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Letters, 1864-1867

 File — Folder: 1

Scope and Content

From the Collection:

The collection contains twenty-three letters written by Corporal Alfred Rolf to his parents and brother in Quebec. Between June and September 1864, Rolf traveled through northwestern Georgia, writing from Lost Mountain, Marietta and at a location described as “Chavotia River.” He wrote that he was wounded during fighting on July 28, 1864, was captured and escaped. In April 1865, he wrote from Raleigh, North Carolina and mentioned the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant as well as General “Jonson’s” surrender to General William Tecumseh Sherman. He believed the war’s end would signal his homecoming. After the war, Rolf wrote from Washington, D.C., Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Most of these letters discuss Rolf’s complaints about the lack of resources, including weapons, food, pens and writing paper, and irregular pay. Rolf also sent requests to his parents for paper, pens and news from home and asked them to contact Canadian consuls to help with his military discharge. The letters cover his promotion to corporal and later his court martial for fighting with one of his sergeants.

Dates

  • 1864-1867

Creator

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research

Extent

From the Collection: 27 item(s) (23 letters, 4 envelopes)

Language

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040