Letters & Diaries
letters and diary
Gallaher Family (1861-1865)
DeWitt Clinton Gallaher was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, (later West Virginia), on August 2, 1845. As a youth, he moved with his family to Waynesboro, Virginia, and later attended school at Hampden-Sydney College, Washington College (now Washington and Lee), Munich University, Germany, and the University of Virginia. During the war, DeWitt Clinton Gallaher served in the 1st Virginia Cavalry. After the war Gallaher moved to Charleston, West Virginia, to practice law. He died in 1926.
William B. Gallaher enlisted in May 1861 in the 1st Virginia Cavalry. He served for only a few months before he resigned for ill health in August 1861.
The following links provide access to the most likely matches in the Valley of the Shadow databases:
Gallaher Household
Military Service
This collection mostly includes letters from William B. Gallaher to his mother, father, and brothers during his months of service with the 1st Virginia Cavalry. He describes camp life, encounters with the enemy, and the casualties of war. An additional letter from 1865 concerns a business contract.
In his diary, DeWitt Clinton Gallaher describes his service in the 1st Virginia Cavalry, including details about his work as a provost guard and comments on his relationship with fellow officers and soldiers.