Tag Archives: Union soldiers

6 October 1863: “Becky & Eliza were faithful and the Yankees called Becky “Secesh” because she told them she was not willing to leave her master.”

Item description: Entry, dated 6 October 1863, from the diary of Samuel A. Agnew.  He describes his escape of Union troops plundering his home and their attempts to free his family’s slaves. He also notes the cavalry’s “sweet tooth,” stating … 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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27 April 1863: Drawing of the U.S.S. Steamer Allison, by Herbert E. Valentine

Item description: Drawing, dated 27 April 1863, of the U.S.S. Monitor, drawn by Herbert E. Valentine, a private in Company F of the 23rd Massachusetts Volunteers, who served in the United States Army between 1861 and 1864 in eastern Virginia, North … Continue reading

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26 April 1863: “…we are in the best quarters we have had since leaving Boston, so we ought not to grumble.”

Item description: Diary entry, dated 26 April 1863, by John J. Wythe, who served in Co. E of the 44th Massachusetts Volunteers. He describes his accommodations (a house on Broad Street) in New Bern, North Carolina, during the Union Army’s … Continue reading

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23 April 1863: “…yesterday I went down to the river and ketched some fish and I fride them for breakfast so I had good breakfast…”

Item Description: Letter, dated 23 April 1863, from Eldridge B. Platt to his sister Adelah E. Platt. More about Eldridge B. Platt: Eldridge B. Platt (b. 1847) enlisted as a drummer in the 2nd Connecticut Light Battery on 12 August 1862. By … Continue reading

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6 April 1863: “I do not think it would be agreeable to military etiquette to call on a Col’s. wife and therefore, though I much desire her acquaintance, I think I must defer the pleasure until freed from my uniform.”

Item Description: Letter, 6 April 1863, from a Union solder named Carl, written in camp, New Bern, N.C., discussing the Confederate blockade of the river and the Union occupation of the town. The letter also mentions the free time the soldier had … Continue reading

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17 December 1862: “MAP of The Route Marched by the Foster Expedition Dec, 1862”

Item description: Newton Wallace, Company I, 27th Massachusetts Infantry, drew this map of the route the Foster expedition took through eastern North Carolina, moving from New Bern to Goldsboro in December 1862. It includes towns, railroads, roads, water features, and … Continue reading

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16 November 1862: “I was greatly disappointed in the appearance of the city, it is the most dilapidated looking place…”

Item description: Charles M. Alley was a private in the 44th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment of the United States Army during the Civil War. After the war, he participated in a number of business ventures in Boston, Mass., and Hartford, Conn. … Continue reading

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13 October 1862: Drawing of the U.S.S. Steamer Allison, by Herbert E. Valentine

Item description: Drawing, dated 13 October 1862, of Steamer Allison, drawn by Herbert E. Valentine, a private in Company F of the 23rd Massachusetts Volunteers, who served in the United States Army between 1861 and 1864 in eastern Virginia, North … Continue reading

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27 September 1862: “…have got to go back again as there is a mistake in papers…”

Item description: Newton Wallace, Company I, 27th Massachusetts Infantry, noted in his diary entry for 26 September that he “started on board the Eagle for Newberne [North Carolina] with Discharge Papers,” but his entry for 27 September states that there … Continue reading

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