SCOUT

Wilbur P. Buck wrote these three letters, dated between October 9, 1862 and June 23, 1863, to his sweetheart, Charlotte Lottie Smith. The first letter was sent from Camp Fuller and the others were written at the Officer's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. They discuss Buck and Smith's relationship, Buck's homesickness, and the wounded and dead soldiers that Buck sees in the field hospital where he works.

This collection houses 22 letters written between various members of the Wildermuth family during the Civil War. Brothers John, Henry, and Eli Wildermuth wrote much of this correspondence while serving in the Union Army and discuss such topics as life in the South, the battles they have experienced, their living conditions, and their desire to return home to Wisconsin.

This is a collection of sixty-one Civil War letters written by William A. Huddard to his father. The letters begin in June of 1861 and end in April of 1864. Huddard’s letters to his father describe many aspects of life in the western armies during the Civil War. He describes battles, camp life, enemy combatants, the environment, furloughs, his health, rumors, and weather.

William A. Smith of the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry (also called the Irish Brigade) wrote this letter to his family in Chester County, Pennsylvania on August 30, 1863. In it, he reports that three men from the 2nd Division (one from the 71st Pennsylvania Infantry and another from the 20th Massachusetts Infantry) were executed for desertion and speculates that some from his own regiment might suffer the same fate.

This collection is composed of a letter that William Cosgrove of the 1st Ohio Light Artillery Regiment, Battery G, wrote to his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Bowers, in Mount Vernon (Knox County) Ohio from Nashville, Tennessee on January 31, 1864. He writes of cousin Charles's death in Memphis and his own Battery's move to Nashville. Also, he speaks of conditions in camp, including a recent outbreak of smallpox and his personal troubles with rheumatism.

William E. VanAuken of Company D of the 107th New York Infantry wrote this letter to his sister and brother-in-law from Shelbyville, Tennessee on January 7, 1863. In it, he discusses the weather and mentions that the 145th N.Y. Volunteers have recently been disbanded, saying that "Their is one company here with us now. They we got up in New York. They are Bowery Boys..." The letter is fairly brief and includes the envelope.

William H. Lambert wrote this letter to George and Jesse Cox of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 24 February 1863 while he was stationed in Lookout Valley, Tennessee. In it, Lambert discusses the bureaucratic processes of discharge and resignation. He also mentions that he has been promoted from Adjutant to Captain and recounts meeting a friend, Colonel Joseph B. Palmer, who he had not seen since the Battle of Antietam in Chattanooga the previous week.

William J. Crook wrote this letter to his cousin Hattie from Tullahoma, Tennessee on November 12, 1862. He discusses the failure of the Kentucky campaign, the hardships accompanying the retreat, Northern politics, and the future course of the war. He also asks for news of his other cousins.

William J. Crook wrote this letter to his cousin, Hattie Crook, at Columbia Female College in Columbia, South Carolina on May 4, 1864. In it, he describes enemy reconnaissance, discusses the upcoming Northern Presidential election, relates news about family and friends, enumerates his thoughts on marriage, and mentions that the enemy is advancing on Cleveland road.

Collection contains a single letter written by William Helsley, a soldier in the 19th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on August 29, 1864. Helsley penned this letter to his wife, Mary Yauser Helsley, while stationed in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In the letter, Helsley discusses a scare in which he and others were warned of activities by Confederate Colonel Wheeler that ultimately never happened.

This collection consists of six letters that William J. Ricketts wrote to his parents in Wales, Massachusetts from October 2, 1863 to March 15, 1864. In them, he discusses camp life, poor rations, being hospitalized in Knoxville, various battles that his unit has engaged in, marching across Tennessee, citizens forming the National Guard of East Tennessee, and his plans for returning home.

William M. Cloer, a private in the 62nd North Carolina Infantry (CSA), wrote this letter to friends at home from Morristown, Tennessee on June 24, 1863. He discusses recent Yankee raids in Tennessee, specifically those made during the push towards Knoxville, and his regiment's upcoming move to Cumberland Gap.

This collection consists of ten letters and five envelopes from Union soldier William Styer to his wife Susannah (Defenbaugh) Styer dating from 1862 November 12 to 1863 September 5. One letter was written in Camp Morton, Indiana; one was written on board the Ohio Belle; and the rest were written from Fort Pickering, Tennessee.

William T. Presley wrote this letter to his wife Henry (Henryetta) on September 27, 1862 from camp in or near Knoxville, Tennessee. Presley mentions that her last letter caused tears to stream down his cheeks. He remarks on the poor condition of several men in his camp, saying that one looks like an old shoe. He goes on to tell Henryetta that she must hire someone to build a pen for the hogs and try go with out killing any of them til hog Billing time.

This letter, written by William Velie and sent from Fort Rosencrance in Murfreesboro, Tennessee describes battles in the Middle Tennessee area, including Franklin and Nashville. Velie notes that the Commanding Officer of the Confederate Army in the area is General Hood, while his own commander in the Union Army is General Melroy.

William W. Daugherty wrote this letter to his father from Tullahoma, Tennessee on April 13, 1864. In it, he discusses social life among the regiment's officers, describes troop movements just before the Battle of Resaca, and expresses his optimism about General Sherman's campaign in Georgia.