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Rufus Washburn Carley Civil War correspondence, 1861-1865

By UIUC RBML Staff

Collection Overview

Title: Rufus Washburn Carley Civil War correspondence, 1861-1865

ID: 01/02/02/POST-1650 MS 0567

Creator: Carley, Rufus Washburn

Extent: 16.0 Letters

Languages: English [eng]

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Rufus Washburn was born in Shelburn Falls, Massachusetts, in 1840. He was a bugler in an army band during most of the Civil War. He initially was part of the Fifth Regiment of the Connecticut Volunteers, later in the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 6th Army Corps. His letters home to his mother, Polly Greene Carley, cover the period May, 1861 to April, 1865 with a two year gap between March, 1862 and February, 1864. He was in the "Army of the Potomac" led by Generals Bank and McClellan during his first tour of W. Virginia, Maryland and Virginia.

When the letters resume, his VI Corps is part of the "Army of Shenandoah" under the command of General Phillip Sheridan, who was appointed by General Grant in August, 1864. It appears that Rufus spent the period of 1864-1865 entirely in Virginia.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions: The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions:

This collection is the physical property of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, may reside with the materials' creator(s) or their heirs.

The Rare Book & Manuscript Library's reproduction and publication policies are available here. The library welcomes requests for reproductions made from works in our collections, though restrictions may apply to certain materials. Please contact the library with any questions.

Acquisition Source: This collection was donated to the library by Sarah U. Wisserman


Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Rufus Washburn Carley correspondence, 1861-1865Add to your cart.
Item 1: Hartford, CT, May 2, 1861Add to your cart.
Item 2: Camp of the 3 Regt Near Harper's Ferry, W. VA, August 2, 1861Add to your cart.
Item 3: Near Harper's Ferry, W. VA, August 15, 1861Add to your cart.
Item 4: Camp Elsworth, MD, September 4, 1861Add to your cart.
Item 5: Camp Elsworth near Darnestown MD, September 17, 1861Add to your cart.
Item 6: Camp Elsworth near Darnestown, MD, September 25, 1861Add to your cart.
Item 7: Camp Pine Grove near Muddy Branch MD?, November 26, 1861Add to your cart.
Item 8: Camp of 5C V near Clear Spring, MD, December 21, 1861Add to your cart.
Item 9: Camp near Hancock, MD, February 3, 1862Add to your cart.
Item 10: Camp near Hancock, MD, February 24, 1862Add to your cart.
Item 11: Winchester, VA, March 21, 1862Add to your cart.
Item 12: Brandy Station, VA, February 17, 1864Add to your cart.
Item 13: Strasburg, VA, October 29Add to your cart.
Item 14: Below Petersburg, VA, March 14, 1865Add to your cart.
Item 15: Below Petersburg, VA, March 27, 1865Add to your cart.
Item 16: Berksoulle Junction, VA, April 22, 1865Add to your cart.