Watson Brothers (Civil War correspondence), bulk 1862 January 20 - 1864 October 15

Printable guide [HTML]

Summary

Title:

Watson Brothers Civil War correspondence

Dates:

bulk 1862 January 20 - 1864 October 15

Creators:

Watson, Jason Lee, Watson, James Harvey, and Beattie, Laura May

Abstract:

This collection contains six correspondence from brothers James Harvey Watson and Jasonon Lee Watson to their cousin Elisha during the Civil War.

Containers:

document-box: Civil War 1
folder: 14-15
folder: 1-2

Extent:

0.1 Linear Feet (2 folders)

Language:

English .

Preferred citation:

[Item title, Box number, Folder number], Watson Brothers Civil War correspondence (2015.006.w.r), Center for American War Letters Archives, Chapman University, CA.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains six correspondence from James Harvey Watson and Jason Lee Watson to their cousin Elisha Watson during the Civil War. The sixth letter is addressed to "Dear Brother" but it is unsigned. James and Jason were Corporals in Company E, 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry for the Union Army. They enrolled in the fall of 1861. In March 1862 they joined the main army of General Curtis at Batesville, Arkansas. They spent the winter in southern Missouri. In the spring of 1863 they traveled south along the Mississippi River and engaged in the Battle of Vicksburg. On May 22, 1863, Jason was killed in action. His body was found the following day by his brother James.

In their letters they describe the conditions in the camp, the weather, the morale of the soldiers, their health, and some skirmishes with Rebels they were involved in. In the letter dated May 9, 1862, James writes "I would be very glad to see the end of this war and see this country once more united under the same old flag under which our fathers fought and bled when throwing off the yoke of oppression." He also describes his opinions of the south's cause, saying that the people who are too poor to own slaves have been misled by educated slave owners into believing the north is imposing on their way of life, but laments the fact that these poor people are too ignorant to realize this.

Acquisition information:

Gift of Laura May Beattie. Legacy collection from Andrew Carroll.

Physical description:

One letter has two small holes

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Correspondence -- American Civil War
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Politics and culture
Siege of Vicksburg (Mississippi : 1863)
Names:: Beattie, Laura May

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:: Lauren Menges
Date Encoded:: This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-01-21 17:55:41 -0500 .

Access and use

Restrictions:: This collection is open for research.
Terms of access:: There are no restrictions on the use of this material except where previously copyrighted material is concerned. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all permissions. For further copyright information, please contact the archivist.