Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Joseph McGill Letter, Ms1989-105, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Joseph McGill Letter was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1989.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Joseph McGill Letter commenced and was completed in March 2022.

Biographical Note

Joseph McGill, son of Stewart and Margaret McGill, was born in Ohio on April 4, 1837. He appears in the 1850 federal census among the McGill children living in the Washington (Guernsey County) home of his parents. Joseph McGill enlisted at age 23 for three years' service in Company H, 40th Ohio Infantry on September 25, 1861. Records list him as absent, sick in hospital at Louisville, Kentucky on December 2, 1864; he was mustered out at Columbus, Ohio upon expiration of three years' service on December 10. He married Melila Anderson near Liberty, Ohio, on April 17, 1866; the 1880 federal census records the McGills living and farming in Guernsey County with two children. Following the 1883 death of his first wife, McGill married Cora Leona Farrar (1859-1943); the couple had one daughter. Joseph McGill died in Cambridge (Guernsey County), Ohio on February 19, 1912, and was buried in Northwood Cemetery, Cambridge.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a single letter written by Joseph McGill, a private in Company H, 40th Ohio Infantry during the American Civil War. Addressed to Stewart and Margaret McGill, the letter was written at Wartrace, Tennessee on July 24, 1863. After relaying the opinion within the regiment that the war will soon be over and that they will be returning to Kentucky, McGill discusses his recent duty guarding the brigade commissary and tending the beef cattle with Eli Miller.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Joseph McGill Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).