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Start Over Subjects Civil War -- Camps and camp life
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Athey Family Civil War Letters and Assorted Photographs, 1863/1949

0.21 Linear Feet 2.5 in. (1 document case)

Correspondence of the Athey family of Tyler County, West Virginia, consisting primarily of ten letters written from Dudley and Austin Athey, brothers who served in the 11th West Virginia Infantry Regiment from 1863 to 1865 (Folder 1). In letters to their siblings and parents at home, the Atheys describe their desire to visit home; their location on railroads or in camps at New Creek and Parkersburg, West Virginia; their health; and their desire to receive more letters from home. Letters from family members at home chiefly contain news about the family's farm and harvest. Most of the letters are brief and notable for phonetic spelling. One letter to the Athey family from another member of the 11th West Virginia documents the regiment's position in Deep Bottom, Virginia, in January 1865 and describes the cold weather, winter quarters, African American troops, the interaction between Confederate and Union pickets, and artillery fire. There is also an 1869 letter written by a Methodist circuit rider, Loren Stewart, concerning his work around Spencer following the Civil War.

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Athey Family Civil War Letters and Assorted Photographs, 1863/1949 0.21 Linear Feet 2.5 in. (1 document case)

Athey family

Correspondence of the Athey family of Tyler County, West Virginia, consisting primarily of ten letters written from Dudley and Austin Athey, brothers who served in the 11th West Virginia Infantry Regiment from 1863 to 1865 (Folder 1). In letters to their siblings and parents at home, the Atheys describe their desire to visit home; their location on railroads or in camps at New Creek and Parkersburg, West Virginia; their health; and their desire to receive more letters from home. Letters from family members at home chiefly contain news about the family's farm and harvest. Most of the letters are brief and notable for phonetic spelling. One letter to the Athey family from another member of the 11th West Virginia documents the regiment's position in Deep Bottom, Virginia, in January 1865 and describes the cold weather, winter quarters, African American troops, the interaction between Confederate and Union pickets, and artillery fire. There is also an 1869 letter written by a Methodist circuit rider, Loren Stewart, concerning his work around Spencer following the Civil War.

West Virginia and Regional History Center

Charles Caraway, Soldier, Civil War Letter, 1864

0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1/4 in. (1 folder)
Letter from Charles Caraway of the 60th Virginia Infantry to his wife, Sarah, written from Princeton, Mercer County, West Virginia, on April 15, 1864. Topics include Caraway's health, efforts to become part of the 60th Infantry, not being able to join the company he desired, sending his horse home, his need for new boots, and his advice on how to handle things at home. Caraway also mentions that the regiment was fortifying its position in Princeton.
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Charles Caraway, Soldier, Civil War Letter, 1864 0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1/4 in. (1 folder)

Caraway, Charles
Letter from Charles Caraway of the 60th Virginia Infantry to his wife, Sarah, written from Princeton, Mercer County, West Virginia, on April 15, 1864. Topics include Caraway's health, efforts to become part of the 60th Infantry, not being able to join the company he desired, sending his horse home, his need for new boots, and his advice on how to handle things at home. Caraway also mentions that the regiment was fortifying its position in Princeton.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Civil War Letter regarding Shenandoah Valley Diversionary Campaign, 1863

0 Linear Feet Summary: 12 pages
An ALS from a Union officer "George" to his wife "Fannie" describing, in the form of a diary, a diversionary campaign into the Shenandoah Valley, 10, December - 25, December 1863. The purpose of their maneuver, which he calls "the Valley Expedition," was "to divert attention from Gen. Averill while he was making a raid up through Staunton, Virginia." The expeditionary force of about 1,600 was large enough not to fall prey to guerrillas but too small to actively engage the regular Confederate army locally under the command of Gen. Jubal Early. They successfully preoccupied and eluded the forces of Gen. Early and his diary gives details of how this was accomplished, the social conditions and attitudes of the Valley's inhabitants and the common hardships of military camps. He had not written sooner because the expedition had been under strict orders to cut off communication lines to its headquarters and home base at Harpers Ferry. Also they were not expected to return from what was considered a suicide mission.
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Civil War Letter regarding Shenandoah Valley Diversionary Campaign, 1863 0 Linear Feet Summary: 12 pages

