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Hobson, Edward Henry, 1825-1901 (Mss 736), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Hobson, Edward Henry, 1825-1901 (Mss 736), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 736. Photocopied correspondence of Brigadier General Edward H. Hobson of Greensburg, Kentucky. Letters from his family in Bowling Green, Kentucky, fellow soldiers, colleagues and citizens of Greensburg cover his Mexican War and Civil War service, his business ventures, and attempts to win political office. Includes Hobson's memoranda of actions against Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan in 1864, a list of prisoners taken from Morgan's and other brigades, and a letter from Hobson's nephew deploring an 1892 lynching in Bowling Green, Kentucky (Click on "Additional Files" below).
Sumpter Family Collection (Mss 735), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Sumpter Family Collection (Mss 735), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 735. Correspondence and papers of the family of Captain Charles Ward of Plymouth, New Hampshire, including descendants in the Sumpter family of Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Sinnet, Edwin, 1827-1902 (Sc 3528), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Sinnet, Edwin, 1827-1902 (Sc 3528), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below). Letter, 21 January 1862, written to his wife in Granville, Ohio, by Dr. Edwin Sinnet while serving as a surgeon with the 94th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. From Mill Springs Kentucky, he writes of the fate of the Confederate forces after the recent battle: their ill-advised attack from their winter quarters; their flight and abandonment of arms, equipment and horses; their burning of flatboats used to cross the Cumberland River; and the “bloody corpses” scattered across fields and roads. He tells of encountering a survivor still lying wounded on the battlefield.
Hebron, John L., 1842-1914 (Sc 3522), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Hebron, John L., 1842-1914 (Sc 3522), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescript for Manuscripts Small Collection 3522. Letter, 28 September 1861, to his mother from John L. Hebron, serving with the 2nd Ohio Infantry at Camp King near Covington, Kentucky. He describes his travel from Camp Dennison in Ohio, camping and drilling, and the shooting of an African American by a guard. He acknowledges receipt of a needle book and expresses a desire to procure oilcloth for a blanket. He reports on efforts to raise another company in Ohio, the treatment of the men by officers, and the absence of “secesh women” in that part of the state.
Wallar, James Leaman, 1837-1933 (Sc 3518), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Wallar, James Leaman, 1837-1933 (Sc 3518), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3518. Letter, 21 October 1861, to his mother and sisters from James L. Wallar of Marshall, Illinois, serving with the 40th Illinois Volunteers at Paducah, Kentucky. He describes the current circumstances of his regiment: the possibility of winter quarters; the drill and guard routine; construction of fortifications; the wounding of pickets and scouts and the funeral procession of one who was killed; the capture of Confederates; and the local flora. He asks about his crops at home and the possibilities of sale, and notes an “ugly letter” …
Shuster, John W., 1846-1916 (Sc 3512), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Shuster, John W., 1846-1916 (Sc 3512), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and full text transcripts (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3512. Letters, 26 June and 19 July 1864, to Ensign Chubb, Canfield, Ohio, from John W. Shuster, serving with Company H of the 139th Indiana Volunteers. From Fort Jones, Lebanon Junction, Kentucky, he writes of illness in camp, July Fourth celebrations, the predations of “bushwackers,” and the popularity of Democratic presidential candidate George B. McClellan (“little Mac”) among the troops.
Peter, William Henry, 1840-1865 (Sc 3510), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Peter, William Henry, 1840-1865 (Sc 3510), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and full text transcripts (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3510. Letters from W. Henry Peter to his sister in Brighton, Illinois. Stationed with the 122nd Illinois Infantry at Paducah, Kentucky on 11 December 1863, he recounts his regiment’s travel there by steamer to a camp site previously occupied by another regiment. He reports receiving a backlog of mail, expresses confidence in the strength of his regiment’s position and its supporting gunboats, and urges her and other family members to visit him. His letter of 12January 1864 reports his assignment as clerk for a military …
Stuver, Aaron S., 1842-1894 (Sc 3505), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Stuver, Aaron S., 1842-1894 (Sc 3505), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescript of letter (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3505. Letter, 26 July 1863, of Aaron S. Stuver, written to his sister Emma from Cincinnati, Ohio while serving with the 115th Ohio Volunteers. He describes the defense of Cincinnati from Confederate guerrilla John Hunt Morgan during his raid through Ohio and Indiana, and the funeral of Major Daniel McCook, whose six sons also served in the Army and who was killed at the Battle of Buffington Island. Stuver remarks on the likely effects of conscription on the length of the war, and on the …
Skinner, Asahel, 1814-1902 (Sc 3506), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Skinner, Asahel, 1814-1902 (Sc 3506), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3506. Application, affidavit, and power of attorney, 4 May 1869, of Asahel Skinner, made to recover the amount of a claim for property loss in connection with the Morgan Raid of 1863 in Meigs County, Ohio. The form, headed “Morgan Raid Claims,” was completed pursuant to an Act of the Ohio Legislature passed 26 April 1869 authorizing such compensation. Includes a photocopy from an unidentified report indicating that Skinner received $220.00 for two horses, a colt, bridles and provisions.
