Downs family correspondence, 1861-1865
John Hay Library , Special Collections
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
email: hay@brown.edu
Published in 2013
Collection Overview
| Title: | Downs family correspondence |
| Date range: | 1861-1865 |
| Creator: | Downs family |
| Extent: | 0.25 Linear feet |
| Abstract: | The Downs family correspondence consists of letters written by four brothers (Albert, Edward, Frederick, and Willie Downs) to their family in Westville, Connecticut, while the four were serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. The letters, which date mainly from 1861-1865, cover topics such as camp life, military operations, family matters, and the Union naval blockade of the South. |
| Language of materials: | English |
| Repository: | John Hay Library
, Special Collections |
| Collection number: | Ms.79.8 |
Scope & content
In addition to covering the three major theaters of operation during the Civil War, the Downs letters also deal with such topics as camp life, battles and campaigns, family matters, Confederate soldiers and deserters, the Southern countryside, and Union military leadership. Many letters are accompanied by their original envelopes, including some with patriotic covers. Additional envelopes can be found together in a packet in Box 4. Also included in the collection are a photograph, a cloth fragment, and an advertisement card.Access Points
Subject Names Subject Topics- Confederate States of America. Army
- Slavery--Southern States
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives
- United States. Army--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States. Navy--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged into 2 series:
- Series 1. Correspondence
- Series 2. Miscellaneous manuscripts
Series 1 is further divided into 3 subseries which reflect each theater of the Civil War. The letters in each subseries are arranged chronologically. The first subseries of correspondence contains the letters written by Albert and Edward from the Eastern Theater; the second covers Frederick's position in the Western Theater; Willie's naval experience is described in the third subseries:
- Correspondence of Albert and Edward Downs, 1861-1865
- Correspondence of Frederick Downs, 1861-1869
- Correspondence of Willie Downs, 1862-1871
Series 2 contains both miscellaneous items and a packet of unattached envelopes. Subseries are divided as follows:
- Miscellaneous items
- Unattached envelopes
Biographical note
The four brothers of the Downs family of Westville, Connecticut served in the Union Army during the Civil War. At the start of the war, two of the four Downs brothers, Edward and Albert, joined the 6th Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers and were sent to South Carolina. Frederick, living in Iowa at the time, enlisted with the 10th Regiment of Iowa Volunteers and served in the Western Theater. Willie began his service with the 27th Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers, but apparently returned home in 1863 after a medical discharge. Joining the United States Navy in 1864, Willie participated in the Union blockade of the South. Unfortunately, the letters give no indication of what happened to the brothers after the war.Access & Use
| Access to the collection: | There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested. |
| Use of the materials: | Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them. |
| Preferred citation: | Downs family correspondence, Ms. 79.8, Brown University Library. |
| Contact information: | John Hay Library
, Special Collections Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 email: hay@brown.edu |
Administrative Information
| ABOUT THE COLLECTION | |
| Acquisition: | The provenance of the collection is unknown, but it appears the library received the letters as a unit, with the exception of one letter and the cloth fragment which were purchased from C.E.H. Whitlock in 1955. It is entirely possible, but not certain, that the library purchased the entire collection sometime earlier from this same source. |
| ABOUT THE FINDING AID | |
| Encoding: | This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-02-14 |
Additional Information
| Related material: | Resources beyond Brown:National Park Service Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System |
| Other information: |
|
Inventory
Series 1. Correspondence, 1861-1865
360.0 items
Correspondence of Albert and Edward Downs, 1861-1865
278.0 items
Box 1-2
Albert and Edward Downs were members of the 6th Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers, and served most of the war along the coast of South Carolina. Near the end of the war, their unit moved north and the brothers saw action in Wilmington, North Carolina, and in the Richmond-Petersburg, Virginia area.
