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Richard Beto, Collector, Civil War Letter of William Bowen Gallaher of Company E, Virginia 1st Cavalry

 Collection
Collection Number: A&M 3730

Scope and Contents

Color copy of three page Civil War letter dated 30 June 1861 authored by William Bowen Gallaher of Company E, Virginia 1st Cavalry, from a "camp near Hainesville, Berkeley County". It touches on a number of subjects, most pertaining to the Berkeley County and Martinsburg, West Virginia area.

Subjects of content include soldier wounded in battle at Williamsport (Charles Gamble Dalhouse); number and types of Confederate units at his location; provenance of fellow soldiers; aftermath of Williamsport battle; vignette of Union prisoner; his interest in acquiring and reading newspapers; his interest in having his photograph taken in Martinsburg for "Sallie"; recruits from Augusta County and Washington College; rain and lack of tents; successful wheat crop at home; and war sentiment (including hope for peace, and a believe that they have "providence on their side").

Also includes one additional page with brief histories of William Gallaher and Charles Dalhouse.

Dates

  • Creation: 1861

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Biographical / Historical

William Bowen Gallaher enlisted 2 May 1861 at Waynesboro, Virginia as a 3rd Lieutenant, and was commissioned into Company E, Virginia 1st Cavalry on same day. He resigned due to ill health on 11 August 1861.

Charles Gamble Dalhouse enlisted 19 April 1861 at Waynesboro, Virginia as a Private, and was mustered into Company B, Virginia 1st Cavalry on same day. He died on 24 December 1861 from wounds inflicted on 26 June 1861 at Williamsport, Maryland.

Extent

0.01 Linear Feet (Summary: 1 item (3 pages in 1 folder))

Overview

Color copy of three page Civil War letter dated 30 June 1861 authored by William Bowen Gallaher of Company E, Virginia 1st Cavalry, from a "camp near Hainesville, Berkeley County". It touches on a number of subjects, most pertaining to the Berkeley County and Martinsburg, West Virginia area. Includes references to the aftermath of a battle at Williamsport, recruits from Augusta County and Washington College, among many other topics. (See scope and content note for additional information).

Physical Location

West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/

Title
Richard Beto, Collector, Civil War Letter of William Bowen Gallaher of Company E, Virginia 1st Cavalry, 1861
Author
Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History Center
Date
2010/04/28
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository

Contact:
1549 University Ave.
P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown WV 26506-6069 US
304-293-3536