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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.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 30 items) |
| Abstract | Harrison Wells of Zebulon, Ga., was a commissary sergeant with Company A, 13th Georgia Infantry Regiment, who served primarily in Virginia and Maryland. The collection is chiefly letters from Harrison Wells to his then fiancee May (called Mollie) Long, written from various military camps and battlefields while serving as a Confederate commissary sergeant during the Civil War. Letters frequently contain detailed discussions of military engagements and major battles including the Confederate capture of Harpers Ferry; the Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam); the Battle of Chancellorsville; the Battle of Fredericksburg; the Second Battle of Winchester; the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House; the Confederate invasion and retreat from Washington, D.C.; and the Second Battle of Kernstown. Letters often mention troop movements and discuss the nature of the fighting and its aftermath, some with enumeration of casualties. Letters occasionally relate personal reflections, sentiments, and assurances of affections; descriptions of camp life and troop morale; opinions of specific military leaders, particularly Stonewall Jackson and Braxton Bragg; predictions for the war; and depictions of scenery and public reception in towns through which the troops passed. There are also two responses from May Long at Corona College in Corinth, Miss., chiefly discussing her schooling and leisure activities, but with some discussion of the impact of the war on the local area; Civil War era letters from members of Wells's family and from relatives of May Long including one describing actions in defense of the North Carolina coast; a few antebellum and post-war family letters including an 1857 letter from Eliab Horace Wells describing George Washington's home at Mount Vernon, Va., and the construction of the capitol at Washington, D.C.; a map drawn by Harrison Wells of the Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg, Va., area annotated with troop positions; an ambrotype of Harrison Wells and a daguerreotype of May Long; and other items. |
| Creator | Wells, Harrison, 1840-1894. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
Processed by: Kate Stratton, November 2009
Encoded by: Kate Stratton, November 2009
Conscious Editing Work by: Nancy Kaiser, July 2023 (added statement about "Croatan")
NOTE: "Croatan" (or "Croatoan") is an identity term that was used by the Indigenous peoples of the Hatteras and Roanoke Islands in the late 16th century. In subsequent centuries, the Indigenous peoples of Sampson, Craven, Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke and Scotland counties in North Carolina were thought to be the descendants of the Croatan Indians and were so called by North Carolina state officials; however, many tribal nations existed and exist now in this area who prefer to use their own identity terms, including the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina, and others.
In 2023, archivists examined the use of "Croatan" in Wilson Library archival collections and decided to leave this term in places where it refers to the Indigenous peoples of the Hatteras and Roanoke Islands, is part of a title, or is the proper name of a geographic feature or location. We have replaced "Croatan" with the appropriate identity term for materials that refer specifically to the groups noted above. When we are unable to make a determination, we use "Indigenous peoples." We recognize the complexity of this issue and welcome feedback on this decision at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.
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Subject Headings
The 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.
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Biographical Information
Harrison Wells (1840-1894) was a commissary sergeant with Company A, 13th Georgia Infantry Regiment, Confederate States of America. He was educated at the University of Georgia, graduating in 1860, and enlisted as a private in the Confederate Army in July 1861. During the Civil War, Wells's regiment was involved in several notable engagements, primarily in Virginia and Maryland, including the capture of Harpers Ferry; the Battle of Sharpsburg; the Battle of Chancellorsville; the Battle of Fredericksburg; the Second Battle of Winchester; the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House; the Confederate invasion and retreat from Washington, D.C.; and the Second Battle of Kernstown.
Throughout the war, Harrison Wells was engaged to May (called Mollie) Long of Baldwyn, Miss. May Long was educated at Corona College in Corinth, Miss. After the war, Long and Wells married and resided in Zebulon, Ga.
Other family members represented in the collection include E.W. Wells; Eliab Horace Wells; May's father, James L. Long; and Jonathan P. Long.
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Scope and Content
The collection is chiefly letters from Harrison Wells to his then fiancee May (called Mollie) Long, written while he was serving as a commissary sergeant in the 13th Georgia Infantry Regiment at various locations, primarily in Virginia and Maryland. Also included are Civil War era letters from members of Wells's family and from relatives of May Long, a few pre- and post-war letters, and other items.
Wells's letters to May Long frequently discuss in detail military engagements and major battles including the Confederate capture of Harpers Ferry; the Battle of Sharpsburg; the Battle of Chancellorsville; the Battle of Fredericksburg; the Second Battle of Winchester; the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House; the Confederate invasion and retreat from Washington, D.C.; and the Second Battle of Kernstown. Letters often mention troop movements, the nature of the fighting, and the number of casualties. They occasionally relate personal sentiment and reflections; descriptions of camp life and troop morale; opinions of specific military leaders, particularly Stonewall Jackson and Braxton Bragg; predictions for the war; and depictions of scenery and public reception in towns through which the troops passed.
May Long's two letters in response to Wells chiefly contain descriptions of her schooling and leisure activities in Mississippi with some discussion of the impact of the war on the local area.
Other Civil War era letters include one from E.W. Wells discussing the well-being of Eliab Wells and the procurement of clothing for Harrison Wells and two from Jonathan P. Long relating personal news and effects of the war on family and farm. One of Long's letters also includes a transcribed excerpt from a letter written by his son Jimmy describing the latter's involvement in defenses of the North Carolina coast and the destruction of the Croatan lighthouse.
Antebellum letters are among members of the Wells and Long families, sharing news and descriptions of daily life. One 1857 letter from Eliab Wells describes in detail the interior and grounds of George Washington's home at Mount Vernon, Va., and comments on the progress of construction on the capitol at Washington, D.C. There is also an 1860 love letter from Harrison Wells to May Long alluding to their recent engagement.
Post-war items include a letter from Harrison Wells to James L. Long, May Long's father, requesting May's hand in marriage. Long's letter in response is also included. There is also an 1869 letter to May Long Wells from Ursula Schmidt, presumably a relative, containing reference to her life with her sister as two older single women living alone in New York, N.Y.
The collection also includes a map, circa 1863, hand-drawn by Harrison Wells, of the Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg, Va., area annotated with troop positions and landmarks; an ambrotype of Harrison Wells and a daguerrotype of May Long; a school essay entitled "True Greatness" written by Harrison Wells, presumably while at the University of Georgia; and a 1905 newspaper clipping listing the muster roll for Company A, 13th Georgia Infantry Regiment.
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Harrison Wells Papers, 1857-1869, 1905.
| Folder 1 |
Letters, 1857-1860 |
| Folder 2 |
Letters, 1861-1863 |
| Folder 3 |
Letters, 1864-1869, 1905 |
| Special Format Image SF-P-5422/1 |
Harrison Wells ambrotype, circa 1860 |
| Special Format Image SF-P-5422/2 |
May Long daguerrotype, circa 1860-1865 |
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Items Separated