Madden, Cornelius J., 1842-1903 (Sc 3494), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Madden, Cornelius J., 1842-1903 (Sc 3494), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescript of letter (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3494. Letter, 17 November 1862, to his mother from Cornelius Madden, serving with the 102nd Ohio Infantry at Bowling Green, Kentucky. He describes an increase in patrols and fortifications precipitated by rumors of guerrilla leader John Hunt Morgan’s presence in the area. Anticipating an encampment for the winter, he suggests his mother and other “widows” send a box of provisions, prepaid in order to save expense. He reports hearing nothing of his father, also in military service, who he believes to be at Nashville, Tennessee. …
Gray, John H. (Sc 3483), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Gray, John H. (Sc 3483), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and full-text scan of typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3483. Letter, 15 October 1862, to his family from John H. Gray, serving with the 101st Indiana Infantry. He describes his experiences en route to Perryville, Kentucky in the wake of the recent battle there: the lack of rations that required improvisation when preparing meals, the prevalence of diarrhea (“the quick step”) among the troops, and his hospitalization at Perryville, where he sees the decaying body of a Confederate soldier, houses and hospitals full of suffering wounded, piles of spent ammunition, and destruction of …
Warr, Joseph W., 1836-1864 (Sc 3482), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Warr, Joseph W., 1836-1864 (Sc 3482), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescript (Click on “Additional Files” below for Manuscripts Small Collection 3482. Letter, 11 February 1862, to his mother and siblings from Joseph Warr, Company A, 2nd Minnesota Volunteers. From Somerset, Kentucky, he writes of troop movements toward Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he expects a victorious battle. He describes a recent encounter with Confederate forces crossing the Cumberland River and the severe wounds of those taken prisoner, but declares that the enemy would otherwise have shown no mercy. He notes the long knives of the Confederates (“Mississippi toothpicks”) and the homemade quality of their uniforms. He also urges …
Hardesty, Isaac Ellis, 1841-1917 (Sc 3464), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Hardesty, Isaac Ellis, 1841-1917 (Sc 3464), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescripts (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3464. Letters, 11 September 1862 and 4 April 1863, to his family from Isaac Hardesty, serving with the 99th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. From camp near Covington, Kentucky, he reports on his health and his efforts to have his clothing shipped home; he also describes his fortified camp, the sounds of battle nearby, the dangers posed to pickets, and his pleasure at glimpsing his home state from the nearby hills. From Louisville, Kentucky, he writes of his painful arm and his longing to be at home, but without …
Adams, Marion Lee, 1930-2013 - Collector (Sc 3462), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Adams, Marion Lee, 1930-2013 - Collector (Sc 3462), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3462. Revolutionary War pension claim of Richard Wade, Cumberland County, Kentucky; and Civil War military service record of John Crittenden Bolin, Russell County, Kentucky.
Reppert, Charles Kramer, 1842-1921 (Sc 3456), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Reppert, Charles Kramer, 1842-1921 (Sc 3456), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3456. Letter, 24 July 1864, of Charles K. Reppert, Louisville, Kentucky, to his brother William E. Reppert, then serving with a Pennsylvania cavalry company at Nashville, Tennessee. He reports on the progress of their business making and marketing “Silver Pearl Soap,” the difficulty of trade in Kentucky without proof of loyalty to the Union, and his hopes to eventually sell the business. He also remarks on an upcoming military draft and that “the Negro Enlistments have cleared Kentucky.”
