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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], William P. Hall Correspondence, Ms1989-069, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The William P. Hall Correspondence was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1989.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the William P. Hall Correspondence commenced and was completed in February 2022.

Biographical Note

The mentions in Hall's letters of regimental commander Col. Morse and the death of Lt. "Stodard" [Charles K. Stoddard] suggest that he was the William P. Hall who served in Company E, 21st Massachusetts Infantry during the American Civil War. Born in 1834, Hall enlisted as a private in the 21st on August 23, 1861. He received a disability discharge in Washington, D. C. on June 11, 1863. By 1870, Hall had married, and the federal census for that year lists William and wife Lydia (1844-1916) living in Springfield, Massachusetts with two young children, with William Hall working as a maker of kindling wood. By 1880, the Halls were living in Worcester County, Massachusetts, where they kept a boarding house. William P. Hall died in Worcester County in 1892, and was buried in Hope Cemetery, Worcester.

Scope and Content

This collection contains five letters from William P. Hall, a Union soldier during the American Civil War, written from various camps in Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia. The letters are all addressed to his aunt and uncle (E. G. Hall) in Worcester, Massachusetts. On October 6, 1861, Hall writes that he will not do a cook's work unless he is given a cook's pay, then notes that several men in the company are to be discharged due to their size, and he complains of the regiment's lack of food, firewood, and shoes. Hall mentions the unlikelihood that Col. Morse will ever lead his regiment into battle and the recent death of Lt. Stoddard while drunk on picket duty. Writing on November 7 from Annapolis, Hall mentions an upcoming expedition with the 25th and recent inspections by the secretaries of war and navy, General Burnside, and Massachusetts Governor John Andrew. On January 5, 1863, Hall writes from a hospital at Falmouth, Virginia, noting that he cannot perform kitchen duty, not being strong enough to lift a pail of water. "I had a nice present New years day of a spanish fly blister," Hall writes, "which caused a nice tickling sensation to steal all over me but it didnt last long but 30 hours and then it was all over with and done me good after all." In his letter of June 20, 1862, written at Camp Andrews, North Carolina, Hall notes his recent return to duty, mentions that the regiment continues to grow smaller every day and that there is soon to be a new hospital built that will include a bowling alley. The letters are accompanied by four stamped envelopes

Subjects and Indexing Terms

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

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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