An ALS from a Union officer "George" to his wife "Fannie" describing, in the form of a diary, a diversionary campaign into the Shenandoah Valley, 10, December - 25, December 1863. The purpose of their maneuver, which he calls "the Valley Expedition," was "to divert attention from Gen. Averill while he was making a raid up through Staunton, Virginia." The expeditionary force of about 1,600 was large enough not to fall prey to guerrillas but too small to actively engage the regular Confederate army locally under the command of Gen. Jubal Early. They successfully preoccupied and eluded the forces of Gen. Early and his diary gives details of how this was accomplished, the social conditions and attitudes of the Valley's inhabitants and the common hardships of military camps. He had not written sooner because the expedition had been under strict orders to cut off communication lines to its headquarters and home base at Harpers Ferry. Also they were not expected to return from what was considered a suicide mission.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

D. Boston Stewart Papers, 1782/1919, bulk 1862/1906

0.25 Linear Feet Summary: 2 1/2 in. (1 document case, approximately 90 items)
David Boston Stewart (1826-1915), a farmer from Monongalia County, West Virginia, who served with the 48th Virginia Infantry and the 20th Virginia Cavalry during the Civil War and was a member of the Virginia Legislature from 1863 to 1864. Collection primarily consists of letters written to D.B. Stewart between 1862 and 1864 and between 1894 and 1906 that concern Stewart's time as a Confederate prisoner of war during the Civil War, and his personal life in the 1890s and early 1900s.
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D. Boston Stewart Papers, 1782/1919, bulk 1862/1906 0.25 Linear Feet Summary: 2 1/2 in. (1 document case, approximately 90 items)

Stewart, David Boston
David Boston Stewart (1826-1915), a farmer from Monongalia County, West Virginia, who served with the 48th Virginia Infantry and the 20th Virginia Cavalry during the Civil War and was a member of the Virginia Legislature from 1863 to 1864. Collection primarily consists of letters written to D.B. Stewart between 1862 and 1864 and between 1894 and 1906 that concern Stewart's time as a Confederate prisoner of war during the Civil War, and his personal life in the 1890s and early 1900s.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Hartley Brothers Civil War Letters, 1862/1865

0 Linear Feet Summary: 19 pages
Letters to their family in Ohio from James M. Hartley and Thomas J. Hartley. James M. Hartley served in the Ohio 116th. Volunteer Infantry, Company B stationed during the Civil War at Romney, WV; Winchester, VA; Sharpsburg, MD; Martinsburg, WV; and Richmond, VA. Thomas J. Hartley was mustered into an unidentified Ohio regiment at Camp Ripley, OH and served in Stanford, KY and Nicholasville, KY. These letters, most being from James M. Hartley, reflect conditions in the U. S. Army in the field during the Civil War mentioning late payroll payments and occasional shortages of food rations. The correspondence of James M. Hartley is more detailed with him giving his opinions about the battles of Antietam, Chancellorsville, and the siege of Richmond. Often he notes that the Confederates surrender due to inadequate food provisions.
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Hartley Brothers Civil War Letters, 1862/1865 0 Linear Feet Summary: 19 pages

Hartley Brothers
Letters to their family in Ohio from James M. Hartley and Thomas J. Hartley. James M. Hartley served in the Ohio 116th. Volunteer Infantry, Company B stationed during the Civil War at Romney, WV; Winchester, VA; Sharpsburg, MD; Martinsburg, WV; and Richmond, VA. Thomas J. Hartley was mustered into an unidentified Ohio regiment at Camp Ripley, OH and served in Stanford, KY and Nicholasville, KY. These letters, most being from James M. Hartley, reflect conditions in the U. S. Army in the field during the Civil War mentioning late payroll payments and occasional shortages of food rations. The correspondence of James M. Hartley is more detailed with him giving his opinions about the battles of Antietam, Chancellorsville, and the siege of Richmond. Often he notes that the Confederates surrender due to inadequate food provisions.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

