Conditions Governing Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Custodial History

Items in this collection were collected by and purchased from a private collector.

Custodial History

Items in this collection were collected by and purchased from a private collector who also supplied transcriptions and research materials included.

Alternative Form Available

Transcriptions of most letters are available within the corresponding series. In some cases, prints created from digital images are also included.

Preferred Citation

[Box Number, Folder Number], MS-13, Civil War Collection, Book Arts, Archives, & Rare Books, Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased from a private collector in 2012.

Processing Information

The collection was removed from the binders it was initially stored in and organized in acid-free folders. The decision was made to maintain all the printed research and reference materials given with the collection as part of the collection itself and can be located within each individual series.

Processed by Erica Johnson.

Accruals

Additional items may be added to this collection.

Biographical / Historical

Also known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of the Chicahominy River, the Battle of Gaines' Mill was the third in the 7-Days Battles of the Peninsula Campaign. Taking place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, Gaines' Mill pitted the troops of General Robert E. Lee against those of Union Brigadier General Fitz John Porter. The battle was a critical juncture in saving the city of Richmond for the Confederacy during the early years of the Civil War.

Born in 1839, William Weldon Bentley was an 1860 graduate of VMI who studied under Thomas J. Jackson. As a VMI cadet, Bentley was present at the execution of John Brown. He joined the Confederate Army at the outbreak of the war and served in the 24th Virginia Infantry Regiment, leading a battalion during Pickett's Charge. Bentley died on July 23, 1924, and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia.

Trained as a wheelwright, Albert M. Hayward enlisted in the Massachusetts 7th Infantry as a private in late August 1862. In this service, Hayward participated in and was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg, from December 12-15, 1862. He mustered out in June 1864, when the term of service for the company expired.

William McKinnon was a North Carolina resident who enlisted with the North Carolina 26th Infantry as a Private in June 1861. He wrote a brief note to his father, Daniel McKinnon, on June 22, 1862, from Petersburg, Virginia, noting that he and some others were quite ill. McKinnon was later in the battles at Gettysburg in July 1863, where he was wounded and taken prisoner. He was late transferred to Point Lookout, Maryland, where he died in the hospital on December 6, 1863.

A printer by trade, William C. Morgan of Cornville, Maine, enlisted in the Maine 3rd Infantry on October 19, 1861. He was promoted to captain in September 1861 and Major in 1864. The 3rd Maine saw action at Bull Run in 1861 and 1862, as well as later involvements at Fair Oaks and Gettysburg as well as engagements throughout Virginia, including the 1864 Battle at North Anna, where Morgan was killed on May 23, 1864. Amanda (McClure) Morgan was born on June 14, 1835. The widow of Oliver Case and mother of one child, Amanda and William were parents to two children, Frank born in 1860, and Emma in 1862. Amanda passed away May 10, 1908.

Born in 1834 in Pennsylvania, Thomas McCormick Walker served as an officer with the 111th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Beginning as a Major in 1861, Walker led the regiment at Cedar Mountain and Antietam, where he was wounded. He went on to command at Gettysburg and eventually joined the Sherman's Atlanta campaign, earning his promotion to Colonel and eventually Brigadier General by 1865. The 111th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment was known as a powerful fighting unit throughout the Civil War and was the first to enter both Atlanta and Savannah under General Walker's command. In late May 1865, the 111th completed a march from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Richmond, Virginia. Walker mustered out on July 19, 1865.

A young gentleman from Germantown, Pennsylvania, John Barns joined the 71st Pennsylvania Infantry, Company B (California Regiment) in June 1861. During Spring 1862, the regiment took part in the Peninsular campaign, including fighting at Fair Oaks, Chickahominy, Savage Station, and White Oak Swamp, among others. Barnes was killed in action during the battle of White Oak Swamp on June 30, 1862.

Scope and Contents

Series I, the Battle of Gaines' Mill, contains a handwritten battle report dated July 7, 1862. A direct copy from the original draft, the document is signed by Lt. Robert P. Wilson, who served as AGG for General Joseph J. Bartlett, Brigade Commander, and by Charles Ellis, Bartlett's clerk. In addition to a detailed description of the battle itself, the document also contains several specific listings of casualties and injuries. A transcription and research materials are also included.

Series II, William W. Bentley, contains a four-page handwritten letter from William W. Bentley to his mother, dated July 15, 1863. In the letter, Bentley describes the events of the battle in some detail. The series also contains a transcription of the letter as well as additional research materials on Bentley, including service and census records, and about Pickett's Charge and the 24th Virginia Calvary. Also included are a reproduction of a photograph of the Pulaski County Confederate Veterans and a published book on a later relative of Bentley's.

Series III, Carte de Visites , contains 2 items. The first photograph is a memorial depiction of Robert E. Lee, from Mosher's Historical Photography, Chicago, Illinois. The second item is a photograph labeled "Confederate Commanders" and copyrighted 1885. From the Notman Photo Co., Boston, MA., the back of the photograph is stamped "with compliments of the Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford, Conn."

Series IV, Albert M. Hayward, contains a letter written by Hayward to his sister, Martha. Written from camp near Fredericksburg and dated December 19, 1862, Hayward documents the battle describing movements in some detail. A transcription of the letter is included. Of additional interest is a file containing copies of Hayward's service and pension records, including statements documenting his blindness in one eye as a result of his Civil War injuries.

Series V, William McKinnon, contains a short letter written by McKinnon to his father in June 1862. A confederate soldier, McKinnon briefly documents his illness and need for money. A year later, McKinnon would be wounded and captured in the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, dying in a Maryland hospital later that year. The series also contains a transcription of the letter as well as research materials on McKinnon, other individuals he mentions (especially Noah Deaton), and general information about the 26th North Carolina.

Series VI, William C. and Amanda Morgan, contains three letters exchanged between husband and wife. Amanda's letters, most likely from late 1863, talk of daily events to her husband. William's letters to Amanda were written on May 9 and 13, 1864, just days before he was killed on May 23. Also included are transcriptions of William's letters, printed copies of the letters, and research materials on Morgan and the 3rd Maine.

Series VII, Thomas M. Walker, contains a letter written by Brigadier General Thomas McCormick Walker to his mother on June 1, 1865, just after the march through Richmond towards Washington, D.C. In the letter, he describes his feelings about his military service and the war in general as well as documenting the conditions he saw around them. In the letter, he also describes the battlefield scenes of Chancellorsville and Spotsylvania. Also in the series are a transcription of the letter and additional reference material on Walker and the 111th Pennsylvania Infantry.

Series VIII, John Barns, is the largest series of the collection. A period scrapbook contains 21 letters, the majority sent by Barns to his brother, and document most of Barns' career as a soldier. Also included in the series are transcriptions of the letters and additional reference materials on Barns and the 71st Pennsylvania Infantry.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in 8 series:

Series I: Battle of Gaines' Mill Series II: William W. Bentley Series III: Carte de Visites Series IV: Albert M. Hayward Series V: William McKinnon Series VI: William C. and Amanda Morgan Series VII: Thomas M. Walker Series VIII: John C. Barns

Related Material

Separated Material

One oversize photograph is stored in Oversize Drawer #1.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Communications, Military
• Correspondence
• Research
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
• Virginia