Category Archives: University Library

25 January 1863: “A few days’ quiet generally relieves me, but exposure and irregular living generally bring it on again.”

Item description: Published letter, dated 25 January 1863, as collected and published in Memoir and Memorials (The Neale Publishing Co., 1907), a memoir of Elisha Franklin Paxton. Elisha Franklin Paxton was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia in 1828. He studied at Washington College … Continue reading

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17 January 1863: “My only hope for a furlough is to get shot or get sick. This is the misfortune of my promotion.”

Item description: Published letter, dated 17 January 1863, as collected and published in Memoir and Memorials (The Neale Publishing Co., 1907), a memoir of Elisha Franklin Paxton. Elisha Franklin Paxton was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia in 1828. He studied at Washington College … Continue reading

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3 August 1862: “To-day — Sunday — is very quiet, and reminds me much of a Sunday at home, the usual work being suspended.”

Item description: Letter, dated 3 August 1862, as collected and published in Memoir and Memorials (The Neale Publishing Co., 1907), a memoir of Elisha Franklin Paxton. Elisha Franklin Paxton was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia in 1828. He studied at Washington … Continue reading

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3 February 1862: “and in all cases the rules of civilized warfare will be carefully observed.”

Item description: General orders from General Ambrose E. Burnside to his troops concerning their behavior during their mission, written prior to the expedition’s land operation. Original item: The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the … Continue reading

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12 January 1862: “If there is an honorable road to get home, I shall spare no effort to find it as speedily as possible.”

Item description: Letter from Elisha Franklin Paxton to his wife, Elizabeth, dated 12 January 1862. Paxton is frustrated at being denied a furlough while other officers of equal rank have been receiving them. He informs his wife that he is … Continue reading

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28 September 1861: “The weather begins to feel like frost, and hereafter we shall, I fear, find a soldier’s life rather uncomfortable.”

Item description: Letter from Elisha Franklin Paxton to his wife, Elizabeth, dated 28 September 1861. In the letter Paxton discusses a promotion in rank that he declined, the changing weather, items such as pants and coats sent from home, and … Continue reading

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