Biographical Information:
Scope and Contents
Electronic Format:
Conditions Governing Access:
Conditions Governing Use:
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Preferred Citation:
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: John M. Sell Civil War Collection
Creator:
Sell, John M.
Identifier/Call Number: SC.JMS
Physical Description:
1.25 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1861-1865
Date (bulk): 1861-1863
Abstract: John M. Sell of Erie, Pennsylvania
enlisted in the 83rd Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers July 29, 1861. He was
commissioned First Lieutenant on August 27 and promoted to Captain on September 4 the
following year. Captain Sell was struck in the left leg by a solid shot at Gettysburg on
July 2, 1863, and died from effects of amputation the next day. The collection consists of
correspondence between Captain John Sell and his parents, brothers William and Charles, and
sister Sarah during his service in the American Civil War, 1861-1863. It also includes
family photographs, cartes de visites of military personnel, and a copy of A.M. Judson's
History of the Eighty-Third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers,
Erie, PA, B.F.H. Lynn, [1865].
Language of Material: English
Biographical Information:
John M. Sell of Erie, Pennsylvania enlisted in the 83rd Regiment of the Pennsylvania
Volunteers July 29, 1861. He was commissioned First Lieutenant on August 27 and promoted to
Captain on September 4 the following year. Captain Sell was struck in the left leg by a
solid shot at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, and died from effects of amputation the next
day.
Scope and Contents
The
John M. Sell Civil War Collection consists primarily of
letters written by John Sell to his parents and brother William during his service in the
American Civil War. In these letters Sell describes his various locations, including
training at Camp Wright in Oakmont, Pennsylvania in June of 1861. He also wrote about the
83rd Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, with whom he was stationed at Camp Hall's Hill
by Washington D.C. in November and December 1861, and his regiment's movement to Yorktown in
April of 1862, the Potomac in March of 1863, and other locations. He tells of his
participation in the Battle at Gaine's Mill and the Battle of Antietam, lists the number of
deaths experienced in various firefights, comments on the health and morale of his regiment,
describes the actions and death of his superior officer Colonel McLane, and relates the
various weather conditions which he and his regiment encountered. The collection also
includes one letter written to his brother Charles, and correspondence between his sister,
Sarah, and William H. Edmont, who details Sell's injury on the battlefield at Gettysburg,
the amputation of his leg, and his subsequent death.
In
addition to correspondence, the collection includes family photographs, cartes de visite of
military personnel, a metal canteen, and a copy of A.M. Judson's
History of the Eighty-Third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Erie, PA, B.F.H.
Lynn, [1865].
Electronic Format:
Digital reproductions of items in this collection are available electronically as a part of
the
Civil War Narratives
project.
Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
1990
Preferred Citation:
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Documents
Photographs