The George Ballantine collection contains 8 letters that Ballantine wrote to his brother, William A. Ballantine, in 1865, as well as 1 letter by an officer in Ballantine's regiment. The letters concern Ballantine's internment in Libby Prison and his subsequent imprisonment by the Union Army for reasons unknown. One broadside is also present.
George Ballantine wrote 8 letters from June-November 1865, while attempting to muster out of the Union Army following his lengthy imprisonment. He discussed his detention by the Union Army and his ongoing efforts to clear his name. Ballatine often mentioned the legal aspects of his case, which he believed put him in double jeopardy. In his letter of June 10, 1865, he asked William to write to the commanding general on his behalf and included a brief history of his imprisonment, suggesting that his arrest related to an escape from Libby Prison; he did not provide further details about the specific charges against him. Throughout the summer, he tried to return to his regiment and muster out, despite the fact that his term of service had expired the previous October. As of November 4, 1865, Ballatine was at Richmond, where he anticipated being mustered out within the week. The collection includes a letter from a Union Army major regarding George's case, as well as a printed memorial broadside for members of the 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery Regiment, Battery F.
George W. Ballantine was born in New Jersey around 1836 and had at least one brother, William. He was a plumber in New York City before enlisting as a private in the 1st New York Mounted Rifles in April 1861. He was captured by Confederate troops and sent to Libby Prison, from which he escaped. He was arrested for upon returning to his regiment (for reasons currently unknown) on February 20, 1864, and was confined until January 1865. Ballantine had an inconclusive "partial trial" at Fort Monroe, Virginia, and was jailed a second time, at Fredericksburg, until June 1865. In November 1865, he mustered out with a clear record.