| Container | Description | Date |
| Box 1, Folder 1 | Camp Wright / Camp Clover / Baltimore 4.0 items Contents Note: Camp life and family matters are the main topics of conversation. |
1861 Oct |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | Fort Wells / Camp Sherman (Hilton Head, SC) 6.0 items Contents Note: An account of the Union naval attack on Port Royal, South Carolina is given, and the Union camp and fortifications on Hilton Head Island are described. The November 16th letter discusses slaves found on the island. The November 17th letter contains a drawing by Albert showing the Union fleet formation in the Port Royal attack. |
1861 Nov-Dec |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | Hilton Head / Camp Wright / Beaufort, SC 6.0 items Contents Note: Letters are about camp life, fortifications on Hilton Head, and the surrounding countryside. |
1862 Jan |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | Steamer Cosmopolitan (Warsaw Sound, GA) / Camp Sand (Warsaw Island, GA) 3.0 items Contents Note: Descriptions of their stay on a Union steamer. |
1862 Feb |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | Hilton Head / Jones Island, SC 6.0 items Contents Note: Letters deal mainly with an expedition on the Savannah River. Albert writes of Confederate prisoners in the March 18th letter. |
1862 Mar |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | Jones Island / Daufuskie, SC 4.0 items Contents Note: General Sherman is mentioned in Albert's letter of April 6th. The April 21st letter includes a few comments on Confederate deserters from Savannah. |
1862 Apr |
| Box 1, Folder 7 | Daufuskie, SC 4.0 items Contents Note: Camp life is the main topic of conversation. Both brothers also discuss the possibility of the war being over soon. |
1862 May |
| Box 1, Folder 8 | James Island, SC 4.0 items Contents Note: Vivid description of a skirmish with the Confederates. |
1862 Jun |
| Box 1, Folder 9 | North Edisto, SC / Beaufort, SC 5.0 items Contents Note: Most of the letters deal with camp life, but the letter of July 4th describes the Union evacuation of James Island, SC. |
1862 Jul-Aug |
| Box 1, Folder 10 | Beaufort, SC / Rose's Plantation (Port Royal Island, SC) 8.0 items Contents Note: Camp life and the general military situation are discussed. Letter of September 4th mentions relations between officers and enlisted men. Albert, in his September 17th letter, discusses Union military leadership and criticizes General Alexander Pope. |
1862 Sep |
| Box 1, Folder 11 | Beaufort, SC / Port Royal Island, SC 7.0 items Contents Note: Albert mentions General Pope in letter of October 17th. Letters of October 24th and 25th detail a Union expedition on the South Carolina mainland. Other letters deal with camp life and family matters. |
1862 Sep |
| Box 1, Folder 12 | Beaufort, SC 5.0 items Contents Note: Albert's letter of November 22nd speaks of "the ruthless hand of war" and "Northern Enterprise". Both men report a lull in the fighting. |
1862 Nov |
| Box 1, Folder 13 | Beaufort, SC / Hilton Head, SC 5.0 items Contents Note: All of the letters deal with camp life. Albert writes of his low opinion of politics in his December 19th letter. |
1862 Dec |
| Box 1, Folder 14 | Beaufort, SC 5.0 items Contents Note: Camp life on New Year's Day is described in January 2nd letter. Letter of January 15th contains a description of Confederate troops. Conversations between pickets are mentioned in January 26th letter. |
1863 Jan |
| Box 1, Folder 15 | Beaufort, SC 7.0 items Contents Note: Letters describe buildup of Union forces on Hilton Head Island, SC and possible attack on Savannah. Albert describes his feelings toward local Blacks in February 22nd letter. |
1863 Feb |
| Box 1, Folder 16 | Beaufort, SC / Jacksonville, FL 4.0 items Contents Note: Albert writes of a forthcoming Union expedition and of his trip to Jacksonville. Letter of March 27th describes the ragged appearance of several Confederate prisoners. |
1863 Mar-Apr |
| Box 1, Folder 17 | Hilton Head, SC / Folly Island, SC 7.0 items Contents Note: Letter of May 10th describes Albert's bitterness towards England's "neutrality". He also included a newspaper clipping with a brief verse about England. |
1863 May |
| Box 1, Folder 18 | Hilton Head, SC / Folly Island, SC 9.0 items Contents Note: Camp life is discussed. The "Savannah Ram," a Confederate gunboat, is mentioned passim. |
1863 Jun |
| Box 1, Folder 19 | Folly Island, SC / Morris Island, SC 8.0 items Contents Note: Both Edward and Albert write of the Union attack on Morris Island, SC. |
1863 Jul |
| Box 1, Folder 20 | Hilton Head, SC 7.0 items Contents Note: The Union siege of Morris Island is discussed. |
1863 Aug |
| Box 1, Folder 21 | Hilton Head, SC 11.0 items Contents Note: Camp life is discussed. General Rosecrans is briefly mentioned in Albert's letter of September 29th. |
1863 Sep |
| Box 1, Folder 22 | Hilton Head, SC 6.0 items Contents Note: Camp life, family matters, and general military news are discussed. |
