Tag Archives: Gettysburg

26 November 1863: “I know of no more fitting resting place for a brave soldier than the battle field in which he has laid down his life in the defense of the rights of his Country”

Item description: letter, 26 November 1863, from Robert E. Lee to R.H. Graves in which he regretfully acknowledges the loss of Captain H. A. Gordan at Gettysburg and the impossibility of recovering his body. He concludes that the battlefield is … Continue reading

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24 August 1863: “You are my best earthly gift.”

Item description: Letter, dated 24 August 1863, from Benjamin Franklin Little to his wife, Mary Jane Reid Little.  He describes his recovery from an amputation in a Union hospital in Gettysburg. [transcription available below image] Item citation: From folder 6 … Continue reading

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17 August 1863: “I can’t learn any thing about the chance of my getting home soon, but think we had better not build our hopes that way for the present.”

Item Description: Letter dated 17 August, 1863 from Benjamin F. Little (Frank) to his wife, Mary, from Gettysburg General Hospital in PA. Little had earlier lost his arm (see July 9). Little gives detailed instructions regarding mail between the U.S.A and … Continue reading

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10 August 1863: “…send it via ‘Flag of Truce.'”

Item description: Letter dated 10 August 1863, from Benjamin Franklin Little to his wife, Mary Jane Reid, written from the General Hospital in Gettysburg.  Little describes himself as being in “captivity” and recovering from a wound to the arm, and … Continue reading

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22 July 1863: “The life, career, and death of young Burgwyn, convey a lesson to the youth of this Confederacy…”

Item Description: Obituary of Col. Henry K. Burgwyn, 22 July 1863, published in a Raleigh newspaper.  The obituary uses quotes from letters by Stonewall Jackson and D. H. Hill to describe Burgwyn’s character and concludes with extracts from letters written by … Continue reading

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9 July 1863: “It is said to have been certainly the most terrific fight of the war.”

Item description: Letter, 9 July 1863, from Benjamin Franklin Little, a Confederate officer from Richmond County, NC, to his wife Mary Reid “Flax” Little. Little relates the amputation of his arm, the conditions of the hospital, and worries over the well-being … Continue reading

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3 July 1863: “we are repulsed with great slaughter”

Item description: Diary of William D. Alexander, Company C, 37th North Carolina, containing an entry made on the field during Pickett’s Charge at the battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. [Item transcription available below images.] Item citation: From the William D. … Continue reading

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16 May 1861: Meshack F. Hunt of Rowan County, N.C., enlists in Company E, Fifth N.C. Infantry Regiment

Item description: Ambrotype (circa 1860) of Meshack F. Hunt. Meshack F. Hunt was born in Rowan County, N.C. about 1840. He enlisted in Company E, Fifth N.C. Infantry Regiment on May 16, 1861 at Salisbury. He was promoted to first … Continue reading

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