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Special Collections Research Center
William & Mary Special Collections Research CenterKaren King, SCRC Staff
Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
The George L. Hersum Letters were part of the Civil War Collection, Mss. 39.1 C76, until November 2017. The former citation was Civil War Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
This collection consists of letters written by George L. Hersum, Sergeant in the 5th New Hampshire Infantry, Company A, to his wife, while he was stationed in or near Alexandria, Richmond, Yorktown, Harrison's Landing, and Falmouth, Virginia.
A letter from George L. Hersum to his wife, recounts his arrival in Alexandria from Manassas Junction. He will soon board a steamboat to travel the river to Fort Monroe. He has had a hard time since they left Camp California. He ehxorts her to keep up good courage and hopes this war will be closed before July. He tells her the rebels cannot stand it much longer; they drove them seven miles. The rebels fled across the Rappahannock river and then blew up the bridge.
A letter from George L. Hersum to his wife discusses how they're close to the rebels and expect a fight at every moment. He talks of making entrenchments. He says "Let them come. They will find the old 5th (what there is left of them) ready for them."