Letters, 1860-1865, to Eliza Nutting Jewett.

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Letters, 1860-1865, to Eliza Nutting Jewett.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/12539916

An important collection of approx. 175 letters written by a soldier in the Civil War to his fiance (and, later, wife). Jewett enlisted as a private with the 2nd Mass. Vols., marched south with the Army of the Potomac and fought at Antietam and in campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley in 1862. In 1863 he accepted a commission in Col. Shaw's 54th Reg't. stationed off the S.C. Coast, and describes the attack by black soldiers and their white officers on Ft. Wagner in which he was wounded. During 1864 Jewett, who had been promoted to Capt., fought along the coast from Hilton Head to Jacksonville, and was again wounded, at Olustee. Jewett's letters are notable for their literacy and sensitivity to the horrors of war. In great detail, he describes both the endless monotony of camp life and his private feelings in the thick of battle.

3 boxes (ca. 175 items)

Boston Athenaeum

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SNAC Resource ID: 6817676

Related Entities

There are 4 Entities related to this resource.

Shaw, Robert Gould, 1837-1863

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6998x6m (person)

Shaw was born in Boston to abolitionists Francis George and Sarah Blake (Sturgis) Shaw, who were well-known Unitarian philanthropists and intellectuals of Scottish descent. The Shaws had the benefit of a large inheritance left by Shaw's merchant grandfather and namesake Robert Gould Shaw (1775–1853). Shaw had four sisters—Anna, Josephine (Effie), Susanna, and Ellen (Nellie). When Shaw was five years old, the family moved to a large estate in West Roxbury, adjacent to Brook Farm. During his te...

Jewett, Richard Henry Lee, 1834-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6c56kgj (person)

1834, July 10. Born West Greenwich, R.I. 1862, Aug. 30. Enlisted as private, 2nd Mass. Infantry. 1863, March 5. Commissioned 2nd Lieut. 54th Mass. Reg't. 1863, May 22. 1st Lieut. 1863. July 19. Capt. 1863, July 18. Wounded, Ft. Wagner, S.C. 1864, Feb. 20. Wounded, Olustee, Florida, 1865, June 19. Resigned commission. 1863. May 13. Married Eliza Nutting in Chicago. After War re...

United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 2nd (1861-1864)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66q5r38 (corporateBody)

United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 54th (1863-1865)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68d3pnc (corporateBody)