1 50 1 https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/655685867f6b7fc8604742cdf3497f30.jpg a076c05ee915dc5ce9ebbef1f63dda7a PDF Text Text This is the commencement of this letter Camp near Baleys Cross Roads [Bailey’s Crossroads, VA] June 10th Dear Mother I received your letter of the 8th to night but have not got the one with the stamps in it. As you do not put the Brigade on them it could not have gone there. guess it is lost, although it may come along after a while. I have sent you a bundle by Express containing my Overcoat, Jacket, Woolen blanket, Pr. Drawers + Shirt. I mailed you a letter yesterday. Was over to Washington again to day, took over a Soldier who got his discharge from the Hosp- ital. Coolie has deserted, been gone a week or so. lots are deserting I ant at all afraid but what I shall get my discharge in a month or so, but I want it sooner. they wont keep any drafted men in the service. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1865-06-10 https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/d223fa2b0e357a3db4e8aede7d402813.jpg 94289094519ce38edff2cd598e50b7be PDF Text Text Sunday morning. It is a nice cool day to day. going to have some beans for Breakfast. we drew a loaf of Soft Bread yesterday for a wonder. It says in yesterdays Chronicle that all volenteers are going to be dischar- ged, that means all by the Regular Army. They have sent five hundred men down to the Wilderness, with coffins to bury the dead. Some of Shermans [William Tecumseh Sherman] Army come through there + reported there were lots of men unburried there, or the bones of men. you see there is only a little dirt thrown over them and the first rain washes it all off. At Spottsvania [Spotsylvania, VA] I saw lots of them with arms + legs sticking out of the ground. when we came through Chansorlesville [Chancellorsville, VA] there was a mans scull in the road. could see the graves where something had dug into them and left the bones uncovered I did not write you horrors of war before because I knew it would make you feel bad. folks at home know little of a Battlefield. The stench of dead Horses + men is awful. wish I was at home to day to go to meeting with you, how would you like that. we dont have any meeting here there is virtuly no Sunday in the Army. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1865-06-11 https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/616cf20025a13193de40fc3fbe85a99f.jpg 8a5c3ef9b2545a6350002215b0fb1578 PDF Text Text there is a heavy wagon going by piled up full of Coffins I am sorry I dont get that letter with the stamps. Has Pa got the wach yet that he traded for. tell him I shall claim it as mine when I come home, if I live to. You know that piece of Camphor gum you sent me well, it has not disolved hardly any yet, and I have had it wet two or three times. we are all looking for another order for dischargeing troop, now all the time. I think it will come this week, and are in hopes it will include me. I guess they have got most all the sixty two men off. There was another fight in washington yesterday. the white troops pitched on the Negroes. I guess they will be glad when they get the army away from here. they do not dare Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1865-06-11 https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/758cc0efb41fa7f82df30b8a30cec5f7.jpg 10b30ed11d2d2884cf7e2a9a089d6845 PDF Text Text <table><tr><th>Left Page</th> <th>Right Page</th> </tr><tr><td>to pay the army here, if they did they tear washington all to peices. well I must go and take care of my Horses. Monday. The Pay Master told one of our Sargents that the troops would not be payed till they were musted out, so you see by that, that they calculate to discharge us soon. I drempt of home last night. I have been away from home so long now that it dont seem as if I were ever going home again. but I hope + trust I shall come home to you once more. when I think of the many brave boys that have been killed, how thank- full to God. I had ought to be, for preserving my life and health. I expect you will want me to tell you all about the Battles, Skermishes, and the like I have been in. would like to sit down and have a good long talk with you. I shall be </td><td>anxious now till I hear from my bundle I sent. I forgot to tell the man I sent it by, the value of it, and he only told them five dollars, so I expect the express wont be so much. they go by the value I believe, but if it was lost I could only collect five dollars for it and that would not pay the trouble. I think the bundle is worth near twenty dollars. I dont want to loose the Jacket I thought I would keep the Jacket to wear home then, I altered my mind, if I get a chance shall draw a new blouse if not wear the one I have got. there is an old Pr. of Gloves in the pockets of the Overcoat, one of the men gave me. The Over- Coat wants cleaning some. it only cost me four dollars last fall. the price when new is nine or ten dollars. if I had known </td> </tr></table> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1865-06-10 1865-06-11 1865-06-12 https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/4bd0360f9046679f7f64ae5d0876e2ae.jpg f5c9de0ce53c0e1bb6e65a526d63232f PDF Text Text I could sent things by express would picked up two or three Over-coats on the march. they did not used to let Soldiers send home Goverment clothes If Coolie dont come back I shall take one of his woolen blankets. I might as well have them as somebody else. where did you say Uncle Allen lived now. I have forgot, I think you said they had moved. we get a pretty good share of Salt Horse now. have got a big Camp kettle full boiling on the fire now. I want to get home before huccleberries are gone. Would like to be home Rasberry time so to have a short cake. how nice it will be to get home and have plenty of Potatoes, Biscuit + other good things. I have not eat a potatoe as I think of now since last winter. we might have [drawed?] one or two at Burkesvill [Burkeville, VA] but I think not. how good some pickles would taste. well this is a long letter and I will close. love to all and write soon. from Willie Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1865-06-10 https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/a6d5a5904cecda2b4ae074e9cc2b6e8c.jpg 9cd2900c7c7bf27f235ebb39017f45d0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource William A. Leonard Papers, 1864-1865 (Ms2011-106) Subject The topic of the resource Petersburg (Va.)--History--Siege, 1864-1865 United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Diaries. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Civil War Petersburg (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865. Description An account of the resource The collection includes William A. Leonard's letters home from February-July 1865, as well as his diary from August 1864-April 1865. Leonard served as an ambulance driver in and around the siege at Petersburg, which is the focus of his short diary entries. His early letters focus on war news and rumors, daily life, and news from home. Letters following Lee's surrender emphasize Leonard's experiences while stationed around Washington, DC, daily life (including the growing frustrations of soldiers wanting to get home) and his complaint's about the rumors and delays of his regiment's discharge and payment. All the letters in this collection were written home to Leonard's parents, usually his mother. He continually reassures her not to worry about him, requests various things from home (especially stamps), and talks about his daily life. He frequently writes about plans for when he gets home. Leonard's religious sentiments also recur throughout his correspondence. He also includes war news and who he has seen, though he reveals his priorities and lack of interest in being a soldier, saying in March 1865: "we have got a good man to steer the machine, that fellow they call U. S. Grant. Sheridan & Sherman are giving them fits. I have seen Grant & Mede a number of times this summer I had a great deal rather see you + Pa. I dont want to see Nora because she wanted me to go soldiering" Although battle descriptions are not necessarily the focus of Leonard's letters, his 1864 correspondence contains details of being fired upon a Petersburg, of picket duty, and later, of transporting injured men. In June 1865, he writes several letters detailing the sight of unburied dead men and horses and the sound of fighting from the front at Petersburg. In May 1865, he writes of the incompetence of the doctors: "The Doctors here dont have any thing fit to give any one and the bigest of them dont know how to doctor a hen anyway. They take the wounded men legs and arms off half the time. when there is no need of it, do it practice there has been a number of times I have heard of that...The Doct of the Regt was a clerk in an apothecary shop..." Leonard's diary begins in August 1864, apparently when he was appointed to drive an ambulance. His entries are short and refer mostly to his daily activities: who or what he was conveying to and from the hospital at City Point outside Petersburg; what letters he sent or received; war news; or when he attended religious meetings. Shortly before the diary ends in April 1865, he notes the firing of guns and cannons "for the death of abram Lincoln President of the U.S. who was shot by a man by the name of Booth." He refers to the death of Lincoln and its effect on the soldiers in several letters, as well. Leonard's own correspondence suggests he kept a previous diary--in August 1864, he inquires if his mother has received the one he sent home--but it is unknown if this diary still exists. William A. Leonard was born about 1843 to Joel A. (b.1817) and Sophia Leonard (1816-d. before 1880). His parents were both natives of Vermont who moved to Massachusetts. William and his two sisters, Leonora (b. abt. 1852; and who William calls "Nora" in his letters and is later listed as "Mary" in a least one set of census records) and Roselia (b. abt. 1859) were all born in Great Barrington, Berkshire County. It is unknown what line of work William Leonard was in prior to the war, though he was living at home with his family. He was drafted into service in July 1863 for a three year term with Company F, 16th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry. In mid-July 1864, the 16th Infantry mustered out. Existing veterans and recruits, Leonard included, were transferred to the 11th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry. From at least August of 1864 until Lee's surrender, Leonard served as an ambulance driver, transporting wounded from battlefield to hospital. His unit spent nearly a year in and around Petersburg. While stationed outside Washington, DC, waiting to muster out, Leonard also drove civilians in and around the city. He particularly makes mention of taking family members to hospitals to get news of soldiers. Leonard returned home to Great Barrington in July 1865. In 1880, he was living at home with his father, Leonora and her husband, and Leonora's brother-in-law. At the time, he was employed at a woolen mill. In 1894, he purchased a plumbing and steam fitting business from a former employer. Later census records suggest he was married to a woman named Hattie (probably Henrietta; b. abt. 1863), but it is unknown when. They had daughter, Nellie, in June 1897. Sources: Ancestry.com Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, National Park Service. The Metal Worker, vol. XLI, January to June 1894. New York: David Williams, 1894. Via Google Books, November 2011. Abstract A summary of the resource. The collection includes William A. Leonard's letters home from February-July 1865, as well as his diary from August 1864-April 1865. Leonard served as an ambulance driver in and around the siege at Petersburg, which is the focus of his short diary entries. His early letters focus on war news and rumors, daily life, and news from home. Post-surrender letters emphasize Leonard's experiences while stationed around Washington, DC, daily life (including the growing frustrations of soldiers wanting to get home) and his complaint's about the rumors and delays of his regiment's discharge. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leonard, William A., b. abt. 1843 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=vt/viblbv00953.xml">See the Finding Aid for the William A. Leonard Papers</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1864/1865 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="https://omeka.lib.vt.edu/files/thumbnails/spec_forms/PubPermission.doc">Permission to publish material from the William A. Leonard Papers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.</a> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Ms2011-106 Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: William A. Leonard Papers, Ms2011-106, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. <a href="http://spec.lib.vt.edu/">Special Collections, Virginia Tech</a> Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter, William Leonard to Mother, Camp Near Bailey's Crossroads Va., June 10, 1865 (Ms2011-106) Subject The topic of the resource Civil War United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Petersburg (Va.)--History--Siege, 1864-1865 Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: William A. Leonard Papers, Ms2011-106, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=vt/viblbv00953.xml">See the Finding Aid for the William A. Leonard Papers</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1865-06-10 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="https://omeka.lib.vt.edu/files/thumbnails/spec_forms/PubPermission.doc">Permission to publish material from the William A. Leonard Papers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leonard, William A., b. abt. 1843 Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. <a href="http://spec.lib.vt.edu/">Special Collections, Virginia Tech</a> Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Ms2011-106_LeonardWilliam_B1F3_Letter_1865_0610 archived