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Camp near Paw Paw Tunnel [near Oldtown, Maryland]. Reports "North Branch Bridge in Maryland was burnt last night. ...John has the mumps; there is a great many sick in Cumberland [MD] and a great many that has the mumps."

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at Grafton,WM, to Mother. "Had fine time in Boothsville [WV]; took 70 prisoners and swore them all but two and then we sent them to Columbus Ohio and shot one man the ring leader in that country; there was five rebels there to one union man....Colonel talks of taking us in Preston County [WV] on a scout and if he does maybe we will come through that part of the county and in Tucker County [WV] also to hunt out the rebels."

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from Romney Headquarters, Hampshire County VA [today part of  WV]. To Father, "...met preacher from home, discuss who of their acquaintances were Union or Secess...I get 20 dollars a month...working in hospital...General Banks took Winchester last night; the government has called out 500,000 men for two months; I don't think the rebels is going to hold out very long now."

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Cumberland, Maryland to Father, "…I came to Cumberland [Maryland] yesterday evening to the hospital; I have got the mumps and the doctor said I best come to Cumberland as our force are expecting to leave Paw Paw Tunnel [Maryland]."

Scope and Contents from Harrison's Landing, Virginia to Mother and Father..."came to Fortress Monroe [Virginia] and from there we came up James River to Harrison's Landing [Virginia]; got off and came 5 miles toward Richmond [Virginia].  You need not be wear about me diserting but there is one thing I am afraid the salve question has too much to do with the cause but when ever they want us Union soldiers to free the negroes we will just quietly lay down our arms and give up the ghost.  I hear cussing and...

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Harrison's Landing, Virginia, "...and iu know we came out to fight for the Union not to free the negroes...we have fine encampment and tolerable good water for this country and we got plenty to eat."

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Harewood Hospital, Washington, D.C. To Father and Mother, "…my health is not so good; I hear this morning that our regiment was in the big fight in Maryland; I am about 4 miles from the city [Washington DC]."

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Harewood Hospital, Washington, D.C. To Father and Mother.  "My health is improving rite smart; everything is quiet here about Washington except there is a great deal of growling about the President's Proclamation in regard to freeing all slaves after the first of January."

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"I heard from the regiment yesterday they are still at Falmouth opposite Fredericksburg [Virginia]"

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Camp near Falmouth. To Father and Mother.  Speaks of friends and family. Will send pay home

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envelope addressed to F. Baylis 3513 E. Lombard St

Content Description From the Collection:

The Gamaliel Lyman Dwight and Sarah Helen Whitman Papers contain three letters written by Gamaliel Lyman Dwight to Sarah Helen Whitman during the Civil War (1861-1865). In his first letter to Whitman, Dwight mentions a man who knew Edgar Allen Poe, a former romantic interest of Whitman. The remainder of the correspondence includes Dwight's impressions of Camp Winfield Scott, a tent encampment near Yorktown that served as the headquarters of Union General George B. McClellan.

Scope and Contents Two letters from Richard Parker of Harper's Ferry to John W. Luke of Snickersville, Virginia. In the first letter, dated April 17, 1845, Richard Parker writes that he was sorry that Betsy, the woman he enslaved, was a trouble to Luke. Parker wrote that he did not have a place to board Betsy during her confinement. In the second letter, written December 29, 1846, Parker wrote to Luke requesting that he hire out a number of enslaved persons he owned including a man named Webb & his wife,...

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Undated postcard which features the campus of William and Mary. The wren building is in the center along with partial views of the President's house and the Brafferton. The statue of Lord Botetourt is also visible. Behind the campus buildings are three buildings of unknown origin. It is possible they were drawn in to the picture for aesthetic purposes.

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A letter, written by Gideon Koiner , that details the author's opinons on the Democratic candidates leading up to the election of 1860. Koiner's letter to his brother speaks of his support of the southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge against the northern Democrat Stephen A. Douglas and the political climate of the country. Koiner also mentions his fears over the dissolution of the Union.

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The note, written in 1843 by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney and signed by President John Tyler, records the president's involvement in the discharge of Joseph Taney from Old Capitol Prison during the Civil War. The note was likely forwarded to War Secretary James Madison Porter. Includes a single sheet of paper measuring to 3" x 5" and ink prose.

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A letter from 1796 composed by Cuthbert Bullitt, a lawyer and plantation owner in Prince William County, Virginia. The letter describes Cuthbert Bullitt's interaction with enslaved workers on the plantation and his analysis of the character and value of each person. The letter amounts to a single sheet folded to 6" x 7 3/4" with ink prose.

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A letter from Hatty, a minister's wife and resident of West Newton, MA, to her mother during the mid-nineteenth century. The letter includes details about the health of Hatty and her husband and their trip to Washington to meet President John Tyler. The letter includes four standard pages of neat prose.

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A photograph of George O. Ennis, a photographer and Civil War (1861-1865) soldier in Virginia's 19th Infantry. The photograph is a carte de visite (cdV) which is a type of small photograph patented in Paris, France by photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri in 1854, although first used by Louis Dodero. In the photograph, Ennis is wearing a suit with a striped bow-tie The photograph was produced in 1872 by the C.R. Rees & Co. studio in Richmond, Virginia.

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A letter written immediately after the Civil War (1861-1865) on November 9, 1865, the letter describes the life and community of its author, Louise. The letter outlines the birth of Louise's child, local events in a town identified as Riverside, an incident involving stolen cattle and the shooting of a young man. Written by "Louise" in 1865, the letter describes the life and events of "Riverside" in late 1865.

Scope and Contents A letter written by an unknown Union Army Civil War (1861-1865) solider in Newport News, Virginia dated Jan 9, circa 1863. The solider wrote to his sister about the conditions of the soldier's camp. In his description of the camp, he describes the amount of soldiers camped and the size of the camp. He writes that twenty soldiers were sick "with a bad cold." He also wrote the soliders were protecting five union families from the rebel forces. When he went scouting, he did not see much,...

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28 illustrated songsheets that use verse to satirize news stories from Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th century. The sheets credit Antonio Vanegas Arroyo as publisher, while the accompanying illustrations are attributed to José Guadalupe Posada.

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A one page draft of a command by George Earl of Albermarle, Governor of Cuba, to allow the safe passage of Don Christoval de los Rios, Don Diego Orison, and Don Antonio Fernandez, along with goods to Cadiz, Spain.

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This series contains a 10 page estate account inventory record by Daniel Payne, the executor of Lawrence Washington's estate, Wakefield Plantation in Westmoreland Co., VA. The inventory names 18 enslaved people. 3 unnamed enslaved children are also listed. Also included is a postcard with an image of Wakefield.

Content Description From the Collection:

The collection contains one letter from Caspar M. McElfresh's located in Williamsburg, Virginia at William & Mary, to his sister, Ariana McElfresh in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The letter contains McElfresh’s opinions and experiences during his first year at William & Mary. He likes his fellow students, his professors and how they teach their classes. He also discusses his hopes to have his two rifles at a later date.