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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], Thomas S. Gibson Letter, 1870, Ms2023-130, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Thomas S. Gibson Letter was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in April 2017.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Thomas S. Gibson Letter was completed in November 2023.

Biographical Note

There are multiple Thomas S. Gibsons in Lee County, Virginia, during this time period.

Thomas Spencer Gibson (1846-1927) enlisted at Rose Hill in Lee County on October 1, 1863, into Company G of the 25th Virginia Cavalry of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He was imprisoned as a prisoner of war at Moorefield, Virginia, on August 7, 1864, and he was released in a prisoner exchange on March 28, 1865.

Thomas Shelby Gibson (1828-1909) enslisted at Rose Hill on September 27, 1862, as a Captain in Company E or G of the 37th Virginia Infantry of the Confederate Army. He was wounded on March 23, 1863, at Kernstown.

External sources:

"Thomas S Gibson" in the U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/1273091:1555

"Gibson, Thomas S." [25th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry], National Park Service's Civil War database, https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldierId=722F0BA1-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A

"Thomas Spencer Gibson", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/75652490/thomas-spencer-gibson

"Thomas S Gibson" [1828-1909] in the U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/2434704:1555

"Gibson, Thomas S." [37th Regiment, Virginia Infantry], National Park Service's Civil War database, https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldierId=732F0BA1-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A

"Thomas Shelby Gibson", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40565135/thomas-shelby-gibson

Scope and Content

This letter is from Thomas S. Gibson, a farmer in Rose Hill, Lee County, Virginia, to James D. Thomas in Bryan, Texas, on March 24, 1870. The letter discusses money owed and interest due to Thomas from Gibson, as well as the fact that Gibson is unable to pay and that Thomas has sued Gibson for the debt.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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