Tag Archives: Vicksburg

15 March 1864: “I should have received “more’n a hundred bushels” of letters from the young ladies”

Item Description: Letter, 15th March 1864, from Edward W. Allen to his parents, James and Emily Allen. Edward W. Allen of Eau Claire, Wis., was a sergeant and then second lieutenant in Company H of the 16th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers, during … Continue reading

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25 February 1864: “… they are used for paving stones & are calculated generally to last ‘3 years or during the war'”

 Item description: Letter, dated 25 February 1864, from Edward W. Allen to his parents.  In this letter, Allen describes activities at Camp Randall, Wisconsin, including a description of hardtack, friends in the Hospital, and sending photographs to friends and family. … Continue reading

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25 December 1863: “the Boys have good time to day as it is Christmas I can not enjoy it myself…”

Item description: Letter, dated 25 December 1863, from Dexter S. Cowles to his “Dear Brother,” describing fighting conditions and weather near Vicksburg, Miss. He also discusses his difficulty communicating with family members, and notes the presence of African American regiments … Continue reading

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24 October 1863: “…the undersigned hereby assumes Command of the Department and Army of the Tennessee.””

Item Description: General Orders, dated 24 October 1863, signed by Major General William T. Sherman and written to Major General James McPherson.  In this order, Sherman assumes command of the Department and Army of the Tennessee and names R. M. … Continue reading

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21 August 1863: “The people were expecting the Yankees any moment when I left Selma and were actually drilling and working on the fortifications until midnight.”

Item Description: Letter dated August 21, 1863 from Elodie Todd Dawson to her husband, Nathaniel Henry Rhodes Dawson. Mr. Dawson served in the Alabama legislature from 1863-1865, and had formerly served in the 4th Alabama Infrantry Regiment. Elodie’s sister, Mary Todd, … Continue reading

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30 July 1863: “When north and south have been sufficiently humbled God will turn away his wrath from us.”

Item Description: A 30 July 1863 letter relates family casualties at Gettysburg (one member dead and another severely wounded) from M.J. Blackwell to his sister-in-law, Margaret Blackwell. [Item transcription below image] Item Citation: From Folder 1 of the Margaret E. Blackwell Papers … Continue reading

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2 July 1863: “My dear son, you are passing through one of the severest ordeals that the world has ever known. “

 Item Description: Letter, 2 July 1863, from Willam H. Thomson to his son Ruffin. Ruffin Thomson was the oldest child and only son of William and Hannah Lavinia Thomson. He studied at the University of Mississippi and the University of North … Continue reading

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5 June 1863: “I think that if I was a lawyer I would argue that extortioners are beyond the law, not entitled to its protections, and every one has a right to help himself from their possessions.”

Item description: Letter, 5 June 1863, from Lafayette McLaws to his brother William Raymond McLaws (1819-1880). Item citation: From folder 7 in the Lafayette McLaws Papers, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Item transcription: Raccoon Ford on … Continue reading

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3 June 1863: “Jo took deliberate aim and there was one rebel less to contend against.”

Item description: This letter, dated 3 June 1863, was written by A.J. Withrow to his wife in Iowa. Withrow is a part of the tightening Union ring around Vicksburg, Mississippi, and he describes the pressure being applied to the Confederate … Continue reading

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19 May 1863: ” . . . we begin to breathe more freely and to cast our eyes towards the Southwest with less misgivings than we had last week.”

Item: Editorial, The Daily Journal (Wilmington, N. C.), 19 May 1863, page 2, column 1. Transcription: Now that we know that General JOHNSTON has got down to the vicinity of Jackson and Vicksburg and taken the management of things in … Continue reading

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