Obetz, Jeremiah H., 1843-1923 (Sc 3444), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Obetz, Jeremiah H., 1843-1923 (Sc 3444), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and full-text scan of transcriptions (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3444. Letters of Jeremiah H. Obetz, Manheim, Pennsylvania, to his former employer Henry C. Gingrich, written during his service with the 9th Pennsylvania (Lochiel) Cavalry at Camp Dunham near Bowling Green, Kentucky, and at Camp Andy Johnson near Jeffersonville, Indiana. Obetz describes the pursuit of Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan, the death of a comrade, camp life, and his confidence that England could not interfere successfully against the Union. He also reports on the strength of fortifications at recently recaptured Bowling Green. Suffering from …
Gibble, Harrison H., 1822-1898 (Sc 3443), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Gibble, Harrison H., 1822-1898 (Sc 3443), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Letter, 5 January 1862, of Harrison Gibble, 79th Pennsylvania Infantry, to his friend Henry Gingrich in Manheim, Pennsylvania. From Camp Wood, Munfordville, Kentucky, Gibble writes of the cold weather, the repair of a bridge across the Green River that had been destroyed by Confederates, the construction of floating bridges, and his company’s anticipated move to Cave City, Kentucky. He also relays reports of Confederate withdrawal toward Nashville and of 5,000 sick in hospital at Bowling Green. He mentions the names of other Manheim soldiers in his regiment, asks Gingrich to draw funds for his wife out of his next pay, …
Gray, John H. (Sc 3445), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Gray, John H. (Sc 3445), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3445. Letter, 17 October [1862], to his sister Jennie from John H. Gray, serving with the 101st Indiana Infantry. Recovering in hospital at Perryville, Kentucky after an arduous march, he describes conditions in the aftermath of the Battle of Perryville: property damage, unburied dead, Confederate prisoners of war, the suffering of the wounded, and shortages of food and water. He regrets being unable to recuperate without benefit of a furlough and, as he prepares to rejoin his regiment, refers sarcastically to the “lovely war.”
Johnson, Samuel F. (Sc 3442), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Johnson, Samuel F. (Sc 3442), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and full-text scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3442. Telegram, 17 October [1864], from Hopkinsville, Kentucky of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel F. Johnson to Colonel Cicero Maxwell in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He advises that Confederate General Hylan B. Lyon’s troops are in Providence, Kentucky “sweeping every horse mule & man in their course.” Johnson asks for mounted troops and a supply of ammunition to be sent to him at Russellville, Kentucky, failing which Lyon’s troops “will get out with their plunder & hundreds of recruits.”
Newcomb, Horatio Dalton, 1809-1874 (Sc 3437), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Newcomb, Horatio Dalton, 1809-1874 (Sc 3437), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3437. Letter, 9 March 1863, from H. D. Newcomb, Louisville, Kentucky, to Sumner(?) Wells, Chicopee, Massachusetts, asking for help in locating a suitable house for his sister in nearby Springfield. Newcomb also offers his thoughts on the Civil War: his proximity to its “desolating influences” in contrast to New England; the disunion perpetrated by the “imbecile abolitionists” of the Lincoln Administration; the corruption of the government; the financial perils of the war; and the necessity for a negotiated peace with the Confederacy.
Griffin, Lowell M. (Mss 669), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Griffin, Lowell M. (Mss 669), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 669. Civil War related material, chiefly recorded audio presentations to the Louisville Civil War Round Table of which Lowell Griffin was a member. Also includes some news clippings about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln as well as transcripts of several presentations on Civil War topics.
Todd, Theophilus Law, 1841-1963 (Sc 3435), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Todd, Theophilus Law, 1841-1963 (Sc 3435), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3435. Letter, 19-21 September 1862, from Theophilus L. Todd to his sister Agnes Jane Todd. Camped near Louisville, Kentucky while serving with the 93rd Ohio Infantry, Todd thanks her for a package of food and clothing. He describes his surroundings and camp life, including the friendly reception the troops received in Louisville and competition between the camp sutler and local women in the sale of foodstuffs. He also writes critically of the behavior of Brigadier General James S. Jackson during a lengthy and tiresome review of the brigade.
