Biography/History:

William A. Harper, second son of William C. and Mary C. Harper, was born in Rankin County, Mississippi, in 1844. The Harpers had two other children, J. J. and Ella. William C. Harper worked as a lawyer in Brandon. William A. Harper was seventeen when he enlisted as a corporal in Company D, Sixth Regiment, Mississippi Infantry (later part of the Fourteenth Regiment, Mississippi Consolidated Infantry), in May of 1861. Between August of 1861 and April of 1865, Harper rose to the rank of captain and saw action at Shiloh, Tennessee; Vicksburg, Mississippi; and in the Carolinas Campaign. Harper was paroled in Greensboro, North Carolina, on April 30, 1865, and he returned to Rankin County where he died in 1893.

This collection consists of a handwritten letter from William A. Harper to his sister, Ella. The letter, dated June 17, 1862, contains news of the war and of mutual friends. Of interest are Harper’s personal views on the morale of Confederate soldiers and the South’s prospects for military success.

1. Letter. 1862. 1 item.