of whom served alongside Demus in the 54th Massachusetts. Together these letters offer a rare view of the life of a free African-American family during the Civil War.
This letter from Nathaniel Dunn to his brother, dated May 4, 1862, describes the advancement of Union troops toward Richmond and suggests that the end of the war is near.
Henry Erisman was a 26-year-old shoemaker when he enlisted in the 77th Pennsylvania in 1861. He served as a sergeant in this regiment, and these three letters offer his view of the 77th's encounters--both conversations and skirmishes--with Confederate soldiers around Nashville in 1862.
This Union soldier's letters to his sister, Eveline Hamer, deal with such topics as his health, his longing to see women again, and his views on slavery.
This August 4, 1863, letter to Hougham from a family member describes Union troop movement from Philadelphia to Reading, Pennsylvania.
This Union soldier's four letters to his mother report on his regiment's activities in Virginia.
E. and Fannie Hunt write to their relatives about the health of family back home and about their strong feelings concerning the defeat of the Confederate army.
Samuel Maxwell enlisted as a private in the 126th Pennsylvania in 1862. At that time he was 21 years old. He later was transferred to the 21st Pennsylvania Cavalry, and this letter to his aunt, Annie Ruby, and cousin, dated October 1, 1863, describes his life since joining the Union Army.
Sylvester McElheney was a private in the 208th Pennsylvania and served from September 1864 through April 1865. His letters to his wife, Harriet, during this time reveal their struggle to maintain close ties while he was away in Virginia. His writings also provide a Union soldier's perspective on Virginia society and on the burning of Virginia homes in retaliation for the burning of Chambersburg. Two letters from Jacob Shearer and Frances Pleasants inform Harriet McElheney of her husband's wounding and eventual death in the service.
Metzger's three letters to his father contain complaints about the treatment of privates in his Pennsylvania regiment.
These letters are addressed to George Miller of York County, Pennsylvania, from his friends and family. Although the authors were not from Franklin County, they fought with and lived side by side Franklin County men in their regiments. The collection consists largely of the letters of John J. Miller, a private in the 67th Pennsylvania Volunteers (also known as the Keystone Zouaves). His letters to George repeatedly discuss camp life on the Sea Islands in South Carolina and in Georgia. Other correspondents in this collection include brother Jacob Miller and friends Joseph Helker, Daniel Helker, and Sam Pile.
Lucius Mox was a baker during the war and served in several different units, including the 101st Pennsylvania and the 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry. The letters collected here are to his sweetheart, Jennie. He tells many stories of camp life and writes repeatedly about how much he misses Jennie and the rest of his friends and family at home.
M. T. Norman served in the 37th Virginia Cavalry. He did not live in Augusta County, Virginia, but did write from Staunton on a subject related to Franklin County, Pennsylvania. In this letter, he writes to his wife of his battalion's movements in the valley and includes an account of the burning of Chambersburg.
Samuel North was an 18-year-old tanner when he enlisted in the Union army. His letters to his father and brother provide very detailed descriptions of many aspects of his military service, from marching to building bridges. He also describes a number of encounters with Confederate troops in Virginia, including the battle of Chancellorsville.
This collection contains letters written to the Pennsylvania Daily Telegraph newspaper by Pennsylvania soldiers, including William Tell Barnitz, A. H. Baum, and Samuel Reinhart. These authors were not necessarily residents of Franklin County, but they served in various regiments with Franklin County men and comment on the activities of those regiments. Some of the letters also discuss Chambersburg, and one notes conversations with Chambersburg's merchants about the city's burning by Confederate troops.
This extensive collection contains the letters of Union soldier Samuel Potter to his wife, Cynthia Potter. Potter describes his work in the hospital department of the 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry and tells about his encounters with Confederate troops in Virginia. He also frequently comments on the likelihood that he will receive a furlough and return home. His letters often read like love letters and express a continual longing to see Cynthia again. The last letter in this collection is from J. R. Loyd, informing Cynthia of Samuel's death in the service.
In this letter of April 15, 1865, Charles Smith asks his commanding officer for leave to visit his family back in Chambersburg. This letter is of particular interest because Smith was a native of Augusta County, Virginia, who left there at the beginning of the war because of his Union sentiments. He describes his departure from Augusta County in an attempt to obtain special consideration in his request for leave.
