Thomas B. Leaver Letter Books, 1861-1862

Title:

Thomas B. Leaver Letter Books, 1861-1862

Creator:

Leaver, Thomas B., 1840-1862

Creator Role:

Author

Accession / Call Number:

1915.006

Object ID:

1915.006

Date:

1861-1862

Physical Description:

2 volumes ; 0.17 linear feet

Level of Description:

Collection

Abstract:

The Thomas B. Leaver (1840-1862) Letter Books contain handwritten transcriptions (probably made by his sisters) of letters he wrote to various family members while serving in Company B, 2nd New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment in Virginia and Maryland from his enlistment in 1861 to his death in June 1862. They describe the details of camp life and its tedium and hardships; a short hospitalization in the General Hospital on E street in Washington, DC; being found innocent in a court-martial; battle experiences at First Bull Run; the siege of Yorktown; and battles of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks.

Scope and Content:

Most of the Thomas B. Leaver (1840-1862) letters concern his everyday life in the New Hampshire Second Volunteer Regiment, Company B (also known as "The Goodwin Rifles" after the weapons they carried) during the Civil War. He described the hard work of daily camp life and its routines, privations, camaraderie, and brushes with military discipline. His unit was involved in several engagements (First Bull Run, siege of Yorktown, battles of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks) and he told his family what he saw, heard, and felt during them. He recorded the attitudes of his fellow soldiers towards various commanding officers, emphasizing how important it was that they be thought of as brave and worthy of respect. He knew many of the men in his company from his previous civilian life and his letters show how tight knit the "Concord Boys" were. Perhaps because a free Black woman lived and worked with and for his mother, he noticed what enslaved Black people (mostly men) did and described his interaction with them.\n \n Although Harriet Dame was in the area in which Leaver served and he apparently knew her, he specifically told his mother that he had not seen or talked with her. He did recount visits from President Lincoln and New Hampshire dignitaries when they occurred. \n \n Leaver enlisted as a private and was a sergeant when he died, so his letters are a view of the war from the ranks. Although he shared rumors heard by the men, he had no knowledge of larger tactics, troop movements, or high-level decision making. \n \n Readers learn little about his family. One of his sisters traveled to England during the time of these letters, but information about why or what she was doing there, or any reports she might have sent home about the attitude of English friends to the war are absent. Similarly, although Phyllis Smith (1821-1904), a free Black woman, lived with his family in Concord, there is no information about her apart from Leaver's inquiries about her health.\n \n Several of Leaver's letters appeared in the local Concord newspaper, the Independent Democrat, and the print versions were pasted into the letter books. Whether his sisters in any way altered or edited his letters when they transcribed them is unknown.

Arrangement:

The volumes are arranged chronologically.

Subjects:

Bull Run, 1st Battle of, Va., 1861, Courts-martial and courts of inquiry, Fair Oaks, Battle of, Va., 1862, Health, Military discipline, Military life, Slavery, Soldiers, United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865, United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Hospitals, United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives, Williamsburg, Battle of, Williamsburg, Va., 1862

Locations:

Bladensburg, MD
Centreville, VA
Concord, NH
Doncaster, MD
Fair Oaks, VA
Point Lookout, MD
Washington, DC
Williamsburg, VA
Yorktown, VA

People:

Boyden, George, 1833-1889, Burnside, Ambrose Everett, 1824-1881, Colby, Abiel, 1833-1862, Hale, John Parker, 1806-1873, Heintzelman, Samuel Peter, 1805-1880, Hooker, Joseph, 1814-1879, Leaver, Thomas B., 1840-1862, Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865, Marston, Gilman, 1811-1890, McClellan, George B., 1826-1885, Naglee, Henry M., 1815-1886, Parker, Henry E., 1821-1896, Rollins, Edward Henry, 1824-1889, Smith, Phyllis, 1831-1904

Credit Line:

Gift of Ms. Leaver.
Digitization supported by Mike and Monique M. Pride.

Location Code:

TL/1W

Restrictions:

Available for research.

Preferred Citation:

Item title, Thomas B. Leaver Letter Books, 1915.006. New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord, NH. Date accessed.

Finding Aid Link:

RS63987_Leaver_Thomas_B._Letter_Books_1915.006.pdf