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 to research.

Existence and Location of Copies

This collection has been digitized and is available online.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Silas H. Stepp Letters, Ms1992-020, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Silas H. Stepp Letters were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 1992.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Silas H. Stepp Letters commenced and was completed in November, 2023.

Biographical / Historical

Silas H. Stepp, son of Joseph M. and Rachel Walters/Waters Stepp, was born at Black Mountain (Buncombe County), North Carolina, on March 1, 1823. He married Eleanor Fortune (1825-1897) in 1843; the couple would have five children. The 1850 and 1860 federal censuses list the Stepps as farmers residing in Buncombe County. Silas Stepp enlisted in Company D, 7th North Carolina Cavalry Battalion (Confederate) on April 27, 1863, and he transferred to Company C, 6th North Carolina Cavalry on August 3, 1863. On June 22, 1864, he was captured at Jackson's Mill, North Carolina, and was first imprisoned at New Bern, North Carolina, then transferred to Fort Monroe, then Point Lookout, and finally to Elmira Prison on July 8, 1864. Stepp died in the prison on January 2, 1865, and was buried in what is now Woodlawn National Cemetery, Elmira.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains seventeen wartime letters (photocopies only) written by Silas H. Stepp, a Confederate soldier in Company C, 6th North Carolina Cavalry (and later a prisoner of war) during the American Civil War. The letters are addressed to Stepp's wife (Eleanor Fortune Stepp), whom he sometimes refers to as "my sweet pink." Fourteen of the letters were written by Stepp from unspecified locations in Tennessee and North Coarlina during the spring of 1864. The letters focus on his regiment's movements. He also discusses--among other things--mutual acqaintances, the new Confederate currency, being tried for not obeying an order to curry his horse, being under fire, destroying rail and telegraph lines, camp fare, and taking prisoners.

A fifteenth letter was written from the camp of the 132nd New York Infantry, just after Stepp had been taken prisoner. Stepp's final three letters were written from Elmira Prison Camp in the summer and fall of 1864, and discuss his health, treatment by his captors, and the impossibility of being exchanged or released on parole. He also conveys news of mutual acquaintances among his fellow prisoners and provides his wife with instructions for managing the farm.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

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

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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