American Civil War – Illinois Highlights

The IDHH has continued to grow, with new collections added each quarterly harvest!

This month we’re featuring a new collection that contains historic correspondence and relate materials during the US Civil War: George Durfee Correspondence and Papers (1861–1901) from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.

Born in Michigan, George S. Durfee (1840–1907) was living in Decatur, Illinois, when he joined Company A, 8th Illinois Volunteer Infantry in 1861. Durfee’s correspondence describes his experience in camp life and campaigns and battles, including Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, and the occupation of Texas, as he rose through the ranks to captain while serving with the unit until 1866. Though most of the correspondence is between Durfee and his uncle, there are also letters from Durfee’s mother and sister. After the war, Durfee returned to Decatur and in 1867 married Sally Powers. In 1901, Illinois Governor Richard Yates (1860–1936) appointed Durfee a member of the Illinois-Vicksburg Military Park Commission, charged with marking the positions of Illinois troops at the Siege of Vicksburg. The Commission’s report, Illinois at Vicksburg, was published in 1907 after the dedication of the Illinois Memorial in 1906 at Vicksburg National Military Park, to commemorate the Illinois soldiers who fought and died there during the Vicksburg campaign.

Here are a few of our favorite items from this new collection that tell the story of different battles and campaigns during the American Civil War, as well as the age-old problem of “why haven’t you written me back yet?”:

color image of handwritten letter — Letter from Margaret Durfee [Mother] (Decatur) to George S. Durfee, June 7, 1861
[page 1]. June 7, 1861. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Durfee, George. Correspondence and Papers, 1861-1901. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.

color image of certificate from Illinois Vicksburg Commission to George S. Durfee — Letter from Illinois Vicksburg Commission to George S. Durfee, November 14, 1901 [page 1, certificate]. November 14, 1901. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Durfee, George. Correspondence and Papers, 1861-1901. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.

Want to see more?

Visit the IDHH to view more collections and items from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library and the entire George Durfee Correspondence and Papers (1861–1901), or to view more items related to the American Civil War and Illinois’ roles in the war. You can also read the Illinois at Vicksburg report through the Internet Archive and see George Durfee’s signature and picture on pages 11-12. Or, if you’re in Vicksburg, Mississippi, you can visit the Vicksburg National Military Park and view the Illinois Memorial (currently closed for restoration).

On April 9^th, 1865, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met at Appomattox Courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia, where General Lee surrendered to General Grant. Although the last battle of the Civil War was fought in May of 1865, April 9^th marks the official end of the war itself.

To mark this event in our nation’s history, the IDHH is featuring the Boys in Blue Collection from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. This collection serves as a repository for cabinet cards, tintypes, and cartes de visite of over 8000 Illinois soldiers who served in the Civil War, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum has verified information about what regiment the soldier served in, when they enlisted, where they were from, and when the photograph was taken.

The boys and men in these photographs are the unsung heroes of the Civil War – though they are not often specifically named in history books, they were the backbone of the Union Army and deserve recognition.

Here are a few of our favorite images from the collection:

sepia-toned cabinet card of M. T. Wood. — *M.T. Wood. 1908. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. Boys in Blue Collection. Courtesy of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum.*

sepia-toned cabinet card of William B. Ray. — *William B. Ray. 1889. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. Boys in Blue Collection. Courtesy of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum.*

sepia-toned cabinet card of E. G. Ransom. — *E.G. (Thomas E.G.) Ransom. circa 1860s. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. Boys in Blue Collection. Courtesy of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum.*

sepia-toned cabinet card of Robert G. Ingersoll holding his infant grandson. — *Robert G. Ingersoll with grandson, Robert Ingersoll Brown. 1893. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. Boys in Blue Collection. Courtesy of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum.*

black and white cabinet card of Ridson M. Moore. — *Risdon M. Moore. 1899. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. Boys in Blue Collection. Courtesy of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum.*

sepia-toned cabinet card of William J. Owen in Civil War infantry uniform. — *William J. Owen. circa 1890s. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. Boys in Blue Collection. Courtesy of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum.*

View the full Boys in Blue Collection on the IDHH.

View more Civil War documents on the IDHH.

Tag: American Civil War

New IDHH Collection of Civil War Correspondence

Honoring the Civil War’s Unsung Heroes: Boys in Blue