looking for resources

[rgr44]

I am writing a research paper for college and I need some help. I am looking for letters and diaries of men in the ANV from the states of Florida (primary), Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia from the years 1863-65. If anyone can repost threads on hear, post the contents of the letters, or point me a good direction it would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Nathanial Collins

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: looking for resources

Nathen, I think I can help you out with this. I am at work right now and unable to access my notes. But can send you some info this evening. Please PM me your email address becasue it will be much easier to send files.

[4vaadjutant]

Re: looking for resources

Nathan:
You don’t mention what information you are seeking from the letters and diaries of ANV soldiers from 1863-65, which might help make the search easier. For instance, are you only interested in enlisted men, or officers? Are the recordings of generals relavent to the thesis of your paper? Will memoirs based on a person’s letters or diaries suit your needs? In other words, what are you looking for in those personal accounts? It is understood that if you are just commencing your project you may not be focusing on anything in particular at the moment, but as you review material your interest will become focused. Hopefully, some of the resources I cite below will help you get started.
The primary focus of my research over the years has been on the Stonewall Brigade of the ANV Second Corps, so I will offer some references from that part of the army.
1. If you can get to the library of Washington and Lee University, there is a collection of six diaries kept by a member of the Washington College Company, the Liberty hall Volunteers. His name was William S. Paxton, who was an original member of the Company who fought at First Manassas. Of the 57 members of the company present at First Manassas, Paxton was one of just two who survived all the way to Appomattox. The 4th Virginia Infantry in Indianapolis was instrumental in acquiring those diaries in 2011 and donating them to W&L. They are unpublished but contain a wealth of information about the Stonewall Brigade from 1863-65.
2. “Letters From the Stonewall Brigade,” is a compilation of letters written by Ted Barclay, an original member of the Liberty Hall Volunteers. They were compiled by Charles W. Turner and published by the Rockbridge Publishing Company, Natural Bridge Station, Virginia, 1992. Ted was a member of the company during the time the LHV served as Stonewall Jackson’s headquarters company and later earned promotion to lieutenant for bravery during the Mine Run Campaign in the fall of 1863. The collection includes letters written by Barclay as a POW at Fort Delaware where he resided at the end of the war.
3. “Stonewall’s Man, Sandie Pendleton,” by W. G. Bean is a biography of a young man who at age 22 served as assistant adjutant-general of Jackson’s Second Corps. Sandie was a graduate of Washington College who then served as a professor at the college for a couple years before enrolling in the University of Virginia to earn a Master of Arts degree. He withdrew from the University in early 1862 to become a member of Jackson’s staff. After Jackson’s death he continued to serve as AAG of the Second Corps, was eventually promoted to colonel and died while trying to rally Confederate troops at the Battle of Cedar Creek. His father was General William Nelson Pendleton, chief of artillery, ANV. The book contains interesting excerpts from letters written by Sandie to family members back home. The book was published by Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC 1987.
4. “The Civil War Letters of Dr. Harvey Black,” edited by Glenn L. McMullen is a compilation of letters written by the 4th Virginia Infantry surgeon who subsequently became the surgeon general of the Stonewall brigade. His letters contain a mixture of personal information shared with his wife as well as many insights into the activities of army medical personnel and the operations of army field hospitals. The book was published by Butternut and Blue, Baltimore, 1995.
5. Without knowing what you are looking for from the letters and diaries you seek, I will include a book that contains letters written by Robert E. Lee to Jefferson Davis and the War Department in the event it might contain some of the information that interests you. “Lee’s Dispatches” was edited by Douglas Southall Freeman and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1957.
It is hoped these volumes will be helpful to you as you prepare your paper. As a former educator, I wish you the best for earning an A+ on your assignment! Please feel free to let me know if there is anything else I can do to be of assistance.

Your ob’t servant,
Tom Williams
4th Virginia Infantry
Indianapolis

[rgr44]

Re: looking for resources

Thank you to you both! I am trying to prove what kept the men fighting and in the army from the years 1863-65. With many sources saying that many men deserted I am trying to disprove that. I am also hoping to prove that the men stayed for their pares and not for the causes.

Nathanial Collins

[jake.koch]

Re: looking for resources

I would take a look at both of these books as they have touched on the area you are looking at and could help with direction so you don't have to reinvent the wheel -

For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War
by James M. McPherson

General Lee's Army: From Victory to Collapse
by Joseph Glatthaar

[DougCooper]

Re: looking for resources

Lee's Miserables by J. Tracy Power is a great read with many letters - 1864-65.

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: looking for resources

Nathan, another option might be to make an appointment with the MOC to view diaries and letters that they have in their archives. If you are a member the cost to get a backstage tour is free and they are very accommodating staff. All you would need to do after joining is send them a email and tell them what you are looking for and they should have everything laid out for you to sort through.

[4vaadjutant]

Re: looking for resources

Nathan:

I believe the recommendation by Tyler Underwood to check with the MOC about letters from soldiers to be worth checking out. For some guidance about some of the materials to be found there, review the bibliography section of the book “General Lee’s Army” by Joseph Glatthaar, which is recommended by Jake Koch. It contains a wealth of information about reference materials in collections and at various repositories available to the public. That book also devotes a chapter to the issue of desertion in the ANV. The discussion points out that one in seven members of the ANV deserted with fewer that ten percent of all deserters returning to the army either voluntarily or in arrest (page 409). Lee recognized the severity of the problem when he communicated to Jefferson Davis after Gettysburg: “The number of desertions from this army is so great and still continues to such an extent, that unless some cessation of them can be caused, I fear success in the field will be seriously endangered.” And, three weeks before the spring campaign of 1864, Lee commented that “Desertion and absence without leave are nearly the only offenses ever tried by our courts. They appear to be the only vices in the army.” (page 408) In “The Wartime Papers of R. E. Lee” by Dowdy and Manarin, Lee addresses the problem of desertion many times in letters as well as orders to the army.

Your ob’t servant,
Tom Williams
4th Virginia Infantry
Indianapolis

[rgr44]

Re: looking for resources

Thank you so much gentlemen. This all helps a lot, especially he secondary sources as we have to have a certain amount of them and primary. What is the MOC? I have called some of the museums around my area and others to see if they have letters and diaries. Again thank you all.

Nathanial Collins

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: looking for resources

MOC = Museum of the Confederacy

http://www.moc.org/

Enjoy!!

[Jimmayo]

Re: looking for resources

http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/j_mayo/9va/letters.html

[BobRoeder]

Re: looking for resources

"Desertion During the Civil War" (1928) - Ella Lonn

Originally written by Ms. Lonn because it was a subject not found in Civil War literature of the time, but also as a statement regarding the death and destruction of war, especially post-WWI. The source is dated but still considered an excellent treatment of the subject.

[BobRoeder]

Re: looking for resources

In the book "Letters of William F. Wagner: Confederate Soldier" edited by Joe M. Hatley & Linda B. Huffman (1983).

William mentions the subject of men deserting the army several times in various letters - sometimes repeating what he said in previous letters to his wife due to the inefficiency of the postal system and the possibility of either of their letters being lost.

William Wagner was a member of Co. E, 57th North Carolina Troops. He was from Catawba County, NC.