Isabel Scott Letter
This letter from Isabel Belle Scott in Gratiot, Wisconsin to her brother James in the 23rd Wisconsin Infantry includes its corresponding envelope, which is decorated with an emblem of an eagle in front of two American flags. Belle mentions that there have been many problems with the post, says that she has not received word from James in a month, and warns that he probably will not receive this letter. She gives a few military updates, saying that "Rosencrans tuck Lebanon...on the 8th of Feb, the same day that the Confederates attacked Fort Donelson." She also discusses racial tensions, saying that "the [Union] soldiers are getting very discontened ... they don't like to fight for the darky ... they say when they Volunteered to Fight they did with the understanding of fighting for the Union not for the Negro, which they consider they are doing now."
Dates
- 1863 February 15
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Conditions Governing Use
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Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Abstract
Isabel Belle Scott of Gratiot, Wisconsin wrote this letter to her brother James, who was then serving with Company B of the 23rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, on 15 February 1863. Belle is under the impression that James is helping to construct a canal at Vicksburg and the letter is addressed to him via Memphis, Tennessee.
Biographical/Historical Note
James Scott was born in about 1834 to Charles and Isabel Scott in Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of six children, including Francis (born about 1836), Robert (born about 1838), Isabel (born about 1841), Margaret (born about 1843), and Charles W. (born about 1849). James Scott mustered into Company B of the 23rd Wisconsin Infantry on 11 August 1862 and was discharged for disability on 3 April 1863 at Milliken's Bend, Louisiana. He returned home to Wisconsin, where he married Jane. The couple had four known children: Ida, Beatrice, Lloid, and Maggie. James Scott died in Wisconsin on June 7, 1912.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
The University of Tennessee Libraries, Knoxville, Special Collections purchased this collection.
- Soldiers -- Wisconsin -- Correspondence.
- Tennessee -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Participation, African-American.
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
- United States. Army. Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, 23rd (1862-1865).
- Wisconsin -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository