Norfolk’s Civil War Home Front: Personal Narrative Sources from South Hampton Roads
By Matthew Ward, ODU History graduate student and Norfolk Historical Society sponsored intern, Fall 2023.
The following guide expands previous research listing Confederate and Union units that passed through Norfolk. It adds unpublished and published personal narratives (primarily diaries, personal correspondence, and memoirs), locatable online, from soldiers who served in these units. Most sources have been located though not consulted. Whether and with what detail Norfolk and its surroundings are described is generally unknown – hints have been included when this information exists in collections descriptions, or sources are digitized and easily searchable. Under “miscellaneous” are sources unrelated to units documented to have been present in Norfolk; some of these are civilian sources.
Confederate
Artillery Units
Grandy's Company, Virginia Light Artillery (Norfolk Light Artillery Blues)
Published diary of Norfolk resident and unit volunteer John Walters. Walters, John and Wiley, Kenneth. Norfolk Blues: The Civil War Diary of the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues. Shippensburg, Pa.: Burd Street Press, 1997. Available at Sargeant Memorial Collection at Norfolk Public Library. The foreword references a copy of Walters’ diary, typed by his daughter, Mary, also in the Sargeant collection.
Published letters of Col. Frank Huger. Huger, Frank, and Thomas K. Tate. Col. Frank Huger, C.S.A. the Civil War Letters of a Confederate Artillery Officer. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2011. Available at Old Dominion University.
Green's Company, Louisiana Artillery (Louisiana Guard Battery)
N/A
Kevill's Company, Virginia Artillery (United Artillery)
N/A
Montgomery Alabama Light Artillery
N/A
Moore's Company, Virginia Light Artillery
N/A
18th Battalion, Virginia Heavy Artillery
Delaware Kemper Papers. South Carolina Historical Society. Kemper-Delaware-papers-0617.00.pdf (schistory.org). Details Battle of Williamsburg; unlikely to reference Norfolk or South Hampton Roads.
Letter from Seth Wallace Cobb. Farrer Family Papers, 1840-1923. Virginia Museum of History and Culture (Virginia Historical Society). SydneyEnterprise OPAC (virginiahistory.org). Troop movements in New Kent County; unlikely to reference Norfolk or South Hampton Roads.
Personal papers of commander, Mark Bernard Hardin. Mark B. Hardin Papers. Virginia Military Institute. letters written to siblings, from 1864. Collection: Mark B. Hardin Papers | VMI Archives Catalog. Also - and perhaps less useful - Mark Bernard Hardin Collection. Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives. Collection: Mark Bernard Hardin Collection | Special Collections and Archives (clemson.edu).
Zimmerman's Company, South Carolina Artillery (Pee Dee Artillery)
Possible personal narratives: Brunson, J. W. Historical Sketch of the Pee Dee Light Artillery, Army Northern Virginia : Together with a Roll of McIntosh’s Battery Artillery. Winston-Salem, N.C: Stewart Printing House, 1927. Available at Library of Virginia.
Cavalry Units
5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12 months, 1861-62) (Mullins')
Diary of Samuel J. Smith. University of Southern California. Finding aid for the Samuel J. Smith Civil War diary and snuffbox 6002 (cdlib.org). Unlikely to contain details on Norfolk, given when the unit was in Norfolk and dates of diary stated in description.
Infantry Units
3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry
Personal papers, William Mahone Papers, 1853-1895. Duke University. William Mahone papers, 1853-1895 - Archives & Manuscripts at Duke University Libraries. Large volume of material – may include his time in Norfolk commanding the unit.
Published memoir: Cullen Andrews, brigadier general. Battle, Cullen A., and Beck, Brandon H. Third Alabama!: The Civil War Memoir of Brigadier General Cullen Andrews Battle, CSA. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2000. Available at Norfolk State University. Norfolk reflections possible.
Published diary: Catherine Edmundson. Edmondston, Catherine Devereux, Beth G Crabtree, and James Welch Patton. Journal of a Secesh Lady. North American Women's Letters and Diaries. Raleigh: Division of Archives and History, Dept. of Cultural Resources, 1979. From North Carolina – made trips to Virginia during the Civil War. Available at Old Dominion University.
2nd Battalion, Georgia Infantry
Official report from Sewell’s Point by Capt. Peyton Colquitt. College of William and Mary. Report of Captain Peyton H. Colquitt, 1861 May 19 | Special Collections Research Center (wm.edu).
3rd Regiment, Georgia Infantry
Ambrose Ransom Wright. Papers, 1861-1866. Duke University. Papers, 1861-1866. - Duke University Libraries Catalog.
1st Regiment, Louisiana Infantry (Nelligan's)
Published diary of George Gilbert Smith. Smith, George Gilbert. Leaves from a Soldier's Diary: The Personal Record of Lieutenant George G. Smith Co. C. 1st Louisiana Regiment Infantry Volunteers (White) during the War of the Rebellion; Also a Partial History of the Operations of the Army and Navy in the Department of the Gulf from the Capture of New Orleans to the Close of the War. Putnam Conn: G.G. Smith, 1906. Available from Christopher Newport University.
14th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
Published memoir. Ledford, Preston Lafayette. Reminiscences of the Civil War, 1861-1865. Thomasville, NC: (publisher not identified), 1909. Available from the Virginia Beach Public Library system.
6th Regiment, Virginia Infantry
Unpublished diary of James M. Malbone: Diary Of James M. Malbone - 6th Virginia Infantry :: New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center (ny.gov). Transcription included. References Norfolk without much detail.
Papers of Michael A. Cavanaugh | MacArthur Memorial, VA - Official Website. Extensive research on the 6th, in which two of General MacArthur’s uncles fought.
9th Regiment, Virginia Infantry
Journal from John T.L. Preston. Virginia Military Institute. John T. L. Preston Craney Island journal (photocopy and transcription), 1861 July 24 - September 22. Photocopy and transcription of original journal. From Craney Island.
