Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Lewis Family Papers, 1835-1866, Accession #11231, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was given by Marshall Carter, Alexandria, Virginia, to the University of Virginia Library, on April 1, 1996.

Scope and Content Information

This collection consists of letters and documents of the Lewis family of Amherst County, Virginia, 1835-1866, chiefly Civil War letters from George Samuel Lewis (1844-1864) to his family in Lexington, Virginia, but also including memoranda, journal entries and documents concerning the religious activities of the Reverend Reuben Lewis (1807-1886), a Presbyterian minister, and genealogical notes regarding the Lewis family.

1862 CORRESPONDENCE

George Lewis, from Swift Gap, Rockingham County, Virginia, names the officers elected by the company and mentions cavalry skirmishes and the tent sleeping arrangement (1862 Apr 28); and writing from Howard's Grove Hospital, Second Division Ward, Richmond, after being wounded in both thighs, George Lewis asks his father [Reuben Lewis] to come and get him to recuperate at home; Sam Imboden is also at the hospital (1862 May). John David Lewis (1841-?), Staunton, to his mother, Anna E. Lewis (1817-1876), writes that he and George were glad to see their father at camp, appreciated the provisions that he brought, and were nearly out of paper (1862 May 16).

1863 CORRESPONDENCE

George Lewis, Camp Winder, [Caroline County, Virginia] to his mother, has just arrived at camp, Lt. McCorkle found his knapsack with some clothes still remaining in it, and asks her to address her letters to Stonewall's Brigade, Company H, 4th Regiment, Virginia Volunteers (1863 Jan 2); to his father and mother, several of them traded tobacco for coffee to Yankee soldiers across the Rapidan River, about 130 of their men are in the guardhouse, they have built a courthouse and a church in camp, includes details of camp life and observes that the men, who all take turns cooking, cook better than they used to (1863 Jan 18); to his brother, mentions exchanging newspapers with the Yankees, standing guard at the guardhouse, the fortifications along the river from Port Royal to Fredericksburg, and asks for the recipe to start yeast (1863 Feb 14); to his sister, very cold and snowing hard in camp, due to the bad weather they cannot get provisions or wood, have plenty of newspapers in camp, and has become quite proficient at bread-making (1863 Feb 22).

George continues writing to his mother and father, they have built a fireplace in their tent for heat and sleep on a bed of pine tops, while on picket they sleep with blankets stretched over forks and poles, six men have been whipped and one shot for desertion, Jim Eads brought a black boy to cook for some of the men, rumors of two or three "Negro" regiments in Winchester (1863 Mar 7); to his sister Nannie, two more men have deserted to the Yankees, and lists the men in his mess, Jim and Bob Eads, Joe and William Tribbell and himself (1863 Mar 14); to his sister Nannie, prefers to stand guard in good weather than to drill, no hope for a furlough during the summer, and does not draw full rations presently, especially flour (1863 Apr 2); to his brother, John D. Lewis at home in Lexington, ate some fish and greens in camp, rumors of fighting at [Charleston?], his regiment drew a ration of fish all caught in a net at Port Royal, needs paper and asks for a non-boiled ham to be sent to him with a box of necessities (1863 Apr 11); to his mother, thinks it is not a good idea for his father to try to farm at this time, apparently Elisha Paxton is trying to get Reuben Lewis out of his pastorate, will send his coat home until next winter for safekeeping, asks for soup beans, mentions a swamp near the camp, the presence of Yankee gunboats at Port Royal and Confederate artillery at Buckner's Bend, see Yankee observation balloons every day, and did not receive any soap or yeast as of yet (1863 Apr 18).

Other letters include one to his brother Henry, camp near Rapidan River, built breastworks about twenty-five miles from Orange Courthouse, believes Jim Harrison has deserted to the Yankees, mentions the Confederate victory in Tennessee [Battle of Chickamauga ?] (ca [1863 Sep ?]); to his sister Nannie, Camp Stonewall Brigade, near Rapidan, describes an engagement with the Yankees at Jacob's Ford where they were surprised on a march by cavalry attempting to isolate their ambulance train, threw up breastworks, led by General Johnson in an advance and fought all day, four wounded in his company, Tom Anderson, John B. Wilson, Ben Hill, and Sam Cox, who was helped to the rear of the lines during the battle by George (1863 Dec 4); to his brother Henry, rations are very short now, eats half a flapjack a day, would love to have a mess of squirrels or a fat possum to eat, mentions seeing worms in his allotment of four crackers a day when he bites into them (1863 Dec 9).

John D. Lewis, Headquarters Stonewall Jackson Brigade to his brother Henry, heard some skirmishing with the Yankees along the Rapidan River, saw his brother George on the ninth, and describes how they constructed a good wooden chimney in their tent (1863 Dec 4).

1864 CORRESPONDENCE

George Lewis to his father, Orange Courthouse, he and his brother John hope to send money home to the new farm while John is on furlough so they can purchase a yoke of oxen for plowing, they have caught a lot of rabbits and opossums to eat (1864 Jan 17); to his sister Nannie, his regiment might move to Gordonsville soon, describes how he built "his little house" at camp, and mentions the song When The Cruel War is Over (1864 Jan 27); the Yankees crossed the river at Morton's Ford and eleven of his brigade were taken prisoner in the skirmish, reports another man was shot to instill discipline in the army (1864 Feb 11); to his sister, has been on picket for twelve days and cannot be relieved due to the constant raiding by the Yankees, and his clothes and person are very dirty (1864 Mar 6); to his father and to Henry, urges him to get rid of his old Confederate money before the new issue comes out, John is deemed fit for service and ordered back to his company, and asks about Henry's new dog (1864 Mar 10); to his sister, mentions the Emperor Napoleon and his hopes of getting a furlough soon (1864 Mar 21); to his brother, he has no chance of a furlough before winter, has been in the war for three years, hopes the war is over before his brother is old enough for service and warns him not to join the army if possible (1864 Apr 6); to his father at Holcomb's Rock, Bedford County, writing from Point Lookout, Maryland, George was taken prisoner by the Yankees on May 12 along with eight others of his company, all the boys taken at Gettysburg are also at Point Lookout (1864 May 24); to his father, writing from Elmira, New York, moved to a new prison, at Barracks No. 3, Ward 39, Prisoners' Camp, expresses concern for his brother John (1864 Aug 12).

1866 CORRESPONDENCE

Letters from C. Dickson and Charles S. Greenleaf, Medical Director's Office, concerning the death of George S. Lewis in Baltimore on October 18, 1864.

MISCELLANEOUS

Other papers pertaining to the Reverend Reuben Lewis, ca. 1827-1861, include: the covers of a "pocketbook" (1827); list of marriages performed and accounts; the call from the Church of Fairmont (1856); an account with the board of school commissioners of Craig County, for tuition of indigent children (1861); an exegesis regarding [Infant Baptism ?] in Latin (1835); a memorandum book recording church services and other religious activities conducted by Reuben Lewis (1848-1854); and genealogical information about the Lewis family.