1863 Oct |
| Box 2, Folder 1 | Hilton Head, SC 8.0 items Contents Note: Albert's letters of November 10th and November 15th mention Confederate deserters. Edward's letter of November 15th contains a scribbled drawing of a smoking pipe. Letter of November 25th describes Thanksgiving Day for the soldiers. |
1863 Nov |
| Box 2, Folder 2 | Hilton Head, SC 9.0 items Contents Note: Camp life and new enlistments are the main topics mentioned throughout the letters. |
1863 Dec |
| Box 2, Folder 3 | Hilton Head, SC / Federal Point, NC 4.0 items Contents Note: New Year's Day is described in letter of January 1st. Letter of January 18th describes an expedition into North Carolina. |
1864 Jan |
| Box 2, Folder 4 | Federal Point, NC / Wilmington, NC / Hilton Head, SC 4.0 items Contents Note: The letters describe the Union advance on Wilmington, NC. Albert, in February 28th letter, also mentions his brief trip home. |
1864 Feb |
| Box 2, Folder 5 | Hilton Head, SC / Wilmington, NC 8.0 items Contents Note: Other than camp life, the letters of March 1st and 13th mention the Union campaign in Florida. Edward's letter of March 17th mentions General Sherman and also the local Blacks around Wilmington, North Carolina. |
1864 Mar |
| Box 2, Folder 6 | Hilton Head, SC 8.0 items Contents Note: Animosity between white and black troops is mentioned in letters of April 13th and 16th. Letter of April 16th also describes the execution of two Union deserters. A poem and a photograph are also included in this folder, sent by Albert sometime in late April. The poem is about the recent death of one of Albert's commanding officers. (It is assumed the photograph is of the same officer.) |
1864 Apr |
| Box 2, Folder 7 | Near Richmond and Petersburg, VA 8.0 items Contents Note: The letters all deal with the heavy fighting taking place in Virginia. Letters of May 17th deal specifically with Edward's part in the fighting. The situation around Petersburg and Richmond is discussed througout the letters. |
1864 May |
| Box 2, Folder 8 | Bermuda Hundred, VA 6.0 items Contents Note: The Union position around Petersburg is discussed. The letters of June 13th, 23rd, and 24th mention Abraham Lincoln and his visit to the Petersburg camp. |
1864 Jun |
| Box 2, Folder 9 | Bermuda Hundred, VA 11.0 items Contents Note: Albert and Edward write of Confederate deserters, the Petersburg siege, and camp life during the siege. |
1864 Jul |
| Box 2, Folder 10 | Bermuda Hundred, VA 6.0 items Contents Note: The fighting around Petersburg is the main topic of the letters. |
1864 Aug |
| Box 2, Folder 11 | (near) Petersburg, VA 6.0 items Contents Note: Both brothers speak of their unit leaving Petersburg for an unknown destination. Letters of September 9th and 17th give a description of a Union fortification. |
1864 Sep |
| Box 2, Folder 12 | (near) Richmond, VA / Annapolis 10.0 items Contents Note: Albert writes of his stay in a nearby hospital, while Edward speaks of the fighting around Richmond. |
1864 Oct |
| Box 2, Folder 13 | (near) Richmond, VA 4.0 items Contents Note: The letters deal with camp life and the situation around Richmond. |
1864 Nov |
| Box 2, Folder 14 | (near) Richmond, VA 6.0 items Contents Note: Fresh recruits, camp life, and family matters are topics mentioned in the letters. General Sherman is mentioned passim. in this folder. |
1864 Dec |
| Box 2, Folder 15 | Bermuda Hundred, VA / Wilmington, NC 5.0 items Contents Note: The Union attack on Wilmington, North Carolina is described. Albert mentions General Robert E. Lee in his letter of January 4th. |
1865 Jan |
| Box 2, Folder 16 | (near) Wilmington, NC 5.0 items Contents Note: Albert's letter of February 7th discusses Union troops from the West. Remaining letters discuss the Wilmington campaign and the eventual capture of the city. |
1865 Feb |
| Box 2, Folder 17 | Wilmington, NC 7.0 items Contents Note: Letters deal with local military operations and camp life. The March 1st letter deals with the appearance of Union prisoners upon their release. |
1865 Mar |
| Box 2, Folder 18 | Wilmington, NC 5.0 items Contents Note: The end of the war is discussed. Albert writes of the sadness felt around camp after Lincoln's assassination. |
1865 Apr |
| Box 2, Folder 19 | Wilmington, NC 5.0 items Contents Note: Albert and Edward write anxiously of going home. Camp life is discussed. Jeff Davis is mentioned in Albert's letter of May 22nd. |
1865 May |
| Box 2, Folder 20 | Wilmington, NC / Goldsboro, NC 5.0 items Contents Note: The letters reflect the brothers' frustration at not being discharged. Discontent among the soldiers is discussed. |
1865 Jun |
| Box 2, Folder 21 | Goldsboro, NC 3.0 items Contents Note: Edward writes of Albert's discharge and departure, and waits eagerly for his turn. |
1865 Jul |
| Box 2, Folder 22 | Undated letters 14.0 items Contents Note: This folder contains twelve undated letters, a cloth fragment from a flag, and a letter from Albert explaining the significance of the fragment. See C.E.H. Whitlock letter of March 1, 1955, in Collection File for purchase information. |
