Special Collections Research Center

Scope and Contents This collection contains two letters written by Mary Randolph Blain during the Civil War. In the first letter, circa 1862 December, Blain wrote about  Union troops patrolling Williamsburg, the College being set on fire, as well as news about local residents such as Mrs. Tucker, Mary Southall, and Thomas Ambler, rector of Bruton Parish Church. The second letter, dated 1863 March 31, described the fire at the Wren Building, news about family, and Union troops stealing goods from Williamsburg...

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of one letter written by Sergeant Thomas H. Mason of the 56th New York regiment of the Union army during the American Civil War. It describes recent fighting near Yorktown, Virginia including a failed assault on the Confederate position and the taking of four prisoners during the Battle of Burnt Chimneys. The letter also deals with the daily life of a soldier and is addressed to Mason's child.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of a letter written by Charles P. Shepard, a private in Co. E, 1st United States and a member of Berdan's Sharpshooters, to his parents during the Siege of Yorktown. The writer describes the food given to the soldiers, artillery shelling, and the prospect of a coming battle.