H.E. Matheny, Collector and Compiler, Civil War Correspondence and Other Material, 1861/1865

0.17 Linear Feet Summary: 2 in. (1 folder, 1/4 in.); (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Forty-nine letters of Ephraim W. Frost of Co J., 116th Reg, Ohio Vol Inf. Frost, who lived in Coolville, Ohio, near Parkersburg, was stationed at Moorefield, Martinsburg, near Romney, Winchester and Sleepy Creek in Morgan County, where his Reg. was guarding the B & O. The letters comment on fighting in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864 around Woodstock, mention of McNeill, Imboden, and Mosby, and contain much on camp life in the eastern panhandle area. Frost was wounded near Piedmont in May 1864 and died at Annapolis, Maryland in January 1865.

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H.E. Matheny, Collector and Compiler, Civil War Correspondence and Other Material, 1861/1865 0.17 Linear Feet Summary: 2 in. (1 folder, 1/4 in.); (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Matheny, H. E. (Herman Edmond), 1910-

Forty-nine letters of Ephraim W. Frost of Co J., 116th Reg, Ohio Vol Inf. Frost, who lived in Coolville, Ohio, near Parkersburg, was stationed at Moorefield, Martinsburg, near Romney, Winchester and Sleepy Creek in Morgan County, where his Reg. was guarding the B & O. The letters comment on fighting in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864 around Woodstock, mention of McNeill, Imboden, and Mosby, and contain much on camp life in the eastern panhandle area. Frost was wounded near Piedmont in May 1864 and died at Annapolis, Maryland in January 1865.

West Virginia and Regional History Center

H.E. Matheny, Collector and Compiler, Papers, 1956/1961

0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1 in. (1 folder)

Published and unpublished manuscripts on episodes in West Virginia history; Civil War history; hunting; and police protection in industrial plants. Facsimile and typescript copies of 19th century materials as follows: Letter of Gen. T.M. Harris concerning organizing and outfitting of troops, 1861; copies of newspaper articles by Gen. Harris concerning "the Sabbath question", 1876; Letters (typescript copies) of Pvt. James Z. McCausland's Brigade, 1863-1864 (7 items), on the Battle of Droop Mountain: fight at Dublin, picket duty around Warm Springs, Virginia; the Battle of Monocacy, and Early's raid on Washington, 1864; McChesney's handwritten request for medical discharge, 1865; letter (typescript copy) from William E. Kimble to Mortimer Johnson, Feb.20, 1862, Camp Allegheny on running mail through Union lines: and an article, West Virginia's rare Civil War Books, by H.E. Matheny. Confederate Soldiers' letters: (1) to his mother from James Z. McChesney, Nov. 16, 1863, relating to the Battle of Droop Mt. (2) two letters from W. I. Kunkle to James Z. McChesney relating some Civil War experiences.

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H.E. Matheny, Collector and Compiler, Papers, 1956/1961 0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1 in. (1 folder)

Matheny, H. E. (Herman Edmond), 1910-

Published and unpublished manuscripts on episodes in West Virginia history; Civil War history; hunting; and police protection in industrial plants. Facsimile and typescript copies of 19th century materials as follows: Letter of Gen. T.M. Harris concerning organizing and outfitting of troops, 1861; copies of newspaper articles by Gen. Harris concerning "the Sabbath question", 1876; Letters (typescript copies) of Pvt. James Z. McCausland's Brigade, 1863-1864 (7 items), on the Battle of Droop Mountain: fight at Dublin, picket duty around Warm Springs, Virginia; the Battle of Monocacy, and Early's raid on Washington, 1864; McChesney's handwritten request for medical discharge, 1865; letter (typescript copy) from William E. Kimble to Mortimer Johnson, Feb.20, 1862, Camp Allegheny on running mail through Union lines: and an article, West Virginia's rare Civil War Books, by H.E. Matheny. Confederate Soldiers' letters: (1) to his mother from James Z. McChesney, Nov. 16, 1863, relating to the Battle of Droop Mt. (2) two letters from W. I. Kunkle to James Z. McChesney relating some Civil War experiences.

