Archive Record
Metadata
Accession number |
2001.173 |
Catalog Number |
2001.173 |
Collection |
Pearce Civil War Collection |
Object Name |
Collection |
Title |
Kennerly (Samuel N.) Papers, 1861-1864, undated |
Creator |
Kennerly (Samuel N.) |
Date |
1861-1869 |
Dates of Creation |
1861-1864 |
Scope & Content |
Correspondence (135 items; 1861-1869, undated) and artifacts (1 item, undated) document the life and Civil War service of Samuel N. Kennerly. The correspondence reveals a soldier who was dedicated to the Confederate cause yet wanted nothing more than an end to the Civil War and a return to his family. The collection is arranged into two series, Correspondence and Artifacts. Correspondence is arranged into four sub-series: Sent, Received, Third-party, and Loose covers. The Sent sub-series (124 items; 1861-1864, n.d.) comprises the bulk of the collection and contains Kennerly's letters home to Julia. The letters provide insight into the Confederate defense of Charleston during the three-year siege of that city. Significant letters include the October 21, 1862 letter documenting the aftermath of the Union Army's small boat raid on the Cowhatchie and Pocotaligo Rivers. Kennerly noted that the Union soldiers had left their dead where they fell. "I belies the Negroes were made to bury them late yesterday." Letters written in the summer of 1863 describe the Union landing on Morris Island and the attack on Battery Wagner. The July 12th letter decries Confederate forces as being "in quite a pickle… several points threatened by the Yankees at the same time." Kennerly wrote of his fear that the Yankees would successfully take Charleston. A significant omission in Kennerly's letters is any report or description of the massacre of black soldiers that occurred at Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863. Later letters describe the siege of Battery Wagner in August and the Confederate surrender of the Battery in September 1863. Particularly poignant are Kennerly's letters written from Virginia in the spring and summer of 1864. Many of the letters from this time period contain graphic descriptions of the battlefield and life in the trenches, as well as Kennerly's own longing to return to the safety of home. In addition to military history, the Kennerly's correspondence provides insight into the social history of the Civil War. Letters from October 1862 through the spring of 1863 provide insight into the progress of Julia's pregnancy, Kennerly's medical advice to Julia about her condition, and his jubilation over the forthcoming birth of his first child. Significant correspondence includes a letter dated January 29, 1863 written from near Wilmington, North Carolina. In the letter Kennely defended his honor and noted that he had not availed himself of the services of the prostitutes in Wilmington. "[T]here are a great many girls in Wilmington…I would have nothing to do with them for anything in the world." A July 8, 1863 letter document Kennerly's unsuccessful search for a cradle after the birth of his son. Other letters include notes of gifts sent to Julia and her request for and ambrotype of Samuel. The Received sub-series (4 items; 1862-1863) contains letters written by Julia Kennerly. The Third party correspondence sub-series (2 items; 1864, 1869) contains two letters written to Julia. Of note in this sub-series is the letter written in October 1864 confirming the death of Samuel Kennerly on the battlefield at Weldon Railroad. The Artifacts series consists of a burlap-type bag. Its connection to Kennerly is unknown. |
Finding Aids |
Online and in the archives |
People |
Kennerly, Julia Culler Kennerly, Samuel N. Van Dorn, Earl Scribner, P. I. |
Search Terms |
1st South Carolina Volunteers 25th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Artifacts Charleston (Seige of) Pregnancy Spies Prostitution |
Credit line |
Pearce Civil War Collection |
Copyrights |
The copyright of these materials is managed by the Navarro College Archives on behalf of the Navarro College Foundation, Navarro College, 3200 W. 7th Ave., Corsicana, Texas 75110 Phone: 903-875-7438. Internet: archives@navarrocollege.edu Reproductions of original materials and transcriptions may be available. Please contact the archivist for further information. |