John L. Boatwright Letters, 1863 - 1864

File — Box: 4273.002, Folder: 006

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina, December 22, 1863

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina, December 23, 1863

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina

Fragment of a letter, possibly to Boatwright, from a J. W. Magill, referring to ammunition, no date.

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina, January 1, 1864

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina, January 6, 1864

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina, February 27, 1864

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina, April 26, 1864

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina, April 27, 1864

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina, April 29, 1864

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina, May 1, 1864

Letter from John L. Boatwright, Savannah, Georgia, to his wife, Columbia, South Carolina, May 2, 1864

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of twelve letters from Boatwright, an ordinance officer in the Confederate Army, stationed at Savannah, Georgia, to his wife in Columbia, South Carolina, although the letters suggest that the Boatwrights were from Virginia. The earliest letter is dated December 22, 1863, the last May 14, 1864. The contents are largely personal; Boatwright was deeply devoted to his wife and in virtually every letter states how much he misses her. The strain of separation was doubtless increased by Mrs. Boatwright's pregnancy (see in particular letter of May 1, 1864). Occasionally Boatwright mentions the situation at Savannah and the course of the war; on April 26, 1864, for example, he alludes to the Army's financial straits. The letter of the following day states that "we are making the grandest of efforts in the world to frustrate the plans of the Yankees this spring" and that "Every Regiment from this place except one has been ordered to the front." There is also a fragment of a letter, possibly to Boatwright, from a J. W. Magill, referring to ammunition, no date.

Dates

1863 - 1864

Creator

Magill, J. W. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.