Rice, James B.

Nothing is known of James B. Rice other than what can be deduced from the letters. He received letters addressed to "Dear Nephew" dated from Barre (no state given, possibly Vermont), to "Dear Brother" from Perkinsville (no state given, possibly Vermont), and to "Dear Cousin" from Boston. In 1865 he was Third Assistant Engineer on the USS Daylight, a screw steamer in the Union fleet. The Daylight (1859-1865) was used primarily for blockade duty in the waters of Virginia; some of the letters are addressed to Rice in the vicinity of Fortress Monroe and the James River.

From the guide to the James B. Rice Letters, 1865, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)