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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], Oscar L. Whitelaw Letter, 1862, Ms2022-045, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 2014.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Oscar L. Whitelaw Letter was completed in August 2022.

Biographical Note

Oscar Livingston Whitelaw was born on May 10, 1841, in Ryegate, Vermont. He attended Peacham Academy. During the American Civil War, in August 1862, he enlisted in Company K of the 15th Vermont Infantry of the Union Army. He was honorably discharged in August 1863. After the war, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and worked as a seller of paints and other chemicals.

Whitelaw was extremely active in professional and religious organizations in his post-war life. He served as vice president of the Merchants Exchange in 1897-1898 and president in 1899. He was president of the National Paint, Oil, and Varnish Association, 1889; president of the National Transportation Association, 1897-1900; and president of St. Louis Public Library. These are just a few of the positions he held in numerous organizations during his life.

Whitelaw married Lillie Dwight Lathrop in St. Louis in 1873. The pair had four children. Whitelaw died in St. Louis on February 11, 1917, and is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

Sources:

Leonard, John W. The Book of St. Louisans: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Living Men of the City of St. Louis and Vicinity. St Louis, MO: St. Louis Republic, 1906. Page 633. https://books.google.com/books?id=MD8VAAAAYAAJ . Accessed September 14, 2022.

"Oscar Livingston Whitelaw" entry. Findagrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/148407814/oscar-livingston-whitelaw , accessed September 28, 2022.

Scope and Content

This collection contains a letter by Private Oscar L. Whitelaw of the 15th Vermont Infantry Regiment on December 20, 1862. Whitelaw describes the march from Camp Vermont to the Fairfax County Courthouse, as well as camp life, Confederates in Richmond, and his feelings about the war.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

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

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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