“Portsmouth Rifles” (company G) amateur website – possible resource/leads. Portsmouth Rifles, 9th Va. Infantry (angelfire.com).
12th Regiment, Virginia Infantry
Grand Camp Confederate Veterans records. Veteran reminiscences on “service in Company B of the 12th Virginia Infantry Regiment.” Gallagher, Charles H. - Gwathmey Family Papers | Virginia Museum of History & Culture (virginiahistory.org).
Published diary of J.E. Whitehorne. Whitehorne, J. E. (James Edward), and Fletcher L. Elmore. Diary of J.E. Whitehorne, 1st Sergt. Co. “F”, 12th Va. Infantry, A.P. Hill’s 3rd Corps, A.N. Va. Utica, KY: McDowell Publications, 1995.
Diary of William L. Wilson. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. [Diary of William L. Wilson, B company, 12th regiment, Virginia, cavalry] | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Published memoir: Brown, Philip Francis. 1917. Reminiscences of the War of 1861-1865. Richmond Va: Whittet & Shepperson Printers. Mentions Norfolk extensively, including burning of Navy Yard. In Sargeant collection.
16th Regiment, Virginia Infantry
N/A
34th Regiment, Virginia Infantry
Diary of J.W. Ryland. Virginia Tech. VT Special Collections and University Archives Online | J. W. Ryland Diary, 1863-1865 (Ms2019-011). Digitized online. Possible related diaries of brothers or possibly cousins at the University of Virginia Diaries of Josiah and Thomas Ryland (virginia.edu) – units unknown.
39th Regiment, Virginia Infantry
N/A
41st Regiment, Virginia Infantry
Unpublished diary: John Bell Vincent. Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Valentine, Jackson L. - Voris, Alvin Coe | Virginia Museum of History & Culture (virginiahistory.org).
61st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Wilson's)
N/A
Support Units
7th Battalion, Virginia Reserves
Diary of John C. Allen. Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Virginia’s Civil War (virginiahistory.org). Norfolk and South Hampton Roads unlikely - mostly covers actions in Shenandoah and nearby West Virginia, as well as imprisonment in Ohio, South Carolina, and Delaware.
Union
Artillery Units
Nield's Independent Battery, Delaware Light Artillery
N/A
Bridges' Battery, Illinois Light Artillery
N/A
2nd Regiment, Massachusetts Heavy Artillery
Wartime letters from John McCoy. Norfolk not specified in description. The John McCoy Family Papers | Dartmouth Library.
7th Independent Battery, Massachusetts Light Artillery
Everett and Warren Hutchins. Brothers’ diaries and letters include areas in and around Nansemond County. Could also cover Norfolk and other areas (“destruction of Monitor” mentioned in description ). VT Special Collections and University Archives Online | Everett and Warren Hutchins Papers (Ms2009-014). Warren Hutchins’ diary is not digitized - it contains most relevant details (Western Tidewater), according to description.
Letter from corporal. From description, very unlikely to reference Norfolk. Collection: Charles C. Berry Civil War correspondence | ArchivesSpace Public Interface (lyrasistechnology.org).
7th Independent Battery, New York Light Artillery
N/A
8th Independent Battery, New York Light Artillery
N/A
13th Regiment, New York Heavy Artillery
Seventeen letters from Almond Burdick to his wife. Description cites army camps in Virginia. New York State Library, Selected Civil War Collections, Alphabetical List: Manuscripts and Special Collections: NYS Library (nysed.gov).
4th Regiment, US Artillery (Regular Army)
N/A
2nd Regiment, United States Colored Light Artillery
N/A
4th Independent Battery, Wisconsin Light Artillery
N/A
1st Regiment, Pennsylvania Light Artillery (14th Reserves)
Published letters and diaries. Sweet, Oney Foster. What the Private Saw : The Civil War Letters & Diaries of Oney Foster Sweet : 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery, 43rd Volunteers (14th Reserves), Battery F (Ricketts' Battery), 1861-1865 (version 1st edition.). Edited by Larry M Edwards. 1st ed. INSERT-MISSING-SERVICE-NAME. San Diego, California: Wigeon Publishing, 2015. INSERT-MISSING-URL. Possibility – unable to exactly match unit. Likely covers Gettysburg, not Norfolk. Available at Patrick Henry College Library: What the private saw : the Civil War letters & diaries of Oney Foster Sweet : 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery, 43rd Volunteers (14th Reserves), Battery F (Ricketts' Battery), 1861-1865 | Patrick Henry College Library (worldcat.org).
Cavalry Units
2nd Regiment, United States Colored Cavalry
N/A
3rd Regiment, New York Cavalry
Diary of Horrace A. Smith. [Diary of Horace A. Smith, 3rd NY Cavalry] | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History According to description, does not cover Norfolk (timing doesn’t match) - included here in case reminiscences/references included.
5th Regiment, Pennsylvania Cavalry (65th Volunteers)
Historical Society of Pennsylvania: James Cornett letters, Paul Mickle Cooper diary. Home - Civil War Manuscripts & Newspapers - LibGuides at Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
11th Regiment, Pennsylvania Cavalry (108th Volunteers)
Diary of Jared Fuller. Details Suffolk and a little of Norfolk. Unverified – private owner’s details included. Diary of Jared Fuller, Co. A, 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry | Spared & Shared 23 (sparedshared23.com). More personal papers at Des Moines Historical Library (unsure if diary also here) InfoHawk+ - 52973124 (uiowa.edu).
Published memoir. Guss Abraham L. 1861. The Coward's Curse and Patriot's Duty : A Discourse Delivered on Wednesday Evening Sept. 18 1861 Before Capt. Mcculloch's Military Company in the Lutheran Church Centreville Cumb'd Co. Pa. The coward's curse and patriot's duty : a discourse delivered on Wednesday evening, Sept. 18, 1861, before Capt. McCulloch's military company in the Lutheran Church, Centreville, Cumb'd Co., Pa. | WorldCat.org.
