[from the diary of Frank C. Fitzhugh, private in Cutshaw’s Battery]

Confederate States of America
     WAR DEPARTMENT
Richmond, Sept 20  1862

My dear Mary
      What is the world did you send
George back–I have no place for him
& can not afford to keep him, I sent
him home for those reasons–I board
on Main & Adams near the Old fairgrounds
My room is 8 x 12–bed 4 feet wide.
I wrote you a long letter yesterday I sent
it to Verdon–I will see Miss Charlotte
Temple, & ask her if I can get a room
for you–I fear it will be a hard
matter to get a hack–I have been
quite poorly for some time–
                   Kisses for the children
                              Your Cal

Mrs M. E. Noland
Airwell
Hanover Co. Va.

Mrs Temple will
give you a good
room, & it is as near
to your uncle’s, as the
Houses down town.
all the goods are
on Broad Street

Callender St. George Noland, 1813-1879, formerly of the U.S. Navy, more recently commandant of the battery on Mulberry Island Point, defending the James River.

MSS 6463

[From the diary of Lt. John Tyler of Letecher’s Artillery]

(Sept 20th) Feel about same as did yesterday.
     Commenced D’Aubigne’s Cromwell.  Miss Lizzie &
Mrs Peyton took a horse back ride this evening.  Mr.
Gregg was to see me this evening.  The Ladies spent
the evening in my room, I really enjoy their society
very much, am only afraid I take up more
of their time than it is right for one to expect.

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 6150

[from the diary of James Dinsmore Templeton, musician and private in the 23rd Ohio]

Saturday, Sept. 20, 1862
 Left the farm this morning
went into Camp found
the Regt got our knapsacks
Will  Arthur & Crutchfield
went back to Fredrick
to get Instruments repair-
-ed.  A heavy Cannonading
going on in the direction
of the river
This afternoon came over
to the 100 Pa Reg’t Camped near
us being in the same Corps
Found Aaron.  We have now
just finished writing a Letter
to Libbie Weeks also wrote
a few lines to Mary Templeton
Fixed our tent.  heavy
cannonading up the river
mostly cloudy

MSS 10317

                                                 Arlington Hights
                                                 Camp Chase  Sept 2 [1862]
Dear Sister Helen
                             It is raining –
this afternoon so we don’t have to
drill and I have been writing to
Seth and to Campbell but haven’t
forgotten you – I wrote to Hattie
Sunday  also to Chas. and Elbe and
rather expected a letter to day –
but the mail has come but none
for me.  Aaron had one from home
and he says his things are on the
way and some thing for me also –
                             I can’t complain about not
having had letters enough for I
think you have all done well
and I have had my share,
but one can’t have too many
letters from home you know
                             Everything is lovely down
here   I am perfectly well and
contented, begin to get used
to soldering  lying around
in the dirt     I wonder
how it would seem to crawl
into a good clean bed once
more, but I don’t expect to
have that pleasure for some
time but I think that the
4th of July next will see us all
home again     I suppose of course
you have seen the President’s
Proclamation, isn’t it glorious
     I think it is worth more to us
than 30000 men would be to
day     I only hope it will pass
Congress   if it dont we will
just go over there ourselves and

see about it – We had another
grand Review yesterday about
the same troops and they were
all brigaded except our Regt.
Gen Casey said that we did
“splendidly” and I guess that
we will return to it –
or his body guard – I hope we
get some where soon as it
is dreadful dirty and dusty
here and water is so scarce
          But these Reviews are a big
nuisance   I begin to think it
is awful tedious and the sun
was out bright and it is
dreadful hot down here now
5 or 6 fainted but we managed
to best the rest after all
          You ought to have seen the
way Gen Casey took off his hat
as we “dipped our colors”
     Col. Wright acted as Brigade
General that day and if he

dident feel big – shirts one[?]
     I suppose he expects to wear
that little star himself one
of these days – We are
getting along first rate there is
but 1 or 2 sick in our Company
one has got a discharge and
will be in Meriden this week
I guess his ‘name is’ Griswold
and if Chas sees him he would
tell him all about us better
than any one can write it

          I heard just now that
we are to go to Washington
tomorrow but dont know as it is so
shouldn’t wonder though I am
ready for any thing – Chas in
his last letter said that Father
would teach until Spring but not
longer and that he would sell
his place any day if he could – now

[Howard continues this letter in the margin on page one.]
I don’t want to have him
sell it at all   I want to
feel that I have got a
home in Meriden and
that if I ever get through
with this war I can
find you all there
just as I left you
tell him not to
move again to get
into some business
and stay in Meriden
perhaps he could
go as Book Agent
for some large
house – write me
soon and tell me all the
news –
Charles must write and tell me about the navy –

[Howard continues in the margin on page two.]
When are they going to put up the Organ in the church?

