Morris Family (1861-1864) Letters from members of the Morris family in Co. A, 63 Penn. Vols. [decimalized: .001-.104]
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06451 Author/Creator: Morris Family (1861-1864) Place Written: [various places] Type: Header Record Date: 1861-1864 Pagination: 66 letters+37 env. Order a Copy
This collection consists of the compelling correspondence between four brothers serving in the Union Army and their family at home in Pennsylvania from early 1861 to late 1864. The bulk of the collection is Wilmor Morris' correspondence with his parents and brothers in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, but he also received several letters from other members of Company A. There are three letters from his good friend James Miller who was killed in the Battle of the Wilderness on 6 May 1864. There is a letter from Captain William Smith who was wounded at Fair Oaks, Virginia on 31 May 1863. Samuel L. Pedan, 1st lieutenant with Company A, also wrote. He was ultimately court-martialed and discharged from the service. There is a letter from James McAtee who served with Company A until transferred to Company A of the 99th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. McAtee was wounded in action on 29 August 1862.
The letters provide vivid descriptions of the battlefield, army movements, camp life, and hospitalization. They also reveal how the family members supported each other through the separation and trials of war. Many letters discuss important contemporary issues and events such as the removal of McClellan (#36, #58), the freeing of slaves (#58), North Carolina rejoining the Union (#49), and the Monitor's famous victory over the Merrimac (#43).
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