A Guide to the John P. E. Campbell Letter, 1863
A Collection in
Special Collections
Collection Number
Ms2011-056
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Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
© 2011 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
Processed by: Laura Arritt, Special Collections
Adminstrative Information
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from John P. E. Campbell Letter must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: John P. E. Campbell Letter, Ms2011-056, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.
Acquisition Information
The John P. E. Campbell Letter was donated to Special Collections in March 2011.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the John P. E. Campbell Letter was completed in June 2011.
Biographical Note
John Place Evans Campbell was born July 6, 1835 to Benjamin J. and Lydia Campbell in Bedford Co., Virginia. He was married to Elizabeth M. Campbell (b. 1842) in 1856. Prior to enlisting in the Confederate Army Campbell worked as a mechanic in Henry County, Virginia.
John P.E. Campbell enlisted in the Confederate Army on July 15, 1862 in Giles County, Virginia. He enlisted at the rank of private in Company K, Virginia 50th Infantry Regiment. After Campbell's enlistment, Virginia's 50th regiment was involved in the battles at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, and Winchester. The regiment disbanded in April 1865.
According to census records after the Civil War he lived in Patrick County, Virginia and worked as a furniture and cabinetmaker. He died in Patrick County, Virginia, June 11, 1909.
Source: United States Military and Census records from Ancestry.com
Scope and Content
Letter from John P. E. Campbell (50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry) to his wife, April 13, 1863. At the time of the letter Campbell was in Caroline County, Virginia. Campbell writes his wife about where he has been recently and who he has seen. The letter also includes a description of Fredericksburg after the battle. He writes of "the dead lying there almost dismembered" and the dead horses that covered the battlefield.
Index Terms
- Civil War
- Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Subjects:
Significant Persons Associated With the Collection
- Campbell, John P. E., 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry