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This collection primarily contains Civil War-era letters from William Hogan to his wife, Lucinda, from 1862 to 1864. In addition to the letters, there is a single, undated, photograph of three family members, Lucinda James and Mollie Hogan. Letters between William and Lucinda discuss Confederate camp life, operations on the Hogan family's farm in McDowell County, North Carolina, William's participation in the Battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg, observations of Virginia and North Carolina, and the couple's children. Several letters were written from Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond, where William recovered after being injured in battle. Most of the letters in the collection are addressed to Lucinda from William, often prefaced with "Dear Wife" and sometimes "Dear Wife and children." Letters from William are written in multiple hands, suggesting he often dictated his letters to other soldiers in camp. Letters from Lucinda are prefaced with "Dear Husband" and are placed marked with McDowell County. William's letters often express his discontentment with the war, his hatred of "the yankes," and his longing to be back home with his family in McDowell.
This collection has been minimally processed and is open for research.
MSS 16960, William and Lucinda Hogan Letters, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.
This collection was a gift from Marc and Linda Hogan to the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on 17 March 2026.
William Hogan (1829-c. 1864) enlisted as a private in Company A, 49th North Carolina Infantry Regiment on February 28th, 1862. He fought in the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 and the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, where he was injured. William recovered at Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond, the Confederacy's flagship field hospital. Hogan apparently deserted the 49th Infantry Regiment around May 16th, 1864, to return to McDowell County for the birth of his child. A soldier roster for those present at the Siege of Petersburg indicates that a William Hogan of Boxesford, North Carolina died on July 22, 1864, perhaps assumed due to his prolonged absence from his company. Presumed dead or missing, William returned to his company at Petersburg on August 29th, 1864. He was then arrested, tried, and convicted of desertion. William was sentenced to death by firing squad. It is unclear whether the sentence was carried out, but William never returned to McDowell County. In a March 24th, 1862 letter to her brother, William's wife, Lucinda, wrote "My husband was kill[ed] in the war. He was shot coming home." The couple has five children together: John, Sarah, Jane, James, and Nancy. Lucinda lived in McDowell County until her death in 1911.
References
National Park Service. "Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database: Soldier Detail." Accessed May 4, 2026. https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldierId=897F1BA9-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A
City of Petersburg, Virginia. "Civil War Soldiers." Petersburg, VA: City of Petersburg. Accessed May 4, 2026. https://petersburgva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/955/Civil-War-Soldiers
FamilySearch. "Jane Lucinda Hogan (1855–1930)." FamilySearch Family Tree, Person ID LKCB-9ZY. Accessed May 4, 2026. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LKCB-9ZY/jane-lucinda-hogan-1855-1930