The collection is open for research.
Permission to publish material from the Andrew Given Family Correspondence must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Andrew Given Family Correspondence, Ms2019-035, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Andrew Given Family Correspondence was purchased by Special Collections in 2018.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Andrew Given Family Correspondence was completed in June 2019.
Andrew Given was born on February 13, 1835 in Ireland to James Given and Jane Dugan. He married Eliza Forsythe Given before the Civil War. They had two children, James and Jane, before the Civil War. Before the war, Given worked as a weaver and a shipper of dry goods.
Given mustered into the Union Army on May 25, 1861 for three years service, but he deserted his regiment on September 7, 1862 at Washington, D.C. He served in Company C of the Third New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment. On September 20, 1864, Given mustered in as a recruit Private in Company L of the First New York Veteran Cavalry under the alias of Andrew Dugan. He mustered out on July 20, 1865 at Camp Piatt, WV. Following the war, Given worked as a carpet weaver. He died on March 13, 1913 of senile disability in Philadelphia, PA.
There are a few different variations in the spelling of Given used by Andrew including "Givens" and "Givin." His letters, although signed in his name, are written in a variety of hands. This may account for his name being misspelled. One particular letter, likely a fragment, is even written in a very literary style quite different from his usual tone. Perhaps Given had others in camp help him write his letters.
The Andrew Given Family Correspondence contains 41 letters by Private Andrew Given written to his wife, Eliza F. Given. The letters cover Given's military service in Virginia from June 1861 until just before his desertion from the army in September 1862. The letters concern life in encampments including Fort Worth near Alexandria, battles he fought in, and capturing Confederate flags. Out of 41 letters, only 29 letters are war-dated. Although the majority of letters are written to his wife, one letter is addressed to his son.
Accompanying Given's letters are a dozen letters to and from various Given Family members from 1864-1884. These include five letters presumably to his wife written by his brother-in-law, Thomas Forsyth: a letter likely from his father, James Given; and a letter from his wife, "Liza," that may possibly concern her visit to the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg.
The letters in this collection are arranged in chronological order.
The guide to the Andrew Given Family Correspondence by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).