1st Regiment, District of Columbia Cavalry
Daniel Curtis Collection, Virginia Tech. Collection: Daniel Curtis Collection, | ArchivesSpace Public Interface (vt.edu).
1st Regiment, New York Mounted Rifles
List of sources including published memoirs, letters, diaries: USAMHI (armyheritage.org).
Personal papers/letter of WW Disoway. Fairfield Museum and History Center, Fairfield, CT. Civil-War-MS-B15.pdf (fairfieldhistory.org).
Recruitment poster referencing Suffolk. New York Historical Society. $217, Cavalry! To the field! 1st Regiment N.Y. Mounted Rifles! Colonel Dodge. Only 50 more recruits wanted to fill up this splendid and efficient Regiment, now in service in the field, near Suffolk, Virginia. | New York Historical Society | Digital Collections (nyhistory.org).
Scrapbook of Thomas Place. Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Old, James W. - Pulliam, Samuel Harper | Virginia Museum of History & Culture (virginiahistory.org). Sketches of military camps, fortifications, and camp life, including around Western Tidewater (Windsor, Waverly).
Infantry Units
16th Regiment, Connecticut Infantry
Published memoir/diary. Relyea William H and John M Priest. 2002. 16th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. Shippensburg Pa: Burd Street Press. https://archive.org/details/16thconnecticutv0000rely.16th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry: Sergeant William H. Relyea (whitemane.com); 16th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry | WorldCat.org.
Mahlon Cushman diary. University of North Carolina. Mahlon D. Cushman Diary, 1864-1864 (unc.edu) 1864 – probably nothing on Norfolk due to timing.
Henry Adams diary. Connecticut Historical Society JOHN BANKS' CIVIL WAR BLOG: A haunting final entry in 16th Connecticut soldier's diary (john-banks.blogspot.com); Civil War Manuscripts Project - A-B (chs.org).
George Whitney Collection. Connecticut State Library. RG-069_23-George-Whitney-Papers.pdf (ctstatelibrary.org) Some personal narratives among mostly official sources.
Sgt. Maj. Robert H. Kellogg papers. Connecticut Historical Society. Civil War Manuscripts Project - K - L (chs.org).
Papers of Charles L. Taylor. (CIVIL WAR CONNECTICUT) Taylor Charles L Correspondence and (swanngalleries.com); [Civil War]. Collection of Letters Relating to Charles L. Taylor, | Lot #47106 | Heritage Auctions. Appears to be in private ownership.
Book on the 16th - for footnote-mining. Gordon Lesley J. 2015. A Broken Regiment : The 16th Connecticut's Civil War. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. A broken regiment : the 16th Connecticut's Civil War | WorldCat.org.
21st Regiment, Connecticut Infantry
Edited collected memoirs of various regiment soldiers, including wartime correspondence. The Story of the Twenty-First Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, 1861-1865. | WorldCat.org; The story of the twenty-first regiment, Connecticut volunteer infantry, during the Civil War | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Howard A. Camp letters. University of Maine. United States. Army. Connecticut Infantry Regiment, 21st | Fogler Library Special Collections and Archives ArchivesSpace (umaine.edu).
1st Regiment, Delaware Infantry
Gen. Thomas Smyth, Daniel Woodall diaries. Delaware Public Archives. Small Manuscripts - Delaware Public Archives - State of Delaware.
19th Regiment, Illinois Infantry
Published regiment memoir. Haynie James Henry. 1912. The Nineteenth Illinois; a Memoir of a Regiment of Volunteer Infantry Famous in the Civil War of Fifty Years Ago for Its Drill Bravery and Distinguished Services. Chicago: M.A. Donohue. The Nineteenth Illinois; a memoir of a regiment of volunteer infantry famous in the Civil War of fifty years ago for its drill, bravery, and distinguished services | WorldCat.org. Available at University of Virginia.
22nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry
N/A
39th Regiment, Illinois Infantry
Valentine’s Randoph’s published diary. Randolph Valentine C David D Roe and Stephen R Wise. 2006. A Civil War Soldier's Diary. 1st ed. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press. A Civil War soldier's diary | WorldCat.org. Available at Tidewater Community College.
20th Regiment, Indiana Infantry
Thomas White Stephens’ edited diary. Kansas Historical Society. Civil War diary of Thomas White Stephens, Sergeant, Company K, 20th Indiana regiment of volunteers, The / edited and annotated by Paul E. Wilson and Harriet Stephens Wilson. - State Archives - Kansas Historical Society (kshs.org).
Edwin B. Weist diary. Library of Congress. Edwin B. Weist diary, | Library of Congress (loc.gov).
Amory K. Allen letters. Indiana State Library. Collection: Amory K. Allen letters | ArchivesSpace Public Interface (isl.lib.in.us). Published in Indiana Magazine of History, vol/ 31, no. 4. (December), 1935. View of Civil War Letters of Amory K Allen (iu.edu). Entry on 8/24/1862 details arrival in Newport News.
Erasmus Gilbreath late-life war recollections. Indiana State Library. Collection: Erasmus C. Gilbreath, Civil War account | ArchivesSpace Public Interface (isl.lib.in.us).
Unknown soldier’s letter describing evacuation from Cape Hatteras to Fort Monroe due to flooding. Indiana State Library. Collection: Fortress Monroe, Virginia letter photocopy | ArchivesSpace Public Interface (isl.lib.in.us).
Henry C. Marsh letters. Indiana State Library. Collection: Henry C. Marsh collection | ArchivesSpace Public Interface (isl.lib.in.us).
James H. Luther’s letters from soldier-sons John, Amos Origen, and Albert W. (all of whom served in the 20th). Indiana State Library. Collection: James H. Luther collection | ArchivesSpace Public Interface (isl.lib.in.us). Description cites one son as having served in Virginia between 1861 and 1864.