West Virginia and Regional History Center

Henry H. Fry, Soldier, Civil War Letters, 1862/1864

0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1/2 in. (1 folder)
Civil War letters from a Union soldier in the Army of the Potomac to his wife in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Fry was in the Peninsula Campaign, 1862, and later stationed at various islands off the South Carolina coast. In 1864 he was killed near Bermuda Hundred, Virginia. The letters reveal little about military movements, but do comment on camp life and fraternization between Union and Confederate soldiers.
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Henry H. Fry, Soldier, Civil War Letters, 1862/1864 0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1/2 in. (1 folder)

Fry, Henry H
Civil War letters from a Union soldier in the Army of the Potomac to his wife in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Fry was in the Peninsula Campaign, 1862, and later stationed at various islands off the South Carolina coast. In 1864 he was killed near Bermuda Hundred, Virginia. The letters reveal little about military movements, but do comment on camp life and fraternization between Union and Confederate soldiers.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Jacob Lester, Soldier, Civil War Letters, 1864/1865

0.2 Linear Feet Summary: 2 in.
Letters home from Jacob Lester of the 1st. Veterans NY Cavalry stationed in West Virginia, which he refers to as the new state of Kanawha. All letters are written from Clarksburg, Middletown, Kelly's Creek, and Camp Piatt, all in West Virginia, during or soon after the Civil War. He talks about the surrender of Confederates, the discharge of Union troops and the fighting he and his unit did in the Shenandoah Valley, particularly around Harpers Ferry.
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Jacob Lester, Soldier, Civil War Letters, 1864/1865 0.2 Linear Feet Summary: 2 in.

Lester, Jacob
Letters home from Jacob Lester of the 1st. Veterans NY Cavalry stationed in West Virginia, which he refers to as the new state of Kanawha. All letters are written from Clarksburg, Middletown, Kelly's Creek, and Camp Piatt, all in West Virginia, during or soon after the Civil War. He talks about the surrender of Confederates, the discharge of Union troops and the fighting he and his unit did in the Shenandoah Valley, particularly around Harpers Ferry.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

J.M. Vandeman Correspondence, 1861/1866

0.17 Linear Feet Summary: 2 in. (1 folder, 1/4 in.); (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)
Fourteen letters, thirteen from J.M. Vandeman of Adams Co., Ohio, a Union soldier in Co. B, 33rd Ohio Volunteer Company, 3rd Division, 9th Brigade, and one from W.T. and H.A. Wright of Webster City, Hamilton Co., Iowa. All are addressed to Miss S. Jane Vandeman in Adams Co., Ohio. The letters from J.M. Vandeman were written between 6 October 1861 and 25 December 1862; the letter from the Wrights is dated 1866. The letters of 1861-1862 were written from various locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama and describe life as a Union soldier, including camp life, battles, and hospital stays. In addition to the letters, there is a document dated September 17, 1864, appointing George G. Menelly as 2nd lieutenant, 173rd Reg., Ohio Volunteer Infantry for one year.
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J.M. Vandeman Correspondence, 1861/1866 0.17 Linear Feet Summary: 2 in. (1 folder, 1/4 in.); (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Vandeman, J. M.
Fourteen letters, thirteen from J.M. Vandeman of Adams Co., Ohio, a Union soldier in Co. B, 33rd Ohio Volunteer Company, 3rd Division, 9th Brigade, and one from W.T. and H.A. Wright of Webster City, Hamilton Co., Iowa. All are addressed to Miss S. Jane Vandeman in Adams Co., Ohio. The letters from J.M. Vandeman were written between 6 October 1861 and 25 December 1862; the letter from the Wrights is dated 1866. The letters of 1861-1862 were written from various locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama and describe life as a Union soldier, including camp life, battles, and hospital stays. In addition to the letters, there is a document dated September 17, 1864, appointing George G. Menelly as 2nd lieutenant, 173rd Reg., Ohio Volunteer Infantry for one year.

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