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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], H. J. Gifford Letter, Ms1989-067, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The H. J. Gifford Letter was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1989.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the H. J. Gifford Letter commenced and was completed in February 2022.

Biographical Note

Henry J. Gifford was born in Bergen (Genesee County), New York on September 8, 1836. Henry J. Gifford appears in the 1860 federal census, living in the Bergen home of Jerry Crampton and working as an agent for an unidentified business. Gifford enlisted as a private in the 13th New York Infantry at Elmira, New York on May 14, 1861. On August 14, he was commissioned a first lieutenant and transferred to Company D, 33rd New York Infantry; he was promoted to captain on March 13, 1862. The 33rd was mustered out of service on June 2, 1863; the regiment's three-year recruits were organized into a company under Gifford's command and attached to the 49th New York Infantry. Gifford later served on detached duty as ordnance officer in the 2nd Division, VI Corps. He was mustered out with the 49th at Halls Hill, Virginia on June 27, 1865. On February 11, 1864, Gifford married Mary F. Warren (1836-1909), of Aquia Creek (Stafford County), Virginia; the 1870 census shows the Giffords farming and living in Aquia with one young child. By 1900, the Giffords were living in Charles County, Maryland. Henry Gifford died in Norfolk, Virginia on Decmeber 29, 1909, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a single letter written by H. J. Gifford, a Union soldier serving in the 2nd Division, VI Army Corps during the American Civil War. Addressed to Gifford's friend Sarah L. Stilson, the letter was written from division headquarters at Brandy Station, Virginia on February 20, 1864. Gifford explains that he had recently been on leave to visit the bedside of his ill mother. He responds to a number of statements on personal matters made by Stilson in her most recent letter, then expresses his opinion on religion: "I have studied the different religions of the world, their effect as well as their origin, so thoroughly that I am convinced that there is no truth in any of them ... To me, Reason is supreme." West concludes by promising to send Stilson a carte-de-visite and requesting one in exchange. The letter is accompanied by a stamped envelope.

Related Material

The Sarah Stilson Correspondence at the University of Notre Dame contains three letters from Gifford to Stilson.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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