Inventory of the William Tell Cobb Papers 1802-1865 Cobb, William Tell; 1840-1913. Mss. 98C 63

Inventory of the William Tell Cobb Papers 1802-1865

A Collection in the
Manuscripts and Rare Books Department
Collection Number Mss. 98C 63


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Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary

Special Collections
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8794
USA
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Email: spcoll@wm.edu
URL: http://swem.wm.edu/scrc/

© 2002 By the College of William and Mary

Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Kathy Feeney, 1998.

Repository
Special Collections, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary
Collection number
Mss. 98C 63
Title
William Tell Cobb, 1802-1865.
Extent
188 items.
Creators
William Tell Cobb, Edwin Cobb.
Language
English
Abstract
Letters of William Tell Cobb (1840-1913), of Mauricetown, New Jersey, and his brother, Edwin Cobb (b. 1838), also of Mauricetown, New Jersey.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open to all researchers.

Publication Rights/Restrictions on Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Preferred Citation

William Tell Cobb Papers, Manuscripts and Rare Books Department, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Acquisition Information

Acc. No. 1993.45A; Purchased: 188 items, 7/01/1993.

Biographical/Historical Information

William Tell Cobb (1840-1913) served in the Union Army during the Civil War, as a private in the 20th Pennsylvania Infantry, an orderly sergeant in Company F, 5th Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers from 1861- 1862, and as a private in Company B, 2nd U.S. Cavalry from 1862-1864. He also served in the U.S. Navy as an ordinary seaman on the ships Allegheny , Daylight , Shenandoah , and Princeton from 1864-1865.

Edwin Cobb (b. 1838), younger brother of William Tell Cobb, served in the U.S. Navy as well, as a 1st Lieutenant on the ship C. W. Holmes in 1862.

Scope and Content Information

Letters of William Tell Cobb (1840-1913), of Mauricetown, New Jersey, and his brother, Edwin Cobb (b. 1838), also of Mauricetown, New Jersey. William Cobb participated in the battles of Fair Oaks and 2nd Manassas while in the Army, and the battle of Fort Fisher while in the Navy; he describes these battles in his letters. Edwin Cobb provides an eyewitness account of the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac . Other topics dealt with in the letters are camp conditions and everyday life in the Army and Navy, interaction between Union and Confederate soldiers, and the financial difficulties faced by William Tell Cobb and his family during the war. The collection also includes a photo of William Tell Cobb, his copy of The Soldier's Guide and a collection of typescripts of the letters

Arrangement

Organization

This collection is organized into 3 series. Series 1 contains letters and typescripts; Series 2 contains miscellaneous material; and Series 3 contains transcripts.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into series by item description and then by chronologically by date.

Index Terms

    Subjects:

  • Bull Run, Battle of, 1862.
  • Fair Oaks (Henrico County, Va.), Battle of, 1862.
  • Merrimack (Frigate)
  • United States. Navy.
  • United States. Army Cavalry Regiment, 2nd.
  • United States. Army. Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, 20th.
  • United States. Army. New Jersey Infantry Regiment, 5th.
  • Geographical Names:

  • Charleston (S.C.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
  • United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Naval operations.
  • United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.

Bibliography

Bibliography

Ludwick, Michael P. "Your most obedient son,": The Civil War Letters Of William Tell Cobb. 1995. Master Thesis, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Call Number: LD6051 .W5m Hist., 1995, L83

Bibliography

Ludwick, Michael P. "Your most obedient son,": The Civil War Letters Of William Tell Cobb. 1995. Master Thesis, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Call Number: LD6051 .W5m Hist., 1995, L83

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

  • Edwin Cobb.
  • Ludwick, Michael P.
  • William Tell Cobb,

Significant Places Associated With the Collection

  • Charleston (S.C.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
  • United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Naval operations.
  • United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.

Components List

Letters and Typescripts, 1802-1825.
Folder 1-4
Series 1: Letters and Typescripts
  • Letters, 2 [March] 1802-23 December 1861.
    33 items. ALSs. Including Tss of ALSs.

    Mostly from William Tell Cobb, a soldier in the Union Army, to his father, Samuel Cobb of Mauncetown, New Jersey. Letters describe Union camp conditions and skirmishes with Confederate troops in Virginia and West Virginia. There are 12 letters included, each with typescripts.

  • Folder 2
    Letters, 4 January 1862-28 December 1862.
    73 items. ALSs. Including Tss of ALSs.

    Mostly from William Tell Cobb, in camps in Northern Virginia and the Peninsula, to his father, Samuel Cobb, of Mauricetown, New Jersey. Letters describe camp conditions, the battles of Four Oaks and 2nd Manassas, the death of William's wife, and William's attempts to get promoted or transferred to another regiment. Included in the letters is a drawing done by William of the position of artillery at Harrison's Landing, Virginia. Also included is a letter from William's brother Edwin Cobb to his father, giving an account of the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac .There are 26 letters included, each with typescripts.

  • Folder 3
    Letters, 6 February 1863-15 December 1863.
    29 items. ALSs. Including Tss of ALSs.

    Mainly from William Tell Cobb, in camps in Virginia and Maryland, to his father, Samuel Cobb, of Mauricetown, New Jersey, at the Headquarters of the Army of the Potomac, fighting at Fredericksburg and Aldie, Virginia, and the lateness of wages. There are 10 letters included, each with typescripts.

  • Folder 4
    Letters, 1 January [1864]-25 April 1865.
    46 items. ALSs. Including Tss of ALSs.

    Mostly from William Tell Cobb, in camp near Mitchell's Station, Virginia and on board Union Navy vessels in the Atlantic to his father, Samuel Cobb, of Mauricetown, New Jersey. Letters describe interaction between Confederate and Union troops along picket lines, life in the Navy, the Cobb family's financial problems, the battles of Fort Fisher (North Carolina), and conditions in Charleston, South Carolina after the city was captured by Union forces. There are 15 letters included, each with typescripts.

Miscellaneous Material, 1862, n.d.
Folder 5
4 items. Photograph. Negatives.
Series 2: Miscellaneous Material

Miscellaneous items relating to William Tell Cobb, including an envelope, A Soldier's Manual , a photograph of William Tell Cobb, and negatives of the photograph.

Transcripts, 1993.
Folder 6
3 items. Transcripts. 3" Computer Disk.
Series 3: Transcripts

Transcripts of letters written by William Tell Cobb and his brother, Edwin Cobb, during the Civil War. Including copy of transcripts on computer disk and information about the above photograph (Folder 5) of William Tell Cobb.