Joshua Lewis’ later-life reminiscences, including Battle of Hampton Roads. Indiana State University. Collection: Joshua Lewis reminiscences | ArchivesSpace Public Interface (isl.lib.in.us).
Thomas H. B. Sibel, copies of letters to father. Indiana State University. Collection: Thomas H. B. Sibel collection | ArchivesSpace Public Interface (isl.lib.in.us).
Diary of George W. Gibson. Ball State University. Diary of George W. Gibson - U.S. Civil War Resources - Ball State University Digital Media Repository (bsu.edu). Digitized online. Description states Gibson transferred to the 20th from the 19th - evidently, this was after the 20th was stationed in Norfolk (Norfolk probably not included in diary).
7th Regiment, Iowa Infantry
Frank Malcolm Letters. University of Iowa. Collection: Frank Malcolm Letters | ArchivesSpace at the University of Iowa (uiowa.edu).
Frank A. Irvin papers. California State University, Northridge. Search Results - CSUN University Library Digital Collections.
3rd Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry (Militia)
N/A
16th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry
Asa Smith letters. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.[Collection of Asa Smith, K company, 16th regiment, Massachusetts, infantry] [decimalized] | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Camp life and fighting around Newport News.
Biography, by close relative, of a unit chaplain. Fuller, Richard Frederick. Chaplain Fuller Being a Life Sketch of a New England Clergyman and Army Chaplain. Louisville: Lost Cause Press, 1972. Chaplain Fuller, Being a Life Sketch of a New England Clergyman and Army Chaplain - Search Results (worldcat.org). Available at Laurier Library.
Various letters and other personal narratives. US Army Heritage and Information Center. 16th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.pdf (armyheritage.org). (Center finding aid.)
23rd Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry
Herbert Eugene Valentine diary. Wake Forest University. Herbert E. Valentine Civil War Diary | ZSR Library (wfu.edu). Full (?) and digitized. Includes this lengthy account, “A Trip Across Hampton Roads,” from 1864: A trip across Hampton Roads | ZSR Library (wfu.edu). See also North Carolina University, Wilson Special Collections Library. Herbert E. Valentine Paper, 1862-1892. Herbert E. Valentine Papers, 1862-1892 (unc.edu)
27th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry
Correspondence, diary, journal (unspecified which) of John Trafton. Massachusetts Historical Society. Civil War Correspondence, Diaries, and Journals at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1754-1926 (masshist.org).
29th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry
Unverified diary. Blog. Diary of the 29th Massachusetts Infantry – Fighting with the Irish Brigade during the Peninsula Campaign (wordpress.com). Privately-held diary, digitized and transcribed.
John H. Hancock diary. Virginia Tech. Collection: John H. Hancock Diary | ArchivesSpace Public Interface (vt.edu). Digitized online.
Published memoir. Ayling Augustus D and Charles F Herberger. 1999. A Yankee at Arms : The Diary of Lieutenant Augustus D. Ayling 29th Massachusetts Volunteers. 1st ed. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. A Yankee at arms : the diary of Lieutenant Augustus D. Ayling, 29th Massachusetts Volunteers | WorldCat.org. Available at Old Dominion University.
40th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry
Correspondence/diary/journal (unspecified which) of Oliver Ricker. Massachusetts Historical Society. Civil War Correspondence, Diaries, and Journals at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1754-1926 (masshist.org).
Correspondence, diary, journal (unspecified which) of Edwin Bearse. Massachusetts Historical Society. Civil War Correspondence, Diaries, and Journals at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1754-1926 (masshist.org).
James A. Litchfield letters and diaries. Listed as for sale by Between the Covers Rare Books Inc on Sept. 19,2023.Civil War Correspondence and Diaries of Lieut. James Litchfield, 40th Massachusetts Infantry, 1862-65 | James A. LITCHFIELD (betweenthecovers.com). According to the online description, includes Norfolk and elsewhere in South Hampton Roads. Meanwhile, at Boston Public Library: James A. Litchfield “1864-65 (journal) manuscript.” Journal of James A. Litchfield, 1864-1865 : Manuscript | Boston Public Library | BiblioCommons.
10th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry
N/A
13th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry
S. Millett Thompson’s published diary. Thompson S. Millett. 1888. Thirteenth Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry in the War of the Rebellion 1861-1865. a Diary Covering Three Years and a Day. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Thirteenth regiment of New Hampshire volunteer infantry in the war of the rebellion, 1861-1865 : a diary covering three years and a day (sirsi.net). Available at the Sargeant Memorial collection.
S. Millett Thompson letters. University of North Carolina. S. Millett Thompson letters 1863-1964. - UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries Catalog. Includes 11 letters; according to the description, includes Southeastern Virginia.
Unverified diary of Farrin Cross (found on his body after death). Blog. Civil War Diary: 13th Reg NH Vol Infantry (rootsweb.com). Brief entries cover South Hampton Roads.
Wooster E. Woodbury Papers. University of North Carolina. Wooster E. Woodbury Papers, 1862-1865 (unc.edu). Diary, includes while behind the lines in Hampton Roads area.
25th Regiment, New Jersey Infantry
N/A
9th Regiment, New York Infantry
Regiment history. Graham Matthew J P. J. L Searing and E.P. Coby & Co. 1900. The Ninth Regiment New York Volunteers (Hawkins' Zouaves) : Being a History of the Regiment and Veteran Association from 1860 to 1900. New York: The author? E.P. Coby & Co. Printers). The Ninth regiment New York Volunteers (Hawkins' Zouaves) : being a history of the regiment and veteran association from 1860 to 1900 | WorldCat.org Footnote mining? Held at Library of Virginia.
