Papers, 1861-1864.

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Papers, 1861-1864.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/207181203

This collection contains Private Willoughby's letters to his wife, Nancy Wheelwright Willoughby ( - ), 1861-1864, as well as typescript copies of these originals. There is also a typescript copy of a diary kept by Willoughby from January to October 1864 (when he was mustered out), in addition to a folder of Willoughby family genealogical material. The letters contain informative references to the Company's training camp in Annapolis, Maryland, and its subsequent service in parts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia. There are detailed descriptions of the hard life on board troop ships, the soldiers' poor diet, the high mortality rate due to disease and poor medical care, the rigors of picket duty, and the ineffectiveness of corrupt and frequently drunken officers and physicians. He included descriptions of the Southern topography and the devastated villages, as well as his opinions concerning notable generals, the effectiveness of black troops, and the Union's chances of success. The majority of the earlier letters were written from encampments in St. Augustine, Florida, and New Bern, North Carolina. Many letters are devoted to Willoughby's entrepreneurial activities, with orders to his wife for shirts, caps, shoes, and large quantities of foodstuffs which he sold to his fellow soldiers at a sizable profit, frequently in return for the purchase of their state bounty drafts. Upon Willoughby's return to New Haven, soldiers wrote to him with further orders for clothing. Beginning in the latter part of 1863, Willoughby saw active duty in Petersburg and Deep Bottom, Virginia, and during the siege of Charleston, South Carolina. These letters contain descriptions of battles, Confederate charges, ambushes, life in the trenches, long marches, and the high Confederate desertion rate. Willoughby's diary is even more informative concerning the war itself, through vivid descriptions of the Petersburg fighting, camp life, "socializing" in nearby towns, the execution of a deserter, and Willoughby's feelings upon returning home in October.

1 box.

American Antiquarian Society

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 7000750

American Antiquarian Society

Related Entities

There are 4 Entities related to this resource.

Willoughby, William Augustus, 1817-1887

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6tb2jm5 (person)

William Augustus Willoughby (1817-1887) of York Street, New Haven, Conn., was a private with Company A, 10th Connecticut Infantry Volunteers, for the period September 1861 to October 1864. He apparently served as cook and as a clerk to the sutler before seeing active duty during the latter part of his enlistment. From the description of Papers, 1861-1864. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 207181203 ...

United States. Army. Connecticut Infantry Regiment, 10th.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6wq58c8 (corporateBody)

Willoughby, Nancy Wheelwright.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w69s32vq (person)

United States. Army

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6km312r (corporateBody)

The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States Armed Forces and performs land-based military operations. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 2, Clause 1 and United States Code, Title 10, Subtitle B, Chapter 301, Section 3001. As the largest and senior branch of the U.S. military, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which wa...