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12668

Sharpsburgh Maryland Sept 20th 1862
Dear Father  I suppose you are anxious to hear from me
after A delay of some weeks I should have written to you before if we
had not had so much marching to do we have been on the Tramp for
some weeks & have cleared Maryland from the Rebel invaders & they
have had A good whipping & I think that they will remember this
State. Last Sunday this Corps was in A battle & captured Grampion Gap
the way it was done was by the bayonet the Rebel Force we were fighting was
under the command of Howell Cobb that was in the United States Treasury
department I suppose you know [w]ho he is I was in the battle & came safe out
of it I thought that I saw hard sights on the Peninsular but it was nothing
compared to the slaughter that our Artilery had done in this State James
Colley was wounded in the leg slightly & I am sorry to say Mrs Bonneys son
was killed in the battle day before yesterday he belonged to the tenth Maine
you wanted to know what the reason was that Frank Tebbetts & William
Hamilton was in Alaxandria for they was sick & I am glad to say that
Tebbetts is well & in the ranks again I only write these few lines to let you know
that I am well &  hope this will find you the same I told you if they would
only let McClelan alone he would finish things & I think so now does not things
look brighter than they did A few months ago when they gave the command
to Another, P.S. have you hear anything from George because I have not
From you son Joseph Leavitt

Letters from Joseph Leavitt, of the 5th Maine, and his brother George of the 5th New York were copied into a ledger by their father in the fall of 1865 as a keepsake of sons both of whom died in the war, George at 2nd Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania.   At this date George has already been killed but his brother has not yet received the news.

MSS 66

[from the diary of Joseph Addison Waddell civilian employee of the Quartermaster Dept.]

[from the diary of William M. Blackford, bank officer and former diplomat with five sons in the Confederate Army]

Saturday 20  We never had so small
an offering–not a single new piece
of paper and in all not more
than 6000$  Money is redundant
every where–The official account
of the capture of Harpers Ferry
gives greater proportion to the
success than the first reports–More
than 11,000 prisoners.  the same number
of small arms, 70 cannon and  im
mense quantities of ammunition[?] &
ordnance stores & wagons Our
loss only 4 killed & 40 wounded
No one killed in  he 11 Regt at
Boonesborough. Major Clements sup-
-posed to be mortally wounded–Ad
-jutant John Daniel wounded in
the hand.  The Home Guard went
into action 16 strong & had 8 wounded
-we have renewed assurances that
we whipped the enemy thoroughly on
Wednesday–Nashville & Cumberland
Gap evacuated.  Loring has had
another victory capturing 500
prisoners at Buffalo–30 miles
below Charlotte
Among the letters in my box was
one directed in a disguised hand
to my care for Mr. Kinckle–the char
acter of which I at once divined
on his opening it, he read a very hand
somely expressed note begging him
to accept the enclosed money as a
“thank offering” for God’s mercies to
our country & to the [?] , and
leaving it to his discretion to apply
it to the proposed orphan asylum
or to the wants of the poor. The
note contained $100. I have no sus
picion whence it comes.  I wrote to
Philip Williams to day to thank him
& Mrs. W. & Barton & his wife for
their exceeding kindness to Lanty
on all  [?]  I am glad to have
now an occasion of holding commu
nication with a friend of near half
a centurys standing

MSS 4763

[from the diary of Anne Madison Willis Ambler]

Early this morning we were roused by
Pa shouting–Mr Ambler- Mr Ambler
wake up, our army is retreating like all
blazes, – here is Tom Marshall after you;
Mr A jumped up  hurried on his clothes
when he got down found that cousin James
Keith had star[t]ed out of town in a
hurry as it was reported the Yankees
were comeing & came by to warn you–stood
calling out of doors , Oh Jack–Jack–Miss
Fannie–but Pa heard him first-
Mr Ambler [?]-  go to bed Keith there
is plenty of time, we will see about it
after breakfast is ready–“No I must go now
he said & think you ought to too as I came
by here for you”–But after a little more
remonstrance he consented. took a nap, eat
his breakfast & departed alone as Mr A was
quite cool & determined to wait- & see if
it was really true–that the Yankees were in
town.  Robert, Isiah & Will all left to
join their companies met Nat coming at last
soon after Hite & Beale, than Major Carter & two sons
so we had quite a Co. to dinner–finished your
colored shirt & made a gray flannel–Bertie E[mma] & F[annie]
made three shirts for Nat–so we were
all as busy as possible.

[partially transcribed in 1972 by her granddaughter Anne Madison Wright Baylor]

MSS 15406

[from the diary of Eliza Oswald Hill, refugee from Wilmington, N.C.]

Saturday 20th  We at last have rain & with it some vivid flashes of light
-ning which prevents my writing a letter to little willie–It has been
raining all night–& from appearances it will continue to do so all
day $50 more made at the Fair last night+ I did not attend it being
too warm & too crowded int he small room the girls had for the oc
-casion–the room with the table could conveniently have held twenty
persons–& I am certain 50 or 100 crowded in the night before–Be
-sides they had noting to sell worth $10 the whole of it–& persons only
went to give them the money–No letters or papers to day–we heard yester-
day of the death of Walker Mear’s son aged eleven months–they were very
proud of him – & he was a fine child–Heavy to the parents will
be the blow–But the child rests in the bosom of its Saviour &
is now free from the cares, sufferings, & troubles of this world
it would have been obliged to endure had it remained here—

MSS 6960