Collections

This collection concerns the military career of J. Townsend Daniel, an Englishman who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. In letters to family members in England, Daniel related his experiences at the Battles of Bull Run and Fair Oaks, at an Annapolis military hospital, and in Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

This collection contains 38 letters and 2 newspaper clippings pertaining to J. Townsend Daniel, who served with the 36th New York Infantry Regiment, 10th Maryland Infantry Regiment, and 1st Maryland Cavalry Regiment in Washington, D.C., and Virginia during the Civil War. In letters to his parents and brothers in East Ardsley and Leeds, England, Daniel commented on military life, Union Army officers, and war news, and described his experiences at the First Battle of Bull Run (July 22, 1861); the Battle of Fair Oaks, where he was shot in the leg (August 1, 1862); and the Battle of New Market (September 14, 1864). Postwar letters to and by J. Townsend Daniel relate to his appointment in the 7th United States Cavalry Regiment and his visits to New York City and Boston (March 1, 1865) and the Great Lakes region (July 15, 1866). The collection contains multiple contemporary handwritten copies of some of Daniel's letters.

Other correspondence includes letters by religious official J. R. Davenport (August 4, 1862), and Maryland governor Augustus Bradford, both of whom Daniel had met while recovering from his leg wound in Annapolis; Bradford thanked the Daniel family for their support (October 15, 1864) and reported his ignorance about J. Townsend Daniel's postwar whereabouts (May 11, 1867). Newspaper articles are enclosed in 2 letters (May 11, 1867 and January 18, 1868); the collection also contains 2 loose clippings: an undated article about a military officer's visit to "Trinity Church" and a copy of the Washington, D.C., Evening Star (July 15, 1861).

The Leach family papers are primarily comprised of the Civil War correspondence of the three Leach brothers to their sister in Cranston, Rhode Island. Joseph and Edwin Leach served in the 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery, and Leander Leach, in the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry.

The collection consists of 100 letters, spanning 1857-1865. The most frequent writer was Edwin Leach, who contributed 64 letters, while Joseph wrote 19, and Leander wrote 7. Edwin's letters cover 1861 through 1864, and he wrote all but three to his sister, Anna. Edwin's letter from July 13, 1862, also includes a note from Anna to their brother, Joseph, as she forwarded the letter. Edwin's letters described camp life, fighting, and the hardships of war, such as cold weather, mud, and boils. On April 26, 1862, he wrote a letter describing the siege of Yorktown and noted, "you wanded [sic] to know if I was friten when we was in the fight I was in the first of it but when I had ben in there a little while I dind care … " Edwin also described the pervasive illness in the camps: "the guys is gitting sick we havd got men enough to work the Battery" (May 31, 1862).

Joseph's letters, also written primarily to Anna Leach, span 1861-1862 and contain rich details about camp life, movements of the battery, and battles. On August 26, 1861, he wrote a description of Washington, D.C., in wartime: "the streets is all dirt and hogs cows and every thing else runging around in the streets." He also expressed cynicism about payment: "I don't think that they will pay us untill we go into a battle and get some of us killed of and then they will not have so many to pay." In addition, he mentioned an axe fight between men and officers (November 7, 1861), gave his negative opinion of General Charles Pomeroy Stone's decisions at the battle of Ball's Bluff (February 12, 1862), and described the respiratory illness that led to his medical discharge in 1862 (March 12, 1862).

Leander entered the war in 1864, when he was only around sixteen years old. His letters include family news, his picket and cooking duties, and briefly recount a skirmish at Petersburg, Virginia (March 28, 1865). Leander wrote to both his brother Edwin, and his sister Anna.

Friends and relatives wrote an additional 11 letters to Anna, including two letters by Nathan B. Searle, of the 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery. These letters shed light on Anna's friendships and provide some additional details concerning the Leach family.

This collection is comprised of 76 letters written and received by members of the Irwin family (direct descendants of Benjamin Franklin). The majority of the collection consists of letters written by educator Agnes Irwin, Richard Biddle Irwin, who served as George McClellan's aide-de-camp, and their mother Sophia Bache Irwin during the first half of the Civil War.

The Richard B. and Agnes Irwin Family Collection is comprised of 76 letters written and received by members of the Irwin family (direct descendants of Benjamin Franklin). The majority of the collection consists of letters written by educator Agnes Irwin; her brother Richard Biddle Irwin, who served as George McClellan's aide-de-camp and as Assistant Adjutant General in the 19th Army Corps; and their mother Sophia Bache Irwin during the first half of the Civil War.

• Two letters by Alexander James Dallas to his wife and mother, [May 29, 1796?] and ca. 1801. In the earlier letter, he described the new capital of Washington, D.C., and the city of Georgetown. He also attended a performance of the play Ruse-Contra-Ruse in Baltimore, which featured "French West-Indian" actors including a mixed-race actress in a leading role.
• One letter from Deborah Bache to Mother discussing social news, ca. 1801.
• Five letters from A. D. (Alexander Dallas) Bache to Benjamin Silliman, 1833-1863, and an anonymous recipient regarding the Franklin Institute and other scientific matters.
• 30 letters, 1850-1864 and undated, by Richard Biddle Irwin to his mother, Sophia Irwin, and sister Agnes Irwin. Irwin's letters regard military matters, including camp life while serving under General George McClellan and General Nathaniel Banks. With unusual candor and strong Democratic opinions, he provided detailed insight into Union Army movements, occupied Southern locales, and wartime politics. A later letter refers to a lawsuit against him, pertinent to the Pacific Steamship Mail Company.
• Nine letters by Sophia Arabella Bache Irwin to her daughter, Agnes Irwin, and cousin Lizzie, May 27-August 8, 1861, and undated; Washington, D.C. Containing discussions of a visit to a military camp, a troop parade, war news (fears and opinions), and the fates of family and friends in military.
• 27 letters from Agnes Irwin to mother, Sophia Irwin, cousin Lizzie, and sister, Sophy Dallas Irwin, October 7, 1860-July 18, 1877, and undated. Irwin's 1860s letters include descriptions of life in Washington, D.C., with commentary on social events, including Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural ball, political jockeying (especially for governmental employment and appointments), and news of the war (as relayed by her brother, Richard, serving under General McClellan), and news of family and friends. She also described writing letters for wounded soldiers and the anxiety of a life lived so close to the front, including remarks on riots, wartime regulations, and opinions on military matters (such as the prosecution of General Charles Pomeroy Stone [1824-1887]). Her later letters (1877) respect a trip to Europe--a journey she often undertook during summer breaks.
• One letter from Robert Walker Irwin to mother, Sophia Irwin, September 29, 1894; Tokyo. Description of military actions during the First Sino-Japanese War.