William B. Alexander letters, 1862.

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William B. Alexander letters, 1862.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/58567497

Four letters written by Alexander to his wife, Mary. The first two letters were composed in early March 1862 on the gunboat U.S.S. Hussar, anchored at Roanoke Island, N.C. In them, Alexander bemoaned the lack of provisions on the island and expressed hope that news of a recent, unspecified victory meant that the war was soon to end. Other topics include his participation in the seizure of a Confederate schooner and confusion over the fate of an ailing soldier who had been transferred out of Alexander's unit. The last two letters, 25 March and 2 May 1862, were written in New Bern, N.C., newly occupied by the Union Army. Alexander, wounded during the battle for the town, 14 March 1862, noted the return of New Bern's residents to their homes and shops; began planning his departure from the Army; and related the story of one Union soldier killed and three taken prisoner in a surprise encounter with Confederate soldiers.

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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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SNAC Resource ID: 7766289

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Related Entities

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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...

United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 23rd (1861-1865)

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Alexander, William B., approximately 1832-1900

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66m4vz9 (person)

William B. Alexander was born in Plymouth, Mass., around 1832. He worked as a carpenter in Boston before enlisting with the Union Army as a second lieutenant in Company B of the 3rd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, April 1861. He mustered out in July 1861, but returned to service in December of that same year as a captain in the 23rd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Company E. On 8 February 1862, the 23rd participated in the Battle of Roanoke Island (N.C.), which ended in a Union victory. In a l...