20th Regiment, New York Infantry
N/A
80th Regiment, New York Infantry
Gates, Theodore B. The Civil War Diaries of Colonel Theodore B. Gates, 20th New York State Militia. Highstown NJ: Longstreet House Publishing, 1991. The Civil War diaries of Col. Theodore B. Gates, 20th New York State Militia | WorldCat.org. Available from the Library of Congress.
Memoir of childhood during the Civil War. Vail Enos Ballard. 1915. Reminiscences of a Boy in the Civil War. Brooklyn: Printed by the author for private distribution. Reminiscences of a boy in the civil war | WorldCat.org. Available at Library of Congress. Reprint available online: REMINISCENCES OF A BOY IN THE CIVIL WAR (CLASSIC REPRINT) | WorldCat.org. Enlisted at age 17.
81st Regiment, New York Infantry
Published memoir, De Forest B. S. 1866. Random Sketches and Wandering Thoughts; or What I Saw in Camp on the March the Bivouac the Battle Field and Hospital While with the Army in Virginia North and South Carolina during the Late Rebellion. with a Historical Sketch of the Second Oswego Regiment Eighty-First New York State V.i.; a Record of All Its Officers and Roster of Its Enlisted Men; Also an Appendix. Albany: A. Herrick. Random sketches and wandering thoughts; or, What I saw in camp, on the march, the bivouac, the battle field and hospital, while with the Army in Virginia, North and South Carolina, during the late Rebellion. With a historical sketch of the Second Oswego Regiment, Eighty-first New York State V.I.; a record of all its officers, and roster of its enlisted men; also, an appendix | WorldCat.org. Available at the College of William and Mary.
Isaac Bunn, letters to his sister. New York State LIbrary. Selected Civil War Collections, Alphabetical List: Manuscripts and Special Collections: NYS Library (nysed.gov).
Diary of James Smith. New York State LIbrary. Selected Civil War Collections, Alphabetical List: Manuscripts and Special Collections: NYS Library (nysed.gov).
John Austin, letter from near Yorktown. New York State LIbrary. Selected Civil War Collections, Alphabetical List: Manuscripts and Special Collections: NYS Library (nysed.gov).
89th Regiment, New York Infantry
Franklin Burt Papers. Cornell University. Guide to the Le Van Merchant Burt family papers, [ca. 1860-1924] (cornell.edu).
George Bowker letters. Special Collections, Penfield Library, State University College, Oswego, New York. George Bowker letters, 1862-1898. - SUNY Oswego (exlibrisgroup.com).
William L. Beers letter. US Army Heritage and Education Center (no link from USAHEC - possibly in Lewis Leigh Collection: LEWIS LEIGH COLLECTION; BOX 61 - Arena4-UAT (usahec.org). See also Antietam: Corp William L. Beers (aotw.org)).
Diaries of G. Dewitt Gilbert and Burton Hine; letters of George W. Draper. Broome County Military History Collection (Civil War), 1861-1979. Old Stone House Museum. For Gilbert diaries, see also Civil War Collection, 1862-1914, 1862-1865, New York State Historical Association, Library, Cooperstown, New York.
Charles K. Crofut letters. Crofut-Humiston Family Papers. Library of Virginia. Civil War Records (virginia.gov).
Uri T. Wooster letter. University of Virginia Library. Virginia Civil War and Reconstruction Miscellany. Writing from Suffolk.
G.W. Draper letters. US Army Heritage and Education Center. Referenced here: 89th Infantry Regiment (Veteran) :: New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center (ny.gov); probably refers to this collection: Norwich Civil War Round Table Collection - Arena4-UAT (usahec.org).
J.G. Eaglesfield letters. University of California Santa Barbara. Alphabetical List of Collections: D-J | UCSB Library.
Published letters of Geoge Magusta Englis. Englis, George Magusta, Eileen Mae Knapp Patch, and Broome County Historical Society. This from George : The Civil War Letters of Sergeant George Magusta Englis 1861-1865 Company K 89th New York Regiment of Volunteer Infantry Known As Dickinson Guard. Binghamton N.Y: Broome County Historical Society, 2001.
George S. Hupman, letters. Rutgers University. Hupman GS. Civil War Letters, 1861-1863 (inclusive).; 1861. Civil War letters, 1861-1863 (inclusive) - Rutgers University Libraries (exlibrisgroup.com).
Seymour L. Judd letter. US Army Heritage and Information Center. NORWICH CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE COLLECTION; BOX 1, FOLDER 19, CAPTAIN SEYMOUR L. JUDD, 89TH NEW YORK INFANTRY REGIMENT LETTER, 2 DECEMBER 1861 - Arena4-UAT (usahec.org).
William A. Robinson, published letters. Robinson, William A and Robert J Taylor. 2000. The Civil War Letters of William a. Robinson : The Story of the 89th New York Volunteer Infantry. Bowie Md: Heritage Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=uWP3le3z_vwC. Available from Patrick Henry College.
Truman Hoffman Squire, assorted papers. Chembung County Historical Society, New York. Squire, Truman Hoffman. Truman Hoffman Squire papers, 1842-1903, 1861-1889 (bulk). Squire was a regiment surgeon.
Smith, William A. "Letter from the Burnside Expedition." Chenango American. February 6, 1862
Most of these 89th sources were found here: 89th Infantry Regiment (Veteran): New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center (ny.gov).
99th Regiment, New York Infantry
William Stetson diary. New York State Library. Selected Civil War Collections, Alphabetical List: Manuscripts and Special Collections: NYS Library (nysed.gov).
Philip Corell Papers. New York State Library. Philip Corell Papers: Manuscripts and Special Collections: NYS Library (nysed.gov). Detailed diaries include Roanoke Island, New Bern, Carrsville.
Arthur O’Conner letters. Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Old, James W. - Pulliam, Samuel Harper | Virginia Museum of History & Culture (virginiahistory.org). Letters written while steward at hospital near Fort Monroe.
