James B. Blackwell was born in Mississippi in 1845. He was living in New Albany, Mississippi, with his sister, Mary, and her family while he attended school and worked as a farmer in 1860. His sister’s husband, Andrew J. Duncan, was a wealthy farmer and the son of William Duncan, one of the first settlers of what is now Union County. Blackwell was sixteen when he enlisted at New Albany in Company K (New Albany Grays), Twenty-first Regiment, Mississippi Infantry, in May of 1861. The Twenty-first Regiment was attached to the Army of Northern Virginia for the duration of the war. Blackwell became ill at the battle of Manassas, Virginia, but he recovered enough to rejoin his regiment. He was wounded in one of the battles leading to the final confrontation at Fredericksburg, Virginia, in December of 1862. At this time, Blackwell was promoted to first sergeant and served until the end of the war, earning a promotion to ensign in October of 1864.

George W. Bolton served as a sergeant in Company E, Twelfth Regiment, Louisiana Infantry.

This collection consists of photocopies of an original letter by James B. Blackwell and a typewritten transcription of it and a photocopy of a typewritten transcription of a letter by George W. Bolton. The letters are highly descriptive of Confederate camp life and the terrain of north Mississippi and Virginia.

In a letter to his sister at New Albany, Mississippi, Blackwell first describes a battle in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where Brigadier General Benjamin G. Humphreys was wounded. He next relates how after an all-day march with his unit, he visited a mountain hamlet and stayed for an all-night dance. The letter is dated September 29, 1864, and is written from a camp near Winsborough, Virginia.

In a letter to his parents, Bolton refers to Holly Springs, Mississippi, and describes his current camp location near Abbeville, Mississippi, on the Tallahatchie River. He then discusses the Union advances through this section of the state. The second part of the letter focuses on the recent package of clothing Bolton had received from his sister, the additional food supplies sent by his parents, and the prices of supplies. The letter is dated November 11, 1862.

1. Letters. 1862; 1864. 3 items.