Kaleidoscope

US Civil War Diaries and Letters ( 1861- 1866 )

     US Civil War period letters and diaries constitute an interesting aspect of  the Historical Manuscript Collection in the division. The materials on display were  selected to highlight the personal experiences of the soldiers in both sides of the conflict.

     The diaries are those of Thomas B. Robinson- a lieutenant in the U. S. Military Academy and James Allen Duncan, of the Confederate Army. The four letters are from the family papers of the Henry W. Benham Family, the Taylor-Darby Family, the Trussell Family, and the Gaffney Family.

     Benham was a Union officer and the others served in the confederate army. The items are written during the war from 1861-1866 and reveal his experiences and impressions of people, towns and countryside.

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