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Collection

Burbank family letters, 1861-1883

86 items

This collection contains 3 groups of letters between members of the Burbank family of Medford, Massachusetts. William Henry and Edwin C. Burbank wrote to their mother and siblings while serving in the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, and New Bern, North Carolina, from 1861-1863; Edwin C. Burbank wrote to his mother and sisters while living in Paris, France, in 1867; and Ida Burbank wrote home about her life on Cumberland Island, Georgia, during the winter of 1882-1883.

This collection (86 items) consists of 3 groups of letters between members of the Burbank family of Medford, Massachusetts. William Henry and Edwin C. Burbank wrote to their mother and siblings while serving in the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in Washington, D.C.; Alexandria, Virginia; and New Bern, North Carolina, from 1861-1863 (42 items); Edwin C. Burbank wrote to his mother and sisters while living in Paris, France, in 1867 (11 items); and Ida Burbank wrote home about her life on Cumberland Island, Georgia, during the winter of 1882-1883 (31 items). The collection also includes a personal letter to Edwin Burbank (June 8, 1867) and an unsigned letter (November 22, [1882]).

William Henry Burbank wrote 33 and his brother Edwin wrote 9 of the 42 Civil War-era letters (April 28, 1861-June 17, 1863). William's first letters pertain to his service with the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in and around Washington, D.C., in 1861, including his observations about martial law in and the desertion of Alexandria, Virginia, and his recollections of the First Battle of Bull Run (July 23, 1861). Both brothers' later letters concern their experiences with the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in and around New Bern, North Carolina, from 1862-1863. The Burbanks described New Bern and its black population, reported casualties, and discussed the possibility of finding their brother Oscar a military job. Some of their letters, particularly Edwin's, recount Confederate attacks, Union Army expeditions, battles during the Goldsboro campaign, as well as attempts to relieve Confederate pressure on Washington, D.C. William's letter of March 16, 1863, contains a manuscript map of Union lines and encampments around New Bern. A few of the letters are addressed to the Burbank sisters.

The remaining correspondence includes 11 letters that Edwin C. Burbank wrote to his mother and sisters while traveling to and living in Paris, France, from March 29, 1867-September 29, 1867; his first letter is dated at Glasgow, Scotland. He commented on his travels, his life in Paris, and the Exposition Universelle. The final group of letters concerns Ida Burbank's leisure activities on Cumberland Island, Georgia, and her travels to Brunswick and other nearby locales. She provided news of the relatives she stayed with during her time in the South, discussed life in Georgia, mentioned ships traveling to and from the mainland, and described visits to the beach. Three of her letters enclose newspaper clippings and dried flowers.

Collection

Milton Hyman Boullemet typescripts, 1853-1884 (majority within 1861-1862)

85 pages

This collection is made up of typescripts of letters and other materials related to the Boullemet family of Mobile, Alabama. The bulk of the correspondence pertains to Milton H. Boullemet's service in the 3rd Alabama Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The materials were transcribed by Aubrey Bartlett of San Francisco, California, a descendant.

This collection is made up of approximately 85 pages of typescripts related to the Boullemet family of Mobile, Alabama, particularly concerning the Civil War service of Milton H. Boullemet. Early items include a letter by bookseller Joe Morris of "Coventry," who noted the popularity of Uncle Tom's Cabin (September 24, 1853); a letter from Nash Buckley to his brother Harry about life in Sydney, Australia (November 26, 1853); and a letter Milton H. Boullemet wrote to his parents from the "S. M. Academy" (February 10, 1856). Other items include invitations, a receipt for a casket and embalming services (June 12, 1884), and a patriotic song, "The Southern Girl with Home Spun Dress" (set to "Bonnie Blue Flag").

The bulk of the materials relate to the Boullemet family's experiences during the Civil War. Milton H. Boullemet wrote letters to his parents and siblings while serving with the 3rd Alabama Infantry Regiment, Company E, in Virginia and North Carolina between April 1861 and June 1862. He reported his entry into Confederate service in a letter dated April 29, 1861, and discussed his decision to reenlist in the spring of 1862. Boullemet often described the conditions in Confederate camps and commented on the support the soldiers received from residents of Atlanta, Georgia, and Norfolk, Virginia. Though he seldom saw actions against Union forces, he mentioned a few skirmishes, expressed his confidence after early Confederate victories, reaffirmed his commitment to the cause after the fall of New Orleans, and shared a detailed description of the Battle of Hampton Roads (March 10, 1862).

Boullemet received a few letters from acquaintances and from family members in Mobile; those at home discussed economic difficulties, their commitment to the Confederate cause, and the city's preparations for an expected Union attack. Sallie Nimms, a Georgia resident whom Boullemet met while returning from a furlough, wrote about her support for the Confederacy and her admiration of Boullemet and other soldiers. Later items include condolence letters to the Boullemet family following Milton's death after the Battle of Malvern Hill and a pass for a 15-year-old slave named David to travel through Union-occupied New Orleans (March 24, 1863).

The materials were transcribed by Aubrey Bartlett of San Francisco, California, a descendant of the Boullemet family.