103rd Regiment, New York Infantry
Henry Augustus Sand published letters. Sand Henry Augustus Peter H Sand and John F McLaughlin. 2016. Crossing Antietam : The Civil War Letters of Captain Henry Augustus Sand Company a 103rd New York Volunteers. Jefferson North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc. Crossing Antietam : the Civil War letters of Captain Henry Augustus Sand, Company A, 103rd New York Volunteers | WorldCat.org. Available at Virginia Commonwealth University.
George Alexander Hussey diaries. University of Michigan. Hussey-Wadsworth family papers, 1830-1945 - University of Michigan William L. Clements Library - University of Michigan Finding Aids (umich.edu).
James Cordon Lormor. Blog. Soldiers Diaries Written In The Field (civilwararchive.com). Diary reference from amateur history site. Link inactive, contact webmaster.
118th Regiment, New York Infantry
Published memoir. Cunningham John Lovell. 1920. Three Years with the Adirondack Regiment 118th New York Volunteers Infantry. Norwood Mass: Plimpton Press. 118th Infantry NY - THREE YEARS WITH THE ADIRONDACK REGIMENT. (Hardcov – Higginson Book Company, LLC (higginsonbooks.com); Three years with the Adirondack regiment, 118th New York volunteers infantry | WorldCat.org. Available at Library of Virginia.
132nd Regiment, New York Infantry
Hiram R. Whitney letters. Gettysburg College. MS-287: Whitney Family Civil War Letters (gettysburg.edu). Several letters from Suffolk.
141st Regiment, New York Infantry
Alfred E. Barber Papers. University of California Santa Barbara Library. Preliminary Guide to the Alfred E. Barber Papers (cdlib.org). Includes diary.
John M. Kelley Diary. University of Tennessee. Collection: John M. Kelly Diary and Other Materials | SCOUT (utk.edu).
148th Regiment, New York Infantry
John L. Hoster Diary. Penfield Library, State University of New York, Oswego. ArchiveGrid : Sergeant John L. Hoster diary, 1862-1865 (oclc.org).
John C. Foster Diary. Syracuse University. Joseph C. Foster Diary An inventory of the item at Syracuse University.
Abram B. Gunderman, four page letter to sister, from Norfolk. Michigan State University. Abram B. Gunderman Letter - January 20, 1863 (msu.edu). Digitized online.
158th Regiment, New York Infantry
Hugh Friel letters. Brooklyn Historical Society. Daniel and Hugh Friel letters: Daniel and Hugh Friel letters: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids.
168th Regiment, New York Infantry
N/A
62nd Regiment, Ohio Infantry
Published letters of Henry H. Sands. Sands Henry H and Gary Felumlee. 2018. The Civil War Letters of Private Henry H. Sands 62nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Zanesville Ohio: Muskingum Valley Archaeological Survey and Historical Research Group. The Civil War letters of Private Henry H. Sands, 62nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry | WorldCat.org. Available at Ohio History Connection.
Robert Larimer papers. University of Virginia. A Guide to the Papers of Robert Larimer, 1861-1865 Larimer, Robert Papers of 38-129 (virginia.edu).
67th Regiment, Ohio Infantry
John B. Creps diary. Diary of Jacob B. Creps, “Jacob B. Creps, Civil War Pension File Mother Application #332696″, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs (RG 15), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington, DC. Citation taken from genealogy webpage - John B Creps Diary – RumbleSoft, Inc.
Charles A. Hibbard papers. Bowling Green State University. Collection: Charles A. Hibbard papers - Special Collections Finding Aids at BGSU - BGSU University Libraries. Diaries.
Elijah Whitmore papers Bowling Green State University. Collection: Elijah Whitmore papers - Special Collections Finding Aids at BGSU - BGSU University Libraries. Letters home.
Marilyn Clay family papers. Bowling Green State University. MS 258 - Marilyn Clay Family Papers - Collections - Center for Archival Collections - Finding Aids - BGSU University Libraries. Correspondence between family members.
Published letters of Jewish colonel. Spiegel Marcus M Frank L Byrne and Jean Powers Soman. 1985. Your True Marcus : The Civil War Letters of a Jewish Colonel. Kent Ohio: Kent State University Press.Your true Marcus : the Civil War letters of a Jewish colonel | WorldCat.org. Available at Norfolk State University.
Published letters of Alvin C. Voris. Voris Alvin C and Jerome Mushkat. 2002. A Citizen-Soldier's Civil War : The Letters of Brevet Major General Alvin C. Voris. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press. A citizen-soldier's Civil War : the letters of Brevet Major General Alvin C. Voris | WorldCat.org. Available at Old Dominion University.
Original (unpublished format) letters of Alvin C. Voris. University of Akron. Inventory of the Alvin Coe Voris Letters, 1860-1865 (ohiolink.edu). (Digitized here: Search Results - University of Akron Digital Collections (oclc.org).)
Unspecified personal papers of Lowry Hinch. US Army Heritage and Information Center. Lowry Hinch Papers - Arena4-UAT (usahec.org). Listed in center research guide: oh10 (armyheritage.org).
Letter from Theodore Sebring. US Army Heritage and Information Center. Thomas R. Stone Collection. THOMAS R. STONE COLLECTION, BOX 1A, FOLDER 13, THEODORE SEBRING, COMPANY A, 67TH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY, LETTER - Arena4-UAT (usahec.org). Listed in center research guide: oh10 (armyheritage.org).
Correspondence of Christian Getz. US Army Heritage and Information Center. CIVIL WAR TIMES ILLUSTRATED (SERIES 1 & 2) COLLECTION; BOX 13B, FOLDER 20, FULTON-LENZ: LENZ-CHRISTIAN GETZ, 67TH OHIO INFANTRY REGIMENT, CORRESPONDENCE, 1864 - Arena4-UAT (usahec.org). Listed in center research guide: oh10 (armyheritage.org).
