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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 | .5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 70 items) |
| Abstract | In Civil War era letters to his father, brother, and stepmother, Edward Francis Gustine, a federal soldier with the 5th Massachusetts Battery, U.S. Volunteers, writes about camp life, officers, soldiers' pay, drills and other preparations for battle, why he fights, the skirmishes and battles in which he fought, his impressions of Confederate soldiers, and supplies including food rations, tents, blankets, clothing, and ammunition chests. Materials dated after Edward's death include letters written by his father and stepmother, expressing grief and their interest in learning the particulars of Edwards' death and in resolving the bounty and pension the family would receive from the government. |
| Creator | Gustine, Edward Francis, 1841-1862. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Processing Information
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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
Edward Francis Gustine (1841-1862) of Medford, Mass., was the son of Francis Gustine (1811-1888) and Rachel June Van Dekar (d. 1850) and the stepson of Sophronia Sexton (1830-1919). In 1861, Gustine enlisted in the United States Army and served in the 5th Massachusetts Battery, U.S. Volunteers until his death in the summer of 1862.
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Scope and Content
In Civil War era letters to his father, brother, and stepmother, Edward Francis Gustine, a federal soldier with the 5th Massachusetts Battery, U.S. Volunteers, writes about camp life, officers, soldiers' pay, drills and other preparations for battle, why he fights, the skirmishes and battles in which he fought, his impressions of Confederate soldiers, and supplies including food rations, tents, blankets, clothing, and ammunition chests. Materials dated after Edward's death include letters written by his father and stepmother, expressing grief and their interest in learning the particulars of Edwards' death and in resolving the bounty and pension the family would receive from the government.
The collection also contains a few printed items including two 25 cent notes and advertisements for agents who procured "pensions, pay and bounty money for widows, children, sisters, or mothers."
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Edward Francis Gustine Papers, 1861-1886 and undated.
Arrangement: Chronological.
| Folder 1 |
Letters, January-March 1861In a letter dated 23 February 1861, Gustine writes, "I am fighting for your interest as well as my country, and it is the duty of every young man situated as I am born and brought up under the civil and religious institutions of this land, to support them." |
| Folder 2 |
Letters, May-August 1861 |
| Folder 3 |
Letters, September 1861 |
| Folder 4 |
Letters, October 1861 |
| Folder 5 |
Letters, November 1861 |
| Folder 6 |
Letters, December 1861 |
| Folder 6a |
Letters, undated 1861 |
| Folder 7 |
Letters, January 1862 |
| Folder 8 |
Letters, February 1862 |
| Folder 9 |
Letters, March 1862 |
| Folder 10 |
Letters, April-May 1862In a letter dated 31 May 1862, Gustine writes,"Rebels fought [Indian] style hyding behind treese, they did not come out of the wood once during the Fight. Our Fire worked most terribly upon them [their] dead laid in masses...in the Fight the Rebels cried out Bull Run...we killed 2 or 3 hundred + took 3000 Prisoners, they were North Carolinians. I saw they were poor fellows, they had been pressed into the service + wanted to take the oath + go home." |
| Folder 11 |
Letters, June 1862 |
| Folder 12 |
Letters, July-September 1862In a letter to Francis Gustine, Edward's stepmother Sophronia writes, "What a dreadful blow is this, to receive the first news of our dear boys death in the form of an advertisement offering service to collect the price of my Darling boys blood." |
| Folder 12a |
Letters, undated 1862 |
| Folder 13 |
Letters, 1863-1886 |
| Folder 14 |
Letters and fragments, undated circa 1861-1862Included is an undated, handwritten note stating that Edward Gustine died in June 1862 in Libby Prison in Richmond, Va. However, the collection offers no evidence of Gustine's imprisonment or the circumstances of his death. |
| Folder 15 |
Printed items, undated |
| Folder 16 |
Envelopes (empty) |
| Image Folder PF-05744/1 |
Photograph: Edward Francis Gustine in uniform, circa 1861Tintype |
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Items Separated