John C. Wardlaw letters,
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- John C. Wardlaw letters,
- Date
- 1842-1865
- Creator
- Wardlaw, John C.
- Extent
- 0.35 Cubic feet
- Subjects
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Confederate States of America.
- Arrangement
- The letters are arranged chronologically.
- Preferred Citation
- 2007MS056 : [identification of item], John C. Wardlaw letters, 1842-1865, University of Kentucky Special Collections.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- John C. Wardlaw was a senior cadet at the Kentucky Military Institute in Frankfort, Kentucky, originally from South Carolina. He participated in several battles including Malvern Hill in Virginia, 1862, and was wounded at the Second Battle of Manassas. In 1864 Wardlaw was involved in the Wilderness campaign including battles at Spotsylvania Court House and at Cold Harbor. Wardlaw was also a defender during the siege of Petersburg and involved in action at Williamsburg. On April 9, 1865 he was on a list of paroled prisoners surrendered by General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House.
- Scope and Content
- The John C. Wardlaw letters contain correspondence Wardlaw wrote to his parents before and during the Civil War, 1861-1865. The first eight letters, all written from Kentucky, provide insight into life in Kentucky and the Kentucky Military Institute during the first six months of war. They discuss the polarization and bitterness existing in the state because of the succession issue; Kentucky's attempt at neutrality; his report that Lincoln is secretly importing arms into Kentucky to eradicate secessionists; his joy over the capture of Fort Sumter, and how South Carolina has been demeaned by some "in this half-abolitionized state (Kentucky)." The letters also describe how he and some of his classmates burned Abraham Lincoln in effigy and that he felt compelled to make a public speech defending South Carolina's honor at the event. Wardlaw also details Confederate Army politics, battles or actions such as the Union's attempt to take Richmond, life in the trenches, and the vivid execution of a deserter. Finally, in the days just preceding the fall of Richmond in 1865 he writes that he is volunteering to sign up African American troops to defend the Confederacy.
- The collection includes family photographs, a diary containing the family genealogy, and a copy of The Address of the People of South Carolina Assembled in Convention, to the People of the Slaveholding States of the United States.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections.
Contents of the Collection
First and Second South Carolina Rifles, dates of service and description,, 1861-1865
F.H.W. notebook on memories of family,, 1842
John C. Wardlaw, Louisville, Kentucky,, August 29
John C. Wardlaw, Military Institute, Kentucky, letter to father,, 1861 February 29
John C. Wardlaw, Military Institute, Kentucky, to father,, 1861 March 4
John C. Wardlaw, Military Institute, Franklin Co., Kentucky, to father,, 1861 March 31
John C. Wardlaw, Military Institute, Kentucky, to father,, 1861 April 24
John C. Wardlaw, Military Institute, Kentucky, to father,, 1861 May 27
John C. Wardlaw, Louisville, Kentucky, to father,, 1861 June 14
John C. Wardlaw, S & C R R depot, Columbia, to father,, 1861 September 4
John C. Wardlaw, Headquarter's of Provisional Forces, Sullivan's Islands, South Carolina, to father,, 1861 November 6
John C. Wardlaw, Headquarters "Orr's Reg't Rifles", Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, to father,, 1861 November 15
John C. Wardlaw, Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, to father and mother,, 1861 December 12
John C. Wardlaw, Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, to father,, 1861 December 19
John C. Wardlaw, Headquarter's of "1st Batt Rifles", Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, to father,, 1861 December 27
John C. Wardlaw, Camp Means John's Island, South Carolina, to father,, 1862 March 12
John C. Wardlaw, Headquarters of 2nd Brigade, Longstreets Division, to father,, 1862 August 8
John C. Wardlaw, Camp at Bulls Gap, Tennessee, to father,, 1864 March 21
John C. Wardlaw, Camp second South Carolina Rifles, near Petersburg, Virginia, to mother,, 1864 September 22
John C. Wardlaw, Trenches at Chaffins Farm, Virginia, to father,, 1864 October 1
John C. Wardlaw to mother,, 1864 December 18
John C. Wardlaw, Trenches five miles from Richmond on Darbytown Road, to father,, 1864 October 15
John C. Wardlaw. South Carolina Soldier Home, Richmond, Virginia, to father,, 1865 March 31
John C. Wardlaw, Abbeville, South Carolina, to father,, 1865 September 18
John C. Wardlaw, Morris Island, Charlestown Harbor, South Carolina, to father,, 1861 March 6
The Address of the People of South Carolina,, 1860
John C. Wardlaw photograph,, undated
John C. Wardlaw, photograph pendant,, undated
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Table of Contents
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
