During the war, John B. Baldwin served as colonel of the 52nd Virginia Infantry and colonel of the Augusta Reserves. He also represented Augusta County in the Confederate Congress. In this wartime letter (1861) appearing in a newspaper, Baldwin discusses secession, revolution, and Southern unity against Northern aggression. You may also read Baldwin’s postwar account of his wartime interview (1866) with Abraham Lincoln before Virginia decided on secession.

William Smith Hanger Baylor served as colonel of the 5th Virginia Infantry. His two wartime letters (1862) to his wife, Mary Baylor, record his relationship to his fellow officers and his feelings after being named a colonel. This collection includes an additional letter (1862) to Mary Baylor from Edward P. Walton, a soldier serving with her husband.

In these two wartime letters (1863), Thomas Boatwright writes to his wife about his march into Pennsylvania, the capture of property there, and his impressions of the area.

During the war, the Brooks brothers, Charles, William, Andrew, and Moffett, served in the 4th Virginia Infantry. In their wartime letters (1861-1863) home, the Brooks brothers describe their participation in battles throughout Virginia.

Camp Chase, on the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio, served as a prison during the Civil War. This collection contains three wartime letters (1862) written by Augusta soldiers while imprisoned in Camp Chase. The imprisoned soldiers recount their loneliness at Camp Chase and their daily activities.

Samuel Carson was a Confederate officer during the war. He was a member of Company D 5th Virginia Infantry and fought with that unit until he was captured and placed in a prisoner of war camp. Most of the letters in this collection are addressed to Annie Harris, a friend of his.

Benjamin F. Cochran and his brother John H. Cochran, two Augusta County natives, wrote these wartime letters (1861) to their mother. Benjamin provides the perspective of a private in the 1st Virginia Cavalry on the defense of Virginia in 1861. John also served in the Confederate military, enlisting as a private in the 46th Virginia Infantry in 1861.

Henry H. Dedrick was a private in the 52nd Virginia Infantry during the war. Dedrick was a farmer in Rockingham County before the war and in Augusta County after the war. Most of the wartime letters (1861-1863) in this collection were written by Henry Dedrick to his wife, Mary E.A. “Lissa” Dedrick. He wrote about camp life including, the scarcity of rations, the prevalence of illness, and the boredom of guard duty. Through these letters, Dedrick kept abreast of happenings at home and advised his wife in financial and familial matters.

John Dull, an Augusta County farmer, enlisted as a private in the 5th Virginia Infantry in 1864. This series of sixteen wartime letters (1864-1865) written to his wife describe his life in camp, his efforts to visit home, and his trust in God.

This collection of wartime letters (1861-1865) of the Sibert family contains correspondence between Mary Anna Sibert and soldiers fighting for the Confederacy. The letters of Clinton Hatcher, though not a resident of Augusta, reveal much about Sibert and her life at home in Mount Solon. In particular, the letters provide insight into the courtship patterns between young women and men during the war.

This collection contains wartime letters (1861-1863) written by various members of the Garber Family of Augusta County. Thomas Garber’s letters to his father, Albert Garber, and sister, Addie Garber, dominate the collection, and in them he describes his life in camp as a member of the 12th Va. Cav. and tells about that regiment’s actions in and out of the Valley. Together with other letters written by brother Michael Garber, and cousins Asher Harman, Lewis Harman, and M.G. Harman, the Garber letters offer insight into the ordeal of a southern family in wartime.

Andrew and David Gilkeson write to their brother Hugh in these three wartime letters (1862-1864). The letters cover many topics including farming and harvest prospects, the recent death of their father, and thoughts on the future of the Confederacy.

Michael G. Harman, the proprietor of a stage line and hotel in Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia, served in the 52nd Virginia Infantry, eventually attaining the rank of colonel. This collection of seven wartime letters (1861) documents his operations as commanding officer in Staunton during the latter months of 1861.

Kenton Harper served as colonel of the 5th Virginia Regiment. These five wartime letters (1861) discuss troop movements, a mutinous regiment, and military supplies.

A collection of letters written to Annie Harris during the war. Almost all of the correspondence is from two men; Samuel Franklin Carson and Tony Pastor, both of whom were soldiers in the confederate army during the war.

In these three wartime letters (1864), Confederate soldier John Hite writes from two different prisoner of war camps. He gives general information about his health and news from home, while also requesting money.

During the war, Jedediah Hotchkiss drew maps for Stonewall Jackson. This collection consists mostly of wartime letters (1861-1865) from Hotchkiss to his wife, Sara, concerning military life and family affairs.

Mollie Houser wrote most of the wartime letters (1863-1864) in this collection. In her letters to her cousin James Houser, Mollie related family news and commented upon the war. The letters reveal the changed circumstances and opportunities brought by war for an unmarried woman. Other correspondents include Kit Hanger, Julia Houser, and Willie Houser.

Adam Wise Kersh served in the 52nd Virginia Infantry. In his wartime letters to his brother, Kersh describes his duties as a soldier. Other correspondents in this collection include Kersh’s niece, Josephine, and soldiers Silas Jones and R.F. Misner.

