This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
This collection was processed with support from Elizabeth Moore Ruffin.
Size | About 60 items |
Abstract | William H. Broughton mustered into the Union Army on 4 August 1862 and was later made captain of Company D, 16th Maine Infantry Regiment. He was captured at Weldon Railroad, Va., circa August 1864, and mustered out on 5 June 1865. The collection consists of letters from William H. Broughton to his father and other family members, written chiefly from camps in Maine, Maryland, and Virginia, describing Broughton's service with Company D of the 16th Maine Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The letters describe Broughton's experiences in the army, including his entry into the Union Army, training, duties, movements, promotions, and general camp life, among other topics. The letters also contain requests for food, money, supplies, and assistance in obtaining a commission and promotions. Some letters mention games and sports, including baseball, ice skating, chess, and checkers. The letters include discussion of the war's general progress, as well as several specific events. In one letter, dated 20 January 1865, Broughton wrote to his father describing his enthusiasm over the capture of Fort Fisher, N.C., and his sadness over the deaths of two officers, Lieutenant B.H. Porter and Lieutenant Preston, who were killed during the assault. Also included are two newspapers noting his military promotions, the cover of a volume that originally enclosed the letters, a 1935 note describing the contents of the volume, and a drawing of William H. Broughton. |
Creator | Broughton, William H., 1846-1882. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Kiley Orchard, May 2010
Encoded by: Kiley Orchard, May 2010
This collection was processed with support from Elizabeth Moore Ruffin.
Finding aid updated in February 2012 by Anna Kephart because of addition.
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.
William H. Broughton mustered into the Union Army on 4 August 1862 and was later made captain of Company D, 16th Maine Infantry Regiment. He was captured at Weldon Railroad, Va, circa August 1864, and mustered out on 5 June 1865.
Back to TopThe collection consists of letters from William H. Broughton to his father and other family members, written chiefly from camps in Maine, Maryland, and Virginia, describing Broughton's service with Company D of the 16th Maine Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The letters describe Broughton's experiences in the army, including his entry into the Union Army, training, duties, movements, promotions, and general camp life, among other topics. The letters also contain requests for food, money, supplies, and assistance in obtaining a commission and promotions. Some letters mention games and sports, including baseball, ice skating, chess, and checkers. The letters include discussion of the war's general progress, as well as several specific events. In one letter, dated 20 January 1865, Broughton wrote to his father describing his enthusiasm over the capture of Fort Fisher, N.C., and his sadness over the deaths of two officers, Lieutenant B.H. Porter and Lieutenant Preston, who were killed during the assault. Also included are two newspapers noting his military promotions, the cover of a volume that originally enclosed the letters, a 1935 note describing the contents of the volume, and a drawing of William H. Broughton.
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Folder 1-3
Folder 1Folder 2Folder 3 |
Letters, 1862-1865The collection consists of letters from William H. Broughton to his father and other family members, written chiefly from camps in Maine, Maryland, and Virginia, describing Broughton's service with Company D, 16th Maine Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The letters describe Broughton's experiences in the army, including his entry into the Union Army, training, duties, movements, promotions, and general camp life, among other topics. The letters also contain requests for food, money, supplies, and assistance in obtaining a commission and promotions. Some letters mention games and sports, including baseball, ice skating, chess, and checkers. The letters include discussion of the war's general progress, as well as several specific events. In one letter, dated 20 January 1865, Broughton wrote to his father describing his enthusiasm over the capture of Fort Fisher, N.C., and his sadness over the deaths of two officers, Lieutenant B.H. Porter and Lieutenant Preston, who were killed during the assault. |
Folder 4 |
Other papers, 1862 and 1935Two Maine newspapers dated December 1862 noting Broughton's military promotions, the cover of a volume that originally held all of the letters, and a note dated 1935 and written by one of Broughton's descendants describing the volume's contents. |
Oversize Paper OP-5346/1 |
Drawing of William H. Broughton. |