Correspondence of Frederick Downs, 1861-1869
39.0 items
Box 3, Folder 1-9
Frederick joined the 10th Regiment of Iowa Volunteers and saw action in Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia. His letters contain accounts of fighting at Corinth and Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Lookout Mountain, Tennessee
| Container | Description | Date |
| Box 3, Folder 1 | Missouri 4.0 items Contents Note: Frederick writes of camp life after joining the 10th Regiment of Iowa Volunteers. |
1861 Oct-Dec |
| Box 3, Folder 2 | Missouri / Tennessee 6.0 items Contents Note: Local military operations and the surrounding countryside are the main subjects. |
1862 Jan-May |
| Box 3, Folder 3 | Mississippi / Tennessee 6.0 items Contents Note: The fighting around Corinth, Mississippi and the Confederate evacuation of Corinth are mentioned in several letters. Frederick also discusses the general military activity in the West. |
1862 Jun-Dec |
| Box 3, Folder 4 | Tennessee / Louisiana 5.0 items Contents Note: Frederick writes of the strong Confederate position at Vicksburg, and in his letters of January 7th and March 29th, complains of the lack of good military leadership. |
1863 Jan-May |
| Box 3, Folder 5 | Mississippi / Alabama 6.0 items Contents Note: "Copperhead" are mentioned in letter of September 2nd. Letter of October 17th mentions Confederate guerillas. Frederick writes of fighting at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee in December 17th letter. |
1863 Jun-Dec |
| Box 3, Folder 6 | Alabama / Tennessee 7.0 items Contents Note: Local Union strategy and fortifications are discussed throughout the letters. Frederick mentions local Union supporters in Cleveland, Tennessee in letter of February 25th. |
1864 Jan-May |
| Box 3, Folder 7 | Georgia 2.0 items Contents Note: Frederick mentions "copperheads" in August 1st letter. General Grant is discussed in both letters. |
1864 Jun-Dec |
| Box 3, Folder 8 | Georgia / Iowa 2.0 items Contents Note: Frederick describes Savannah, Georgia and mentions General Sherman's march across the state in letter of January 15th, 1865. The 1869 letter concerns family matters. |
1865-1869 |
| Box 3, Folder 9 | Undated letter 1.0 item Contents Note: This folder contains an undated letter from Frederick, written from the vicinity of Corinth, Mississippi. He mentions his recent illness and local military operations. |
Correspondence of Willie Downs, 1862-1871
43.0 items
Box 3, Folder 10-17
Willie first enlisted in the 27th Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers and saw action in Virginia, notably in the fighting around Fredericksburg in 1862. Apparently receiving a medical discharge in 1863, Willie later joined the United States Navy and participated in the Union blockade of the South, serving aboard the "Vermont" and the "Grand Gulf."
| Container | Description | Date |
| Box 3, Folder 10 | Brooklyn, NY / Washington DC 10.0 items Contents Note: Willie writes mainly about camp life and family matters. Letters of December 17th, 1862 and January 20th, 1863 mention a battle at Fredericksburg, Virginia. |
1862-1863 |
| Box 3, Folder 11 | U.S. Ship "Vermont", Brooklyn, NY 5.0 items Contents Note: Willie, now in the Navy, writes from the U.S. Ship "Vermont" and describes a sailor's life in port. |
1864 |
| Box 3, Folder 12 | U.S. Ship "Vermont", Brooklyn, NY 4.0 items Contents Note: While the "Vermont" is in dock for repairs, Willie describes life aboard ship and mentions various ships coming and going from the naval yard in New York. |
1865 Jan |
| Box 3, Folder 13 | U.S. Ship "Vermont" / U.S. Ship "Grand Gulf" 5.0 items Contents Note: The letters are chiefly about family matters and life aboard the "Vermont." Willie writes anxiously of going out to sea on board the "Grand Gulf." |
1865 Feb |
| Box 3, Folder 14 | U.S. Ship "Grand Gulf" off Texas, Alabama, and New York coasts 4.0 items Contents Note: Willie writes of the Union blockade off the Southern coast. |
1865 Mar-May |
| Box 3, Folder 15 | U.S. Ship "Grand Gulf", New Orleans 5.0 items Contents Note: New Orleans and the surrounding countryside are described. Letter of July 16th includes a small drawing of a steam ship. |
1865 Jun-Jul |
| Box 3, Folder 16 | Memphis 1.0 item Contents Note: Willie writes of family business. |
1871 |
| Box 3, Folder 17 | Undated letters 9.0 items Contents Note: This folder contains nine undated letters written by Willie. |
Series 2. Miscellaneous manuscripts
156.0 items
Miscellaneous items
7.0 items
Box 3, Folder 18
Contents of this folder include four undated letters, a receipt, an advertisement card, and a drawing of a fort.
Unattached envelopes
149.0 items
Box 4, Folder 1
A collection of 149 envelopes are included in the Downs family correspondence in one large envelope. Other envelopes can be found throughout the correspondence with their letters. Several envelopes have Civil War patriotic covers.