Thaddeus Stevens was born in Vermont in 1792 but spent most of his life in Pennsylvania. He purchased land in Franklin County, and before the war was elected to Congress. He became known for his abolitionist views and for his outspoken refusal to end the war without ending slavery. This collection contains letters regarding various wartime concerns written to Stevens by Franklin County men. Correspondents include William E. Camp, Jr., John R. Agnew, William McLellan, W. Maxwell, W.H. McDowell, James Nill, W. Hammett, Alexander McClure, and C.S. Eyster.
Bob Taggart's letters to his family offer a Union soldier's view of the battles of South Mountain and Bull Run. Taggart was a member of the 9th Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry, and he writes about his regiment's attempts to move toward Richmond. His letters include commentary on life in various army camps along the way. Correspondents in this collection include brothers John Taggart and Sam Taggart, and sisters Mary and Tilly.
William Smith Hanger Baylor was born in Augusta County on April 7, 1831. He graduated from Washington College and also studied at the University of Virginia before becoming the Commonwealth Attorney for Staunton. Before the war he served as the Captain of the West Augusta Guard, a division of the 160th Regiment Virginia Militia, and then later joined the 5th Virginia Infantry. In April 1862 he was made commander of the Stonewall Brigade. His three letters to his wife, Mary Baylor, tell about his relationship to his fellow officers and about his feelings after being named a colonel.
This collection contains letters written by the four Brooks brothers of Waynesboro, Virginia. Charles, William, Andrew, and Moffett Brooks all served in the Liberty Hall Volunteers, a company that consisted primarily of students from Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. The Liberty Hall Volunteers was incorporated into the 4th Virginia, a regiment of the Stonewall Brigade. Their letters home to their mother, Eleanor Stuart Brooks, to their father, James Brooks, and to their sister, Mary Susan Brooks, describe their participation in battles throughout Virginia, and letters to the family from soldiers James White and Schyler Trible report on the casualties suffered by the brothers. More information about the Brooks family can be found in detailed biographies complied by the Electronic Text Center at the University of Virginia.
Byars' three letters to his sister include vivid descriptions of battles in Virginia, including a report on the death toll after ten days of battle around Richmond in 1864.
In this letter dated February 6, 1865, Chacky writes to his brother, Ed Chacky, about fooling a provost guard into letting him on a train to Fishersville. Chacky was a member of Wharton's Division of the Valley Army of Virginia.
This collection contains letters written by two brothers from Augusta County. Benjamin Franklin Cochran was a private in the 1st Virginia Cavalry, and he writes about the defense of Virginia in 1861. His brother, John H. Cochran, enlisted as a private in the 46th Virginia in 1861. Before he did so, he wrote this eloquent series of letters to his mother about the Virginia secession debate. Cochran shares his pro-secession views and describes the division of Virginians over the issue. This collection also includes one letter from the Cochrans' cousin, A.G. Guskins, who writes from South Carolina about the secession crisis.
Henry H. Dedrick was a private in the 52nd Virginia Infantry during the war. Dedrick was a farmer in Rockingham County before the war and Augusta County after the war. This collection mostly consists of letters from Henry Dedrick to his wife, Mary E. A. "Lissa" Dedrick. He wrote about camp life including, the scarcity of rations, the prevalence of illness, and the boredom of guard duty. Through these letters, Dedrick kept abreast of happenings at home and advised his wife in financial and familial matters.
William B. Gallaher enlisted in May 1861 in the 1st Virginia Cavalry. He served for only a few months before he resigned for ill health in August 1861. This collection mostly includes letters from Gallaher to his mother, father, and brothers during his months with the cavalry. He describes camp life, encounters with the enemy, and the casualties of war.
This collection contains letters written by various members of the Garber Family of Augusta County. Thomas Garber's letters to his father, Albert Garber, and sister, Addie Garber, dominate the collection, and in them he describes his life in camp as a member of the 12th Virginia Cavalry and tells about that regiment's actions in and out of the Valley. Together with other letters written by brother Michael Garber, and cousins Asher Harman, Lewis Harman, and M.G. Harman, the Garber letters offer insight into the ordeal of a southern family in wartime.
