TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary of the Collection
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Inventory of the Edward W. Curtis Letters, 1855-1865, bulk 1863
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Martha Briggs, 2003. ©2002. |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
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| Creator | Curtis, Edward W. |
| Title | Edward W. Curtis Letters |
| Dates | 1855-1865 |
| Dates | bulk 1863 |
| Extent | 0.2 linear feet (1 box) |
| Abstract | Correspondence of Edward W. Curtis of Massachusetts, a private in the 88th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War. Also includes clippings relating to battles, the life of Federal soldiers, and hospital listings near Nashville, Tennessee. |
| Language | Finding aid is written in English. |
| Repository | Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
| Collection Call Number | Vault Case MS 10016 |
| Collection Stack Location | Vault 35 4 |
Administrative Information
Cite As
Edward W. Curtis Letters, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Provenance
Purchased from Charles Apfelbaum Rare Manuscripts and Archives, 2002.
Processed by
Kelly Laas, 2002.
Access
The Edward W. Curtis Letters are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 5 folders at a time maximum, and items in each folder will be counted before and after delivery to the patron (Priority I).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Edward W. Curtis Letters are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
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Biography of Edward W. Curtis
Civil War soldier in the 88th Illinois Infantry.
Hatfield, Massachusetts native Edward W. Curtis enlisted as a private in the 88th Infantry Illinois Volunteers (also known as the Second Board of Trade Regiment) on August 15, 1862. Though Curtis was never injured, long marches left him weak, with the result that he was often transfered to a convalescent camp and left to catch up with his company later. He was mustered in August 27, 1862 and spent most of his time with his company (Company I) in Tennessee around Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Salem; and in Alabama at Bridgeport. Curtis was mustered out on June 16, 1865.
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Scope and Content of the Collection
Edward W. Curtis' pre-war and Civil War correspondence, 1855-1865, with enclosed newspaper clippings.
Pre-war letters from Curtis to his aunt (Rachel W. Kingsley) and his father (name unknown) discuss his religious sentiments, farm and business conditions, and other family matters. They are written from Northampton and Cambridgeport, Massachusetts. Curtis' letters to his cousin, Seth, and aunt, Rachel Kingsley, while serving with the 88th Illinois Infantry in Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Salem in Tennessee, and Bridgeport in Alabama discuss the Battle of Murfreesboro and describe a plantation, life as a soldier and camp conditions, and the occupied South. There is also one letter to Edward W. Curtis from his friend, E. M. Dunham, and there are a few newspaper clippings discussing the battles near Nashville, hospitals in the area, and the meaning of letters to soldiers.
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Arrangement
The letters are arranged chronologically.
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Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Newberry Library's public catalog. Researchers desiring additional materials on a particular topic should search the catalog using these headings.
Names
- Curtis, Edward W. -- Correspondence
- Kingsley family -- Correspondence
- Dunham, E. M. -- Correspondence
- United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 88th (1862-1865)
Subjects
- Correspondence -- Massachusetts -- 1851-1900
- Correspondence -- Tennessee -- 1851-1900
- Families--Massachusetts -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
- Manuscripts, American
- Pictorial Lettersheets
- Plantations -- Tennessee -- History -- 19th century
- Soldiers -- Tennessee -- Correspondence
- Soldiers' writings, American
- Stones River, Battle of, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 1862-1863
- Tennessee -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
- Tennessee -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Military Life
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal Narratives
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Container List |
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| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Father, Northampton, MA (farm matters), Jul. 18, 1855 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Aunt, Cambridgeport, MA (illness, death, visiting home), Nov. 7, 1859 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Aunt, Cambridgeport, MA (family, business), Jan. 23, 1860 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Irene Curtis (Grandmother), [Cambridgeport, MA], (illness), Envelope, Mar. 1, 1860 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Rachel W. Kingsley (Aunt), Cambridgeport, MA (religion, family), Aug. 6, 1860 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Rachel W. Kingsley (Aunt), Cambridgeport, MA (travel), Envelope, Aug. 23, 1860 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Aunt and Cousins, Cambridgeport, MA (event in Boston, family), Nov. 8, 1860 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Rachel W. Kingsley (Aunt), Nashville, TN (Nashville, troop movement, southern countryside, guard duty, camp life, religion Rosencranz), Nov. 16, 1862 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to "Friends," Nashville, TN (convalescence, food prices, Murfreesboro: Battle of Stones River, guerillas), Envelope, Jan. 1, 4, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Rachel W. Kingsley, Nashville, TN (lack of pay, rations, troop movement, dead and wounded), newspaper clipping, Feb. 6, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Aunt, Nashville, TN (clothing prices, dangers of battle, picket duty, marching, questioning superiors, lice, southern plants), Feb. 12, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Rachel W. Kingsley (Aunt), Nashville, TN (pay, newspapers, food prices, religion, baking), newspaper clippings, Mar. 27, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Cousin Elbridge, Camp Shaeffer, Murfreesboro, TN (tents, State House, returning and reporting for duty, camp, destruction of town, battlefield, injuries, countryside), Apr. 10, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Rachel W. Kingsley (Aunt), On "Grand Guard" Salem, TN (advance post, deserted plantations, tent), May 10, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Aunt, Camp Shaeffer, Murfreesboro, TN (preparing to march, pickets, fortifications), newspaper clipping, Patriotic vignette, May 21, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 16 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Aunt, Near Salem TN (weather, marching orders, religion, rations, expecting attack), Jun. 4, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 17 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Rachel W. Kingsley (Aunt), Manchester, TN (marching to Chattanooga, weather, fight), Jun. 28, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 18 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Rachel W. Kingsley (Aunt), Cowan's Station on Nashville to Chattanooga Railroad, TN (weather, delays, weakness), Jul. 6, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 19 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Aunt, Camp at Cowan's Station, TN (stamps, poor health, countryside, hopes for end of war), Jul. 18, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 20 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Rachel W. Kingsley (Aunt), Bridgeport, TN (returning soldiers, railroad, Bridgeport, rebel brigade, food, supplies from home), Aug. 10, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 21 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Cousin Seth, Bridgeport, TN (returning soldier, religion, preparing to march, deserters, rations, invalid corps), Aug. 17, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 22 | Letter, Curtis, Edward W. to Aunt, Convalescent Camp, Bridgeport, TN (convalescent camp), Sep. 16, 1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 23 | Letter, Dunham, E. M. to Edward W. Curtis, Murfreesboro, TN (train, Sherman's army, location of company), Mar. 1, 1865 | |||||||||