PUBLIC "-//University of Virginia::Library::Special Collections Dept.//TEXT (US::ViU::01000::Joseph W. Parrish Civil War Letters)//EN" "ViU01000.sgm" A Guide to the Joseph W. Parrish Civil War LettersParrish, Joseph W. 10305Processed by Special Collections Dept. staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Elizabeth SlombaFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. University of Virginia Library © 1997 By the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. All rights reserved.

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 Machine-readable finding aid derived from WordPerfect. [Date of source: 1997. Description is in English. Feb 18, 2004 PUBLIC "-//University of Virginia::Library::Special Collections Dept.//TEXT (US::ViU::01000::Joseph W. Parrish Civil War Letters)//EN" "ViU01000.sgm" converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Feb 27, 2004 converted to conform to eadVIVA.dtd by vivastrict.xsl A Guide to the Joseph W. Parrish Civil War Letters A Collection in the Special Collections Department 10305 and -a

Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library 1997 Special Collections Department Staff 1997 Elizabeth Slomba Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, #10305 and -a Descriptive Summary University of Virginia. Library. Special Collections Dept.
Alderman Library University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 USA
Joseph W. Parrish Civil War Letters 1861-1862 10305 and -a 6 items English Mrs. Helen G. Pace and Cynthia Harrison Burton Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

 Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

 Preferred Citation

Joseph W. Parrish Civil War Letters, Accession 10305, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

 Acquisition Information

Accession #10305 was a gift to the Library by Mrs. Helen G. Pace of Charlottesville, Virginia, through O. Allan Gianniny, on December 4, 1978. Accession #10305-a was a gift to the Library by Ms. Cynthia Harrison Burton of Keswick, Virginia, on June 25, 1990.

 Funding Note

Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

 Scope and Content

There are six letters, 1861-1862, written by Joseph W. Parrish, a Confederate soldier in Richmondand Yorktown, Virginia, to his sister, Mary S. Parrish. In his letter of March 27, 1861, he discusses the city of Richmondin regard to secession, claims a large part of the delegates to be fools, and reveals that "the general impression is that Virginiawill ultimately secede," joining the other southern states, claiming that this would be the signal for war. On April 14, 1861, he mentions that possibility of his services being required in South Carolinaor elsewhere, and refers to the troops in Charlestowncapturing Fort Sumter. From Yorktown, he writes on June 8, 1861, commenting that "it is very doubtful whether I shall return to you all again, the position occupied by our Company is a perilous one and few will escape with life should we have a regular battle..." He mentions the proximity of the enemy, his joining Peyton's Artillery, and their battery of cannons on the brink of the York River. He reveals the hardships that the soldiers must endure, and his concern over the odds in battle. On April 10, 1862, writing from Yorktown, he expresses encouragement over the Confederate victories elsewhere and mentions skirmishes near the Naval Battery. On May 14, 1862, he writes from Richmond, having returned without having fought.