| Collection Name: |
David Lilley Letters |
| Repository Name: |
University of Delaware. Library. Special Collections Department [Repository Details] |
| Repository Location: |
Newark, Delaware, United States |
| URL: |
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/lilley_d.htm |
| Dates Spanned: |
1861-1864 |
| Description: |
This collection of Civil War correspondence consists of thirty-eight letters written between 1861 and 1864 by David N. Lilley to his older sister, Annie Lilley, who lived in Newark, Delaware. The letters originated from places such as Camp Brandywine, Camp Andrews in Baltimore, and Falmouth, Virginia, and chronicled Lilley's experiences during the Civil War. Lilley recounted anecdotes and social events from the camps where he was stationed, described military battles, and related the harsh and trying conditions that soldiers endured. He also discussed the relationship between 'rebel' and Union soldiers and in one letter recalled a visit from Abraham Lincoln. His letters also noted the emotional vicissitudes typifying a soldier's life: Lilley was at times content and optimistic but at other times depressed and fatalistic. Because of variations in handwriting, grammar, and style, it appears that Lilley might not have written all the letters himself. |
| Estimated Total of Interviews: |
38 |
| Broad Subjects: |
Military; Wars and Conflicts |
| ASP Subjects: |
Delaware; Letters; Newark, DE; Soldiers' writings, American; U.S. Civil War, 1861-1865; United States; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Veterans |
| Collection Code: |
OHC0004842 |