Unspecified material from John A. Smith. Lewis Leigh Collection, US Army Heritage and Information Center. LEWIS LEIGH COLLECTION; BOX 46 - Arena4-UAT (usahec.org). Listed in center research guide: oh10 (armyheritage.org).
Robert Larimer papers (see 62nd - he also served in the 67th).
132nd Regiment, Ohio Infantry (National Guard)
N/A
155th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (National Guard)
N/A
58th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry
Clay, Capt./Lt. Col. Cecil. Papers. Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Home - Civil War Manuscripts & Newspapers - LibGuides at Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Collins, Capt. John M. Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Home - Civil War Manuscripts & Newspapers - LibGuides at Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Description cites muster and pay rolls.
104th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry
Davis, William Watts Hart. Papers, 1809-1908. Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Home - Civil War Manuscripts & Newspapers - LibGuides at Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
173rd Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry (Drafted Militia)
Michael Moyer diary. Gettysburg College. "MS-027: Michael Moyer Co. C 173rd Pennsylvania, Civil War Diary" by Leia K. Dunn (gettysburg.edu).
177th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry (Drafted Militia)
Jeremiah Mickly. Gettysburg College. The Civil War Letters of Jeremiah Mickly of Franklin Township, Adams County (gettysburg.edu). Mickly was a chaplain. This is an online biography - footnote-mining.
4th Regiment, Rhode Island Infantry
George H. Allen published memoir. Allen Geo H. 1887. Forty-Six Months with the Fourth R.i. Volunteers in the War of 1861 to 1865 : Comprising a History of the Marches Battles and Camp Life. Providence R.I: J.A. & R.A. Reid printers. http://www.aspresolver.com/aspresolver.asp?CWLD;S1496. Forty-six months with the Fourth R.I. Volunteers in the War of 1861 to 1865 : comprising a history of the marches, battles, and camp life | WorldCat.org. Available at Christopher Newport University.
11th Regiment, Rhode Island Infantry
Henri Eugene Bacon. Providence (RI) Public Library. C. Fiske Harris Collection on the Civil War and Slavery... | Providence Public Library - Special Collections (aspendiscovery.org); 007-02-01-FA.pdf (provlib.org). Letters to wife.
George W. Randall. Providence (RI) Public Library. C. Fiske Harris Collection on the Civil War and Slavery... | Providence Public Library - Special Collections (aspendiscovery.org); 007-02-01-FA.pdf (provlib.org). Letters to friend (assumed) back home, who did not serve.
Reuben A. (L.) Thornton. Providence (RI) Public Library. C. Fiske Harris Collection on the Civil War and Slavery... | Providence Public Library - Special Collections (aspendiscovery.org); 007-02-01-FA.pdf (provlib.org). Letters to friend (assumed) back home, who did not serve (same correspondent as above).
1st Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
Thomas Wentworth Higginson papers. Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University. Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Letters and Journals of Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Chapter 1: <a target="_blank" onclick="openPopupWindow(this); return false" href="entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0001&auth=tgn,7013528;tgn,7013527;tgn,7011980;tgn,7010874;tgn,2120866;tgn,2078704&n=1&type=place">Cambridge</a> and <a target="_blank" onclick="openPopupWindow(this); return false" href="entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0001&auth=tgn,7014220&n=1&type=place">Newburyport</a> (tufts.edu). Portsmouth briefly mentioned.
5th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
N/A
36th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
Stephen F. Hathaway letters. Duke University. Stephen F. Hathaway letters, 1863-1866. - Duke University Libraries Catalog.
Thomas Scott Johnson papers. Wisconsin Historical Society (housed at the Archives & Area Research Center, Polk Library, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh). Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aids.
Thomas Scott Johnson seminar paper. Wisconsin State University (footnote mining?). Hartwig_Thesis.pdf (wisconsin.edu).
Regiment history published 1866 (footnote mining?). Stein A. H and Nathan Goff. 1866. History of the Thirty-Seventh Regt. U.s.c. Infantry : From Its Organization in the Winter of 1863 and '64 to the Present Time with List of Names of All Officers and Enlisted Men Who Have Ever Belonged to the Regiment and Remarks Attached to Each Name Noting All Changes Such As Promotions Transfers Discharges Deaths Etc. : Brevet Brig. Gen. Nathan Goff Jr. Commanding. Philadelphia: King & Baird Printers. History of the Thirty-seventh Regt. U.S.C. Infantry : from its organization in the winter of 1863 and '64, to the present time, with list of names of all officers and enlisted men who have ever belonged to the Regiment, and remarks attached to each name, noting all changes, such as promotions, transfers, discharges, deaths, etc. : Brevet Brig. Gen. Nathan Goff, Jr., commanding | WorldCat.org. Available at Library of Virginia.
37th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
N/A
38th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
Late-life recollections of black solider Cornelius Garner. WPA (Virgina Writers Project) slave narrative. He described Norfolk - where he settled after the war - just before in the early stages of the Civil War. “Interview with Cornelius Garner” (Unknown, May 18, 1937) - Encyclopedia Virginia.
9th Regiment, Vermont Infantry
Zenus H. Bliss letters. Vermont Historical Society. Zenas H. Bliss correspondence, 1862-1866 — Vermont Historical Society (vermont history.org). Online transcriptions available.
19th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry
N/A
Support Units
Brigade Band (Norfolk Brigade)
N/A
Miscellaneous
Kliee, Frederick, correspondence, 1864. Central Michigan University. “A four-page letter, dated April 4, 1864, addressed to his nephews, Charles and Willie, describing military actions and Suffolk and Norfolk (Va.).” Unpublished Civil War Materials | Clarke Historical Library | Central Michigan University (cmich.edu).
Isaac Knapp diary. Western Michigan University. Isaac S Knapp diary [Isaac S. Knapp diary, 1865, United States Civil War] (umich.edu) Digitized, searchable text. Mentions Norfolk, Fort Monroe.
