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Funding from the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., supported the encoding of this finding aid and microfilming of this collection.
Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 110 items) |
Abstract | Eldridge B. Platt (b. 1847) enlisted as a drummer in the 2nd Connecticut Light Battery on 12 August 1862. By 11 November 1862, he was serving as a cannoneer. He was discharged 10 August 1865. After the Civil War, Platt became successful in the tool and die making business. The collection consists of letters, 1862-1866, primarily from Eldridge B. Platt to his parents, Enoch Platt and Sallie Bronson Platt, in Waterbury, Conn. In general, the letters describe camp conditions, food, and troop movements. They document Platt's tour through the South, as well as his involvement in the battle at Gettysburg. Other posts included Wolfrun Shoals, Va.; New Orleans, La.; and Mobile, Ala. Construction of artillery shells, the occupation of New Orleans, and the capture of Fort Blakely in Alabama are described in the letters. Also included are copies of two photographs--one of Eldridge Platt with his brothers (one in uniform) and the other of Platt about 20 years after the Civil War--and a copy of Platt's discharge papers. |
Creator | Platt, Eldridge B. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Tim Pyatt, 1995
Encoded by: Nancy Kaiser, April 2005
Funding from the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., supported the encoding of this finding aid and microfilming of this collection.
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
Eldridge B. Platt (b. 1847) enlisted as a drummer in the 2nd Connecticut Light Battery on 12 August 1862. By 11 November 1862, he was serving as a cannoneer. He was discharged 10 August 1865. After the Civil War, Platt became successful in the tool and die making business.
Back to TopThe collection consists of about 90 letters from Eldridge B. Platt, a member of the 2nd Connecticut Light Battery during the Civil War, to his parents, Enoch Platt and Sallie Bronson Platt, in Waterbury, Conn. Also included are two letters from Eldridge to sister Adelah Platt (23 April 1863 and 21 June 1863), one to his sister Emogene Platt (7 September 1864), and one to his brother Sylvester Platt (29 May 1863). An additional 16 letters to their parents and other family members from Eldridge's sisters Jane Platt, Sophronia Platt Hazard, Emogene Platt, and Adelah Platt; his brothers Sylvester Platt, Franklin Platt, and Deloss Platt; and his brother-in-law George Hazard (husband of Sophronia) are interfiled with Eldridge's letters to his parents (see transcript in folder 13 for a list of dates).
Most of the Eldridge Platt letters were written from his posts in Washington, D.C.; Wolfrun Shoals, Va.; New Orleans, La.; Brashear City, La.; and Mobile, Ala. A letter to his parents dated 22 May 1864 includes a printed brochure on how to collect bounties and pensions; a 13 May 1865 letter contains drawings and descriptions of an artillery shell. In general, the letters describe military life, food, and troop movements. The names of soldiers in Platt's detachment are listed in a 12 March 1863 letter. A 6 July 1863 letter describes his involvement in the battle of Gettysburg, where he was blinded for two days from a near miss by an exploding shell. His early 1864 letters document the occupation of New Orleans. A letter from 10 April 1865 describes the capture of Fort Blakely in Alabama. His last letter, 16 July 1865, informs his parents that he will be mustered out shortly.
Folder 13 contains a transcript of the entire collection done by the donor. The transcript also includes a chronological list of the letters and copies of two photographs: Eldridge Platt with his brothers Sylvester and Deloss (in uniform) and Eldridge about 20 years after the Civil War. A copy of Eldridge Platt's discharge from the Union Army is also included.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Folder 1 |
1862 |
Folder 2 |
1863: January-March |
Folder 3 |
1863: April-July |
Folder 4 |
1863: August-December |
Folder 5 |
1864: January-February |
Folder 6 |
1864: March-May |
Folder 7 |
1864: June-August |
Folder 8 |
1864: September-December |
Folder 9 |
1865: January-March |
Folder 10 |
1865: April-May |
Folder 11 |
1865: June-August |
Folder 12 |
1866 |
Folder 13 |
Transcripts |