Here are a few of my great, great grandfather’s letters. He was writing in his tent as he bivouacked, on the roadside while on the march, and from dirty trenches on the Virginia battlefields. The letters are written on tiny pieces of paper. Since stationary was scarce, my great, great grandfather used all available space, sometimes writing horizontally and vertically, and even using the margins. Despite their faded, weathered condition, most of the letters are legible and have been preserved for over one hundred and twenty-five years.
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I’ve donated the letter collection to the John J. Burns Library at Boston College. To view the letters online click here. Attention educators, the letters can be viewed in person by appointment. Please contact the Burns Library reference staff at burnsref@bc.edu or (617) 552-4861 to arrange a field trip.