Transcripts of the Leftwich Letters, 1861-1866

Twenty-six letters dating from 1861 to 1866 comprise the Leftwich Family Letters. This collection of correspondence centers on a family from Bedford County, Virginia during the American Civil War. Authors include brothers James B. Leftwich; William Leftwich; Thomas Leftwich; a family friend called Prophett; and William's grief-stricken lover, Annie S. Gilliam. Salient topics consist of the soldiers' desire for goods, the use of alcohol, frequent sickness, recreation, food (both the dearth of food and its infrequent abundance), death, and significant battles. In one notable letter, James B. Leftwich discusses First Battle of Bull Run shortly after the conflict. These letters issue from several locations in Virginia (Manassas, Yorktown, Franklin Depot, Amherst County, and camps near Richmond and Petersburg) but also mention marches to North Carolina. Writing from Amherst County, Annie S. Gilliam's lengthy letters hyperbolically discuss the sorrow of losing someone in the war.