Mcbride, John Randolph, 1841-1912 (Sc 3433), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Mcbride, John Randolph, 1841-1912 (Sc 3433), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3433. Letter, 1 May 1862, of John R. McBride to Lucas F. Smith, Bluffton, Indiana. Serving with the 33rd Indiana Volunteers, McBride describes the march from Lexington, Kentucky to their present encampment near Cumberland Ford on the Cumberland River, and the current command structure. He asks about Bluffton’s young women and lightheartedly complains about the absence of eggs from his diet. He also recalls his fortunes after leaving Bluffton, which included a year of homesickness and then enlistment for service in order to return home “with a …
Daniel, Hannah (Lewis) Hawkins, 1833-1870 (Sc 3413), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Daniel, Hannah (Lewis) Hawkins, 1833-1870 (Sc 3413), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below" for Manuscripts Small Collection 3413. Letter, 31 October 1864, of Hannah Hawkins Daniel, Poplar Plains (Fleming County), Kentucky, to her brother Dr. Henry H. Lewis, Salt Lick (Bath County), Kentucky. She writes of a possible raid on Flemingsburg, and of the fate of a party of looters in the area. She also laments the difficulties of horse travel, reports hearing of conflict over the military draft from a correspondent in Iowa, and invites a member of Lewis’s household to visit “if there are no Rebs between here & there.”
Fleming, Peter F., B. 1842? (Sc 3392), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Fleming, Peter F., B. 1842? (Sc 3392), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3392. Letter, 7 December 1862, from Peter Fleming of the 96th Illinois Volunteers, Company E, to his friend Thomas Elliott. From Camp Beard at Danville, Kentucky, he writes of the cold weather, the good turnpike roads, the presence of troops in the vicinity, and the satisfactory food supply. He also mentions the names of several of his comrades in Company E.
Messer, George, 1833-1863 (Sc 3385), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Messer, George, 1833-1863 (Sc 3385), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and full text transcript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3385. Letter, 14 December 1862, of George Messer, 107th Illinois Infantry, to his wife Lottie in Clinton, Illinois. He describes the march to camp near Munfordville, Kentucky, the layout of the camp, and nearby graves, the result of an earlier engagement. He outlines the position of other troops in the area and lists the names of several men who have deserted from his company. He makes some critical remarks about his father at home and expresses confidence in Lottie’s ability to manage his domestic affairs.
Clarke, Marcellus Jerome, 1844-1865 - Relating To (Sc 3393), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Clarke, Marcellus Jerome, 1844-1865 - Relating To (Sc 3393), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid for Manuscripts Small Collection 3393. Clippings, some typescripted from unidentified sources, and letters about the identity and exploits of Confederate guerrilla “Sue Mundy,” the alias of Simpson County, Kentucky native Jerome Clarke. Topics covered include his family, career, burial place, the origin of the name “Sue Mundy,” and the resulting confusion over whether “Sue” was actually a woman. Also includes an abstract of the U.S. War Department’s record of his court martial.
Johnston, Joseph E., 1875-1970 (Sc 3382), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Johnston, Joseph E., 1875-1970 (Sc 3382), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3382. Letters of Joe E. Johnston, Pleasureville, Kentucky, to Mary Ellen Richards, Franklin, Kentucky. He discusses his activities, his book Life Begins at Eighty, and his father, Captain I. N. Johnston, an escapee from Virginia’s Libby Prison during the Civil War. Includes clippings about Johnston and his father.
Civil War Collections In Manuscripts & Folklife Archives At Western Kentucky University, Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Civil War Collections In Manuscripts & Folklife Archives At Western Kentucky University, Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
This is a list of collections in the Manuscripts & Folklife Archives holdings of WKU’s Department of Library Special Collections that relate to the Civil War. Included are letters and diaries of soldiers and civilians, military records and papers, and other, mostly unpublished material. Our collections are particularly strong on Bowling Green, Kentucky’s Civil War history and in documenting the experiences of Kentuckians or those who passed through Kentucky and surrounding states during the war.
Messer, George, 1833-1863 (Sc 3332), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
Messer, George, 1833-1863 (Sc 3332), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
MSS Finding Aids
Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3332. Letters of George Messer to his wife Lottie, written while serving with the 107th Illinois Infantry. Writing on 7-9 December 1862 from Camp Waller near Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where part of his regiment is guarding the railroad, he describes the camp and includes a sketch; he also writes of two desertions, of procuring some fresh meat, of an officer who has contracted a venereal disease, and of the local populace who he finds “at least one half century behind the times.” In a letter of 25 July …