Michael G. Harman owned and operated a stage line and hotel in Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia. During the war, he served in the 52nd Virginia Infantry, eventually attaining the rank of colonel. This collection of letters documents his operations as commanding officer in Staunton during the latter months of 1861.
Before the war, Jedediah Hotchkiss taught school at Stribling Springs and Loch Willow Academy in Augusta County, Virginia. During the war, Hotchkiss drew maps for Stonewall Jackson. This collection consists mostly of letters from Hotchkiss to his wife, Sara, concerning military life and family affairs. Additional letters from 1865 will be included in this collection at a later date.
In this letter dated November 22, 1863, Hull writes to a friend about his desire to leave Winchester. He also mentions a furlough he received on account of his typhoid fever, and talks about how hard it has been for the Confederacy to succeed militarily. Hull was a member of the 4th Virginia.
A.W. Kersh was born on November 16, 1828, in Wise Hollow, near Centerville, Augusta County, Virginia. He made his living as a cabinet and furniture maker, working out of a woodworking shop on the farm he shared in Augusta County with his brother, George P. Kersh. At the age of 33, after failing to find a paid substitute to serve for him, Kersh enlisted in Company F, 52nd Virginia, on July 31, 1861. Kersh served in this regiment until the end of the war, except for a five-month period in 1864 when he escaped from service and hid at home in an attic. In his letters to his brother, Kersh portrays himself as a dutiful soldier and complains very little about his service. Other correspondents in this collection include Kersh's niece, Josephine, and soldiers Silas Jones and R.F. Misner.
Jacob Kent Langhorne's letters trace his evolution from a student at the Virginia Military Institute at the beginning of the war to a soldier in the Wise Cavalry Troop by the end. His letters home to his family describe his activities throughout, and in them he includes commentary on his safety and on various family matters. Recipients of his letters include his mother and father, John Archer Langhorne and Margaret Kent Langhorne, his sister, Lizzie A. Langhorne, his aunt, Nannie E. Kent, and his brother, James Henry Langhorne.
This collection contains letters written by two cousins, James Robert McCutchan and James Buchanan McCutchan. The first was born in Augusta County, Virginia, on February 1, 1841. He enlisted in Company D, 5th Virginia on April 17, 1861, and after a year enlisted in the 14th Virginia Cavalry. His cousin, James B. McCutchan, enlisted with him in Company D, 5th Virginia. James B. was wounded in the head at Chancellorsville, but returned to service and later was captured by Union soldiers and sent to Union prisons. Both cousins survived the war. Their letters to their relatives at home tell about their wartime activities and express a frequent longing to return home again.
These letters offer a Confederate cavalryman's view of the battle at Fredericksburg in 1862.
In this letter dated February 17, 1863, Lieutenant Colonel Skinner of the 62nd Virginia writes to the citizens of Staunton thanking them for their support and asking them for more supplies.
In this letter dated March 17, 1863, Snider, a member of the 14th Virginia Cavalry, writes to his sister, Kittie Snider, about bad weather and the high food prices in camp.
The Wilson letters were written by Joseph Alfred Wilson and Peter Eidson Wilson to Henry H. Hamilton, a 30-year-old Augusta County farmer. Both Wilsons--who were not brothers but may have been cousins--were natives of Augusta County and both enlisted in Virginia regiments in April 1861. Joseph served in the 14th Virginia Cavalry and was promoted to captain by 1863. In August 1864 he lost his arm during a charge against Federal forces in Moorefield, West Virginia, and never returned to the service. Peter Wilson served in the 5th Va. and was also promoted to captain. After being wounded twice in 1864, he was assigned to find "absentees" in Augusta County. Both Wilsons' letters tell about their service in their respective regiments.
John Wise was born in Augusta County, Virginia, to a farming family. Both his father, Michael Wise, and his grandfather, John Wise, lived in Augusta, though they later moved. He settled in Highland County before the war. During the war, he served in the 11th Virginia Cavalry, from his enlistment in March 1862 until his death from wounds in April 1865. In this collection of letters, Wise details camp life and battles in the early years of the war. The Trotters, the recepients of several of these letters, were related to Wise and lived in Augusta County.
Last updated August 8, 2001
