SCOUT

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.

In this letter, Captain William R. Story of the 1st U.S. Colored Artillery (heavy) writes to John J. King on behalf of a soldier under his command named Tecumsey whose wife, formerly one of King's enslaved people, is still living in King's home. The soldier would like her to be able to remain in the house, and Story assures King that the man earns a reasonable wage and will be good for any small amount of a years rent.

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.

This collection is a diary written by William A. Mayo of Monroe County, Tennessee between the years 1861 and 1866. The majority of the diary Mayo recounts daily life during his years as a captured captain in the Confederate Army as well as a list of fellow prisoners. Mayo was kept in a Union prison on Johnson's Island in Lake Erie. This item is a typescript.

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 Dunlap writes to his sister commenting on Confederate prisoners taken and expressing his hope that the Union Army controls Richmond, Virginia. He also comments upon his general well-being and his desire to know more about Nelson. The letter is dated May 10th, 1863 from Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

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.

This collection consists primarily of letters documenting William Gannaway Parson Brownlow's service as Governor of Tennessee and showing the problems that Tennessee faced during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Also included are letters to and from Brownlow's son, John Bell Brownlow.

This letter, composed in 1862 at Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., is written by William H. Blake, 3rd Iowa Volunteers, Company C, to his brother and discusses events leading to the Battle of Shiloh.

This letter by William H. Green, of the 45th New York Regiment, Company F, was written to his brother, from Nashville, Tenn. on February 16, 1865. In the letter, Green writes of a large battle that took place between the Rebel General Hood and the Union General Thomas. He also states that the city is under martial law.

This Civil War letter written by Union soldier William H. Gripman to his friends describes the conditions in Chattanooga, where his regiment was stationed in 1865. The letter is dated March 1, 1865. He describes how bad the officers are and how they got rid of an officer that hung one of the boys up by his thumbs.

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.

In this autobiographical sketch, William Jay Smith describes his military career and ends with his election to the Tennessee Senate in 1867.

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.