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Start Over Date range 1864 Subjects Johnson Island Prison
Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

George Washington Nelson Papers, 1863/1903, bulk 1863/1865

16 Item

This collection consists of letters primarily between George Washington "Wash" Nelson, Jr., of Hanover County, Virginia and his cousin and future wife Mary "Mollie" Nelson Scollay of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Nelson commanded the Hanover Light Artillery (Va.) and was a staff officer of General William Nelson Pendleton, the Chief of Artillery of the Confederacy's Army Northern Virginia, during the American Civil War. Nelson was captured in October 1862 and spent the remainder of the war in Union prisons at Camp Chase, Johnson's Island, Morris Island, Fort Delaware., and Point Lookout. Nelson's final letter is sent on May 23, 1865 within weeks of his release from prison. The bulk of the collection are twenty letters between George and Mollie. Also included are seven wartime letters from George to "Charlotte" who we believe is Charlotte Cazenove Massie, wife of William O. Massie, and of Alexandria, Va. The wartime letters describe prison life, details of fellow prisoners, updates on home and family, and George and Mollie's courtship.

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George Washington Nelson Papers, 1863/1903, bulk 1863/1865 16 Item

Nelson, George Washington , Jr. (G. Washington "Wash" Nelson), 1840-1903

This collection consists of letters primarily between George Washington "Wash" Nelson, Jr., of Hanover County, Virginia and his cousin and future wife Mary "Mollie" Nelson Scollay of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Nelson commanded the Hanover Light Artillery (Va.) and was a staff officer of General William Nelson Pendleton, the Chief of Artillery of the Confederacy's Army Northern Virginia, during the American Civil War. Nelson was captured in October 1862 and spent the remainder of the war in Union prisons at Camp Chase, Johnson's Island, Morris Island, Fort Delaware., and Point Lookout. Nelson's final letter is sent on May 23, 1865 within weeks of his release from prison. The bulk of the collection are twenty letters between George and Mollie. Also included are seven wartime letters from George to "Charlotte" who we believe is Charlotte Cazenove Massie, wife of William O. Massie, and of Alexandria, Va. The wartime letters describe prison life, details of fellow prisoners, updates on home and family, and George and Mollie's courtship.

Virginia Military Institute Archives

Richard H. Adams, Jr. papers, 1862/1866

0.25 cubic feet approximately 80 items

This collection consists of the Civil War papers (approximately 80 items) of Captain Richard H. Adams, Jr, including:

  • A manuscript diary kept while serving with the 5th Alabama Regiment in Virginia (April-June 1862), with an accompanying typewritten transcription
  • Transcriptions of two additional diary volumes (September 1862-March 1863; and prison diary, 1864-1865)
  • Forty seven letters (November 1863-September 1866) to Lottie Putnam Adams, most written before their marriage while Adams was a prisoner of war
  • Twenty three letters from Lottie to Richard (March 1864-January 1865)
  • A typescript titled "Account of Wheeler's Raids," which was written after the Civil War
  • "Friendship book" (March 1865) that contains inscriptions by fellow prisoners
  • Two photographs of Adams
  • Documents and clippings
The letters reflect ongoing courtship and generally concern personal and family matters with some references to war and prison life. Diaries contain information about camp life, battles, and prison life.

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Richard H. Adams, Jr. papers, 1862/1866 0.25 cubic feet approximately 80 items

Adams, Richard H., Jr. (Richard Henry), 1841-1896

This collection consists of the Civil War papers (approximately 80 items) of Captain Richard H. Adams, Jr, including:

  • A manuscript diary kept while serving with the 5th Alabama Regiment in Virginia (April-June 1862), with an accompanying typewritten transcription
  • Transcriptions of two additional diary volumes (September 1862-March 1863; and prison diary, 1864-1865)
  • Forty seven letters (November 1863-September 1866) to Lottie Putnam Adams, most written before their marriage while Adams was a prisoner of war
  • Twenty three letters from Lottie to Richard (March 1864-January 1865)
  • A typescript titled "Account of Wheeler's Raids," which was written after the Civil War
  • "Friendship book" (March 1865) that contains inscriptions by fellow prisoners
  • Two photographs of Adams
  • Documents and clippings
The letters reflect ongoing courtship and generally concern personal and family matters with some references to war and prison life. Diaries contain information about camp life, battles, and prison life.

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