Letter from Confederate naval commander Catesby ap Roger Jones on the seizure of the powder magazine at Norfolk in April 1861. Pegram Family Papers, Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Old, James W. - Pulliam, Samuel Harper | Virginia Museum of History & Culture (virginiahistory.org). (Perhaps more besides in the collection of this Norfolk family).
Letter from Charles Pickett, Norfolk, to his grandson “concerning the sacrifices and service of Southern women.” Virginia Museum of History and Culture, https://virginiahistory.org/research/research-resources/guides-researchers/old-james-w-pulliam-samuel-harper.
Letter from James L. Powers. Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Old, James W. - Pulliam, Samuel Harper | Virginia Museum of History & Culture (virginiahistory.org). References the fall of Norfolk.
Letter from Phillip Henry Powers, while serving as quartermaster under J.E.B. Stuart, on “living conditions at Camp Forlorn in Warwick County (now part of Newport News). Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Old, James W. - Pulliam, Samuel Harper | Virginia Museum of History & Culture (virginiahistory.org).
Various soldiers’ letters home. Donald Benham Civil War Collection, Library of Congress. About this Collection | Donald Benham Civil War Collection | Digital Collections | Library of Congress (loc.gov).
Unidentified author, diary, 1862–1863. Virginia Historical Society. 1 volume. Mss5:1UN3:14. Virginia Historical Society Virginia’s Civil War (virginiahistory.org). Kept at Suffolk, Va., and New Bern and Washington, N.C., by a member of the 168th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. “Contains entries describing camp life, marches, fortifications, and weather conditions.”
Diary of Charles H. Bushee, member of the 112th Regiment, New York Infantry. Virginia Tech. VT Special Collections and University Archives Online | Diary, Charles H. Bushee, 1863 (Ms2009-055). Digitized online. Although this unit is not documented to have passed through Norfolk, Bushee writes of skirmishes around Norfolk and surrounding locales.
Diary of James W. Allbright, of the 12th Virginia Artillery Battalion. Virginia Historical Society. Virginia’s Civil War (virginiahistory.org). Includes the Suffolk campaign.
Various personal narratives (some already included above) referencing Norfolk and other South Hampton Roads locales can be found by searching this Virginia Historical Society finding aid: Virginia’s Civil War (virginiahistory.org).
Diary of Cloe Whittle. Whittle-Green Papers, William and Mary. Collection: Whittle-Greene Papers | Special Collections Research Center (wm.edu). Civil War portion of diary published as part of graduate student thesis: Davies, Emily R., "What Sorrows and What Joys: The Civil War Diaries of Cloe Tyler Whittle, 1861-1866" (1993). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. William & Mary. Paper 1539625840. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-0dwe-9d48.
Papers of C.W. Murdaugh, Portsmouth attorney, politician and judge, who fought for the Confederate army. College of Williams and Mary. Collection: C. W. Murdaugh Papers | Special Collections Research Center (wm.edu)
Diaries of William Lamb, Norfolk mayor and Confederate, and wife, Sarah Anne Chaffee Lamb. College of William and Mary. Ex Libris Discovery - william lamb Ex Libris Discovery - william lamb (exlibrisgroup.com). Various other related sources located here, such as autobiography and dissertation The Diary of William Lamb, August 18, 1859-May 21, 1860 (wm.edu)
Tazewell family: Williams and Mary - Collection: Tazewell Family Papers | Special Collections Research Center (wm.edu); and the Library of Virginia - A Guide to the Tazewell family papers, 1623-1930 Tazewell family, papers, 1623-1930 24194 (virginia.edu), including (perhaps of most relevance, according to collection description) “correspondence from Ann Tazewell Bradford (1817-1898) regarding the confiscation by the federal government of Sandhills Plantation in Princess Anne County during the Civil War.”
WPA slave narratives: Charles Grandy (Image 25 of Federal Writers' Project: Slave Narrative Project, Vol. 17, Virginia, Berry-Wilson | Library of Congress (loc.gov)).
Letters from George Neville, CSA. From Norfolk and Portsmouth, 1854-1865, to Miss Nellie Newman (fiance?) of Isle of Wight County. George Neville Letters Letters from George Neville, C.S.A., from Richmond, Portsmouth, and Norfolk, Virginia, to Miss Nellie Newman of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, and James City County, Virginia, regarding politics, social activities, war news, and personal matters, 150 items, 1854-1865, Accession #2024, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. Letters From George Neville, C.S.A., From Richmond, Portsmouth, and Norfolk, Virginia, to Miss Nellie Newman of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, and James City County, Virginia, Regarding Politics, Social Activities, War News, and Personal Matters.
Papers of Col. Walter H. Taylor, member of Lee’s staff. From Norfolk - potential. Worldcat lists collection as housed at Library of Virginia (couldn’t locate on library website). Col. Walter H. Taylor papers, 1810-1916 | WorldCat.org
Published letters of New England abolitionist sisters Lucy and Sarah Chase. Many letters written from Craney Island and Norfolk. Dear One at Home: Letters from Contraband Camps. Edited by Henry L. Swint. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 1966. Available from the Sargeant Memorial Collection.
Letter from John H. Core, of the Eastern Shore, to the future Amanda Virginia Edmonds, reporting on Norfolk immediately after the war. Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Title: Papers, 1857-1886. Section 5. Call no. Mss1 c3684 a 5-6. SydneyEnterprise OPAC (virginiahistory.org)
Published memoirs of John S. Wise, whose father was the defending commander of Roanoke Island. Wise recalls trips to Norfolk during the war as a boy. Focus on preparations for the evacuation of the city, and the Battle of the Ironclads. Wise, John S. The End of and Era. Boston: Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1899. Available from the Sargeant Memorial Collection.
Diary of Elizabeth Wright, 1861-1862. Wright was the daughter of Dr. David Minton Wright of the Wright-Sanborn Affair. She wrote as a 17-18 year old in Norfolk. Talbot Family Papers, MSS 2023-021, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library.