Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Anthony K. Simmons Letter must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Anthony K. Simmons Letter, Ms2009-011 - Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Acquisition Information

The Anthony K. Simmons Letter was donated to Special Collections in 2008.

Alternative Form Available

Accompanied by typed transcript of the original letter.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Anthony K. Simmons Letter commenced and was completed in January 2009.

Biographical Information

Anthony K. Simmons was born on March 11, 1810 in Virginia. He married Sophia Bower (1811-1885) in Botetourt County in January 1835; the couple lived in the western district of Botetourt County and had nine children, including William and Edmund. A farmer, Simmons also served as a justice of the peace. He died October 2, 1886. Simmons' surname appears in some records as "Simmon" and his letter of July 17, 1862 is signed in this manner.

William Bower Simmons was born in Botetourt County on August 29, 1838. A Roanoke College student at the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in Company A, 28th Virginia Infantry on May 15, 1861. Simmons was shot in the back at Howlett's House on June 18, 1864 and recovered in a Richmond hospital. Following the war, he served as a Botetourt County supervisor and judge for many years. William Simmons died on November 30, 1917.

Edmund O. Simmons, younger brother of William B., was born in Botetourt County, Virginia, on July 14, 1843. He enlisted as a private in Company A, 28th Virginia Infantry on August 5, 1861. He was was wounded in the Battle of Gaines' Mill on June 27, 1862 and died in a Richmond hospital on August 5.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a letter written by Anthony K. Simmons, a resident of Botetourt County, Virginia during the Civil War. Writing from Manchester, Virginia to his son William, Simmons describes the health of his younger son, Ed, a private in Company A, 28th Virginia Infantry, recently wounded at the Battle of Gaines' Mill. Simmons also mentions by name several other members of Company A and is complimentary of "Mrs. Harris," who owns the house in which he is boarding while he visits his son in the hospital. Simmons writes of the 28th Virginia's current position and relays a rumor about the number of Union prisoners on Belle Isle.