One reason so much is known about the Civil War is because of the plethora of letters exchanged by soldiers and their families.  Soldiers depended on the letters for encouragement and support.  Often the letters focused on the mundane aspects of life--food eaten, military clothing, friendships made.  But letters from soldiers also described the great fears they felt as they faced battle.  "No correspondence can describe the fighting there on Saturday morning.  I don't believe any man ever saw more desperate, reckless, and brave charges than the enemy made on our guns.  I never saw anything so grand and awful before," wrote one Union soldier.

        By 1863, supplies of all commodities became scarce, particularly in the South.  Even though paper was in short supply, the flow of letters did not lessen.  Scraps of paper covered with tiny cramped writing were mailed home and then saved by families whose sons and brothers went off to war.  It was common for one letter to be passed from family member to family member until all were apprised of the news from the battle lines.

        First-hand accounts were penned by news reporters traveling with the army, their handwritten reports taken by messenger for publication in newspapers.  Their descriptions of battle were often detailed and poetic as they struggled to be the first to send reports for the next deadline.
 

From President Lincoln to Major General Hooker

From General Longstreet to General Burnside

From Andrew Wilson to His Parents

From Henry to Harriet

From Son to Father

From Sullivan Ballou

Clara Barton's Letter to Her Cousin, Vira

Miscellaneous Letters

From Christiansburg, Virginia in 1861 (Activity)

George Barr's Letter (Activity)