TIFT, W. ORVILLE
W. Orville Tift letters,
1862-1863
W. Orville Tift letters, 1862-1863
Emory University
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Atlanta, GA 30322
404-727-6887
rose.library@emory.edu
Permanent link: http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/8zzkf
Table of Contents
Descriptive Summary
Creator: | Tift, W. Orville |
---|---|
Title: | W. Orville Tift letters, 1862-1863 |
Call Number: | Manuscript Collection No. 375 |
Extent: | 1 microfilm reel (MF) |
Abstract: | Microfilm copy of the letters of Union soldier W. Orville Tift, who served in the 26th Connecticut Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. |
Language: | Materials entirely in English. |
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Access
Unrestricted access.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.
Source
Loaned for microfilming, 1961.
Citation
[after identification of item(s)], W. Orville Tift letters, Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, Emory University.
Processing
Processed by EK, 1961.
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Collection Description
Biographical Note
W. Orville Tift, soldier in Company K of the 26th Connecticut Infantry Regiment, was a resident of Mystic Bridge, Connecticut. His father was Amos C. Tift. W. Orville Tift was related to Nelson Tift, the founder of Albany, Georgia, and to the Tift for whom Tifton, Georgia was named. Some members of the family supported the Union cause and some the Confederate. He survived the war. There is no indication of what his occupation was at the time he joined the Army nor of what he did after the war.
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of a microfilm copy of the letters of W. Orville Tift from 1862-1863. There are six loose letters, November 1862-June 1863; a bound volume containing seven hand-copied letters, December 1862-January 1863; a single page soldier newspaper, "Twenty Sixth Extra," June 22, 1863, New Orleans, Louisiana; and one manuscript poem. The letters begin with one from Camp Buckingham, Brooklyn, New York, where the regiment was stationed before shipping to Louisiana. In December 1862 the regiment boarded the steamer "Empire City" and sailed from New York. Tift's letters during the voyage describe crowded conditions on the ship, life on board ship, food, weather, etc. Tift's knowledge of the sea and of nautical terms is evident. He describes passage up the Mississippi to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The regiment was stationed at Camp Parapet, and he describes the camp, its fortifications, the burial ground, living conditions, etc. He tells of his first experience of going on picket duty, describes a visit to New Orleans, a African American "meeting" which he attended, a Washington's Birthday celebration in a Zouave camp in February 1863. In January 1863 his regiment was assigned to the 1st Brigade, Sherman's Division. In June 1863 he writes that he is helping to care for the wounded in the army general hospital at Baton Rouge. This is the last letter. The soldier newspaper consists of a list of members of the 26th Connecticut killed or wounded between certain dates. Authorship of the manuscript poem is not indicated.
Arrangement Note
Arranged in chronological order.
Selected Search Terms
Corporate Names
- Empire City (Steamer)
- United States. Army. Connecticut Infantry Regiment, 26th (1862-1863). Company K.
- United States. Army--Military life.
Topical Terms
Geographic Names
- Louisiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
- Mississippi River--Description and travel.
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans.
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Hospitals.