Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], James H. Cronkhite Letters, Ms1989-062, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The James Cronkhite Letters were purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1989.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the James Cronkhite Letters commenced and was completed in February 2022.

Biographical Note

James H. Cronkhite was born in New York in 1827. Cronkhite married Jane Griffith in Rice County, Minnesota on August 6, 1860. During the American Civil War, he enlisted as a private in Company I, 4th Minnesota Infantry, mustering in on October 22, 1861. He was discharged on December 21, 1862, due to disability. The 1870 census lists James H. Cronkhite, a 44-year-old brick-maker, and Jennie Conkhite, 29, living in Rice County with two children and a domestic servant. James H. Cronkhite died in Warsaw (Rice County), Minnesota on September 20, 1873, and was buried in Warsaw Cemetery.

Scope and Content

This collection contains four letters written by James H. Cronkhite, a private serving in Company I, 4th Minnesota Infantry during the American Civil War. Written on patriotic stationery to his wife Jennie in Warsaw (Rice County), Minnesota from camps and a division hospital in Mississippi, the letters are dated between June and August 1862. On June 7, 1862, writing from Booneville [Mississippi], Cronkhite discusses personal matters and the false report of three deserters in his company, predicts that the war will end soon ("[T]he whole Rebel Army are put on less than half rations, and their resources are all cut off ..."), and mentions picking blackberries for dinner. Cronkhite writes from Camp Clear Creek on July 23, informing Jennie of having cholera and of undergoing treatment with opium and a mustard plaster. Cronkhite continues to write from the division hospital on August 8 and 23, discussing his illness and prospects for being sent north, remarking on the military efforts of men a home, and explaining the advantages of taking a commission as a first lieutenant rather than captain.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• Diseases
• Folk, historical, and patent medicine
• Medicine
• Medicine, Military -- History
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the James H. Cronkhite Letters by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).

General

This collection had originally been assigned the title "James Cronkhite Correspondence." The collection was assigned the new title "James Cronkhite Letters" during processing.