The Hargrett Library is pleased to announce several newly accessioned collections that document the Civil War:
Charles B. La Hatt family papers, ms 3778
Charles
Burdge La Hatt (1839-1908) was born in Muscogee County, Georgia, son of
Charles Henry La Hatt (1796-1872) and Elizabeth Windham (1824-1906). He
was a teacher and Methodist minister, served in Terrell Light
Artillery, and married Annie Engram (1844-1901) of Eufaula, Alabama.
They later lived in Gainesville, Georgia, where he founded Methodist
College of Georgia. The collection consists of correspondence, writings
and printed material and the majority of the letters are between Charles
La Hatt and his fiancée Annie from 1861 to 1865 in which he gives
detailed descriptions of the camps around Savannah, Georgia – Camp
Ashby, Camp Boyle, Camp Jackson, and Camp Ogeechee. Although he was not
involved in any battles, he describes some that occurred nearby at Fort
McAllister (1863 January 26 and 1863 February 14), Fort Sumter (1863
April 14), and the “Nashville” explosion (1863 March 1).
Camden Evans letters, ms 3756
Camden
Evans (1838?-1864) enlisted in the 45th Alabama Volunteers, Company C
in 1862. He married Susan Emma Laney in 1861, daughter of Robert P.
Laney of Russell County, Alabama, and died of a wound received on July
20, 1864 near Atlanta, Georgia. The collection consists of letters Evans
wrote to his wife and her father in Columbus, Georgia, from 1862 to
1864, which he wrote from numerous camps including Tupelo, Mississippi,
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Ringgold and Dalton, Georgia. In his
letters he complained about how badly privates were treated and the lack
of food and clothing. He asked Mr. Laney to bring him a boy to wash his
clothes and forage for food, and he constantly tried to arrange for a
furlough or a substitute. He also gave his opinions of Generals Grant,
Johnson, Bragg and Hardee, and mentioned some details of battles.
Sturges family letters, ms 3764
John
R. Sturges (1827-1862) served in Co. A, 3rd Georgia Regiment, "Burke
Guards" and was killed at the battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia, on July
1, 1862. His brother William U. Sturges (1816-1884) was a businessman in
Waynesboro, Burke County, Georgia, and was married to Georgia Anna Ward
(1826-1905). The collection consists of letters written by William
Sturges to his brother John beginning in 1844 while John was in college
in Princeton, New Jersey and later studying law at Yale. The letters
describe the social events and family life in Waynesboro with some
mention of politics. After returning to Georgia, John was county
surveyor for Burke County in 1852 and several letters addressed to him
request his services. William’s letters to John continued while John's
regiment was in Portsmouth, Virginia in August 1861 and Roanoke Island,
North Carolina, in December 1861, and contained local news of Georgia.
Samuel Mosely letters, ms 3782
Samuel
Mosely was a Confederate private who served with the 58th Georgia
Militia Regiment beginning in 1861. The collection consists of eleven
letters written by Mosely between 1853 and 1861, addressed to various
family members, but primarily to his wife, Olympia C. Mosely, and his
mother. Mosely's letters to his wife date from 1861, sent from
Tennessee, and reported on his health, his travels and duties with the
infantry, camp life, and discussed other relatives and mutual
acquaintances. Mosely's letters to his mother and siblings date from the
1850s and discuss family members, health, crops, and his life in
Arkansas after moving from Georgia.
A number of collections documenting the Civil War have been digitized and are available online as part of America's Turning Point: Documenting the Civil War Experience in Georgia through the Digital Library of Georgia.
The
Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library is open for research Monday
through Friday from 8am to 5pm and Saturday from 1pm to 5pm, with the
exception of University holidays and home football games. For more
information, please visit http://www.libs.uga.edu/scl or call (706) 542-7123.