John Letcher was the Governor of Virginia from 1860 to 1864. These two wartime letters (1861) to Letcher include a request from a Captain Trout to clarify where his unit is to be sent, and also a request from Dr. Hilleary to receive a speedy trial for his accused crime of aiding Federal troops.

The Longs were a farming family of Augusta County, Virginia. Brothers, Andrew Davidson and James F. Long, wrote these wartime letters (1864) to their sister, Cynthia, while in the 5th Virginia Infantry and 1st Virginia Cavalry, respectively.

In a letter to Reverend H. Brown on March 30, 1865, Martin discusses the distribution of religious tracts to troops. He also laments the poor treatment of returning Confederate prisoners in Richmond. You may also read a letter written to Martin by H. Brown on January 27, 1865. Brown discusses the food and conditions at camp, the health of soldiers and prisoners, and his experiences preaching to both. He also notes that morale is rising, as a result of the apparent newfound humility of President Jefferson Davis.

This collection contains letters written by two cousins, James Robert McCutchan and James Buchanan McCutchan. James R. McCutchan enlisted in Company D of the 5th Virginia on April 17, 1861, and after a year enlisted in the 14th Virginia Cavalry. His cousin, James B. McCutchan, enlisted with him in Company D of the 5th Virginia. James B. was wounded in the head at Chancellorsville, but returned to service and later was captured by Union soldiers and sent to Union prisons. Both cousins survived the war. Their thirteen wartime letters (1861-1864) to their relatives tell about their wartime activities and express a frequent longing to return home again.

In this collection of wartime letters (1861-1865), soldiers John B. McGuffin, George W. McGuffin, and George W. Baylor wrote about troop movements, battles, casualties, and camp life. Letters from home, including those by Martha L. Roadcap, John and George’s mother, and by Mary C. Baylor, George’s sister, discussed family affairs, courtship, politics, Staunton news, and crops. Other correspondents included cousin Geraldine McGuffin, another cousin named Rush, Maggie Heist, who was John B. McGuffin's sweetheart, and friends Gotlip Dalius, Gerald E. Crist, James W. Gabbert, James J. Waggoner, David B. Zimmerman, and S. E. Zimmerman.

John and Virginia Miller held correspondence with several confederate prisoners near the end of the war. In these wartime letters (1864-1865), the Millers hold correspondence with Samuel Carson among others, and discuss conditions in camp, thank the Millers for sending supplies, and make requests for additional supplies.

According to the 1860 census, John Nadenbousch was 35 years old at the outbreak of the war and lived with his wife, Hester, in Berkeley County, Virginia (which became West Virginia during the war). John enlisted in the Confederate Army and in 1863 he rented a house for his family in Staunton and purchased a local hotel. John resigned his army commission in 1864 and remained in Staunton as late as 1866, while his wife remained in Berkeley County. In his correspondence with his wife, John discussed the conditions of wartime Staunton and Augusta County, wartime slavery, Lincoln’s reelection in 1864, and the destruction of the infrastructure of the Valley during the later years of the war.

Jesse and Mary Rolston lived on a farm near Mt. Solon in Augusta County, Virginia. Jesse Rolston described his life as a soldier in the 52nd Virginia Infantry in this collection of eight wartime letters (1862-1864) to his wife.

James Schreckhise lived in Mt. Sidney in Augusta County with his parents and siblings before the war. While enthusiastic about secession, we have no record of Schreckhise serving in the Confederate army, although several members of his immediate family did so (including his brother). His wartime letters (1861-1864) to and from his family provide insight into wartime conditions in Augusta County, including issues of slavery during the war.

The Smileys owned a farm in Augusta County, Virginia. The wartime letters (1861-1865) and wartime diary (1862) of Thomas M. Smiley detail the life of a soldier in the 5th Virginia Infantry and the lives of his relatives, especially his sister and aunts, at home in Augusta.

Alexander H.H. Stuart, a prominent lawyer and politician of Augusta County, Virginia, had favored the Union, but went with his state in the Civil War. In this collection of wartime letters (1861-1863), Stuart and his correspondents discuss the possible division of Virginia over the secession question, the popular vote for secession in Virginia, political debates in Richmond, John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, and diplomatic relations with England.

Joseph Alfred Wilson and Peter Eidson Wilson wrote these wartime letters (1863) to Henry H. Hamilton, a 30-year-old Augusta County farmer. Both Wilsons—who were not brothers but may have been cousins—were natives of Augusta County and both enlisted in April 1861 in the 14th Virginia Cavalry and the 5th Virginia Infantry, respectively.

Robert Yates wrote these two letters during the fall of 1864. On August 31, 1864, Ramsey wrote to an unidentified friend from a hospital, discussing a few military campaigns and considers joining Mosby’s famed Rangers after his recovery. In a second letter on October 17, 1864, Ramsey writes from a prisoner of war camp in Maryland, describing his health and how he is comforted by his faith.