Twelve letters of John J. Russell of Sterling, Illinois, documenting his service as a sergeant and 2nd lieutenant in Company B of the 13th Illinois Infantry in Missouri, Mississippi, and Alabama. Russell writes to his brother, Charles, and sister, Julia, from Rolla, Franklin, and Heetsville, Mo., Vicksburg, Miss., Cairo, Ill., and Bridgeport and Madison Station, Ala. One letter (Dec. 6, 1861) is written on stationery containing a printed vignette portrait of McClellan.

Vermont native who settled in Princeton, Bureau County, Illinois, in 1846 and practiced law there for over sixty years. Papers include extensive records of Kendall's legal practice, family correspondence, and real estate records.