Processed by
Chris Harter
30 December 1997
Revised 16 May 2002
Updated 9 March 2004
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
|
VOLUME OF |
2 folders |
|
COLLECTION |
1861–1878 |
|
PROVENANCE: |
Betty Zane Darland-Tucker, 427 West 13th Street, Peru, IN 46970, 17 December 1997 |
|
RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
|
COPYRIGHT: |
|
|
REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
|
ALTERNATE |
None |
|
RELATED |
|
|
ACCESSION |
1998.0099 |
|
NOTES: |
|
Thomas S. W. Hawkins (d. 1863) was a resident of Paoli (Orange Co.), Indiana. He served with the 38th Indiana Regiment, Company I, and was promoted to second lieutenant. He died on 23 January 1863 from typhoid fever related to wounds sustained in battle at Stone River (near Murfreesboro, Tennessee).
Benjamin Webb, Jr. (d. 1863) was a resident of Orange County, Indiana. He was possibly the son of a Benjamin Webb who operated a mercantile business in Orleans, Indiana, as early as 1823. Ben, Jr., was mustered into service in September 1861 with the 38th Indiana Regiment, Company I, and attained the rank of sergeant. In 1863, he died from an undetermined accident while the regiment was in Washington, D.C. He was a cousin of Mary Ann Webb.
Mary Ann Webb (fl. 1861–78) was a resident of Saltilloville (Washington Co.), Indiana for a time. She was the daughter of Isaac H. and Elizabeth (Lawrence) Webb, and had at least two brothers: John W. and Henry C. She married Dr. T. Volney Gifford at an undetermined date; he operated a sanitarium in New London (Howard Co.).
The 38th Indiana Regiment (1861–65) was mustered into service at New Albany (Floyd Co.) on 18 September 1861, and departed for Elizabethtown, Kentucky, three days later. It passed the fall and winter at Camp Nevin and Camp Wood near Munfordsville. In February 1862, the 38th Indiana took part in a campaign against Bowling Green and Nashville. The regiment served throughout Kentucky and Tennessee, participating in battles at Perryville, Kentucky, and at Stone River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. They also fought at Chicamauga in September 1863. The regiment moved through Tennessee and Georgia before re-enlisting in December of that year. After a veteran furlough, they returned to Georgia, where they joined General Sherman's army against Atlanta. The 38th Indiana campaigned through Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia on their way to Washington, D.C. They were transferred to Louisville and mustered out in July 1865.
Sources: Material in the collection and collection accession file.
History of Orange County, Indiana: a Reproduction of the Original “History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties” 1884. Paoli, Indiana: Stout’s Print Shop, 1965. Reference Collection, F532.O63 H47 1965.
Perry, Henry Fales. History of the Thirty-eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Paoli, Indiana: Reprinted by Orange County Genealogy Society, 1992. p. 356. E506.5 38th.P47 1992.
Adjutant General’s Office. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana. Vol. 2, p. 380-81; Vol. 5, p. 216. Indianapolis: A. H. Connor [etc.] State Printer, 1865–69. Reference Collection, E506.2.I39 T4 1865.
This collection consists of correspondence written or received by members of the Webb family, who were residents of Orange County and Washington County, Indiana. The majority is between Mary Ann Webb and Thomas S. W. Hawkins, a soldier in the 38th Indiana Regiment. Hawkins discusses his daily activities, those of his regiment, including battles, and his views on slavery and the southern states. Mary also received letters from her cousin, Ben Webb, and from Lieutenant William Leonard, who wrote concerning Hawkins' death and a watch he bequeathed to Mary.
There are also letters from John W. and Henry C. Webb, while in Illinois, to their family, a letter from Henry to John, and a letter written to Mary (Webb) Gifford from her parents. A number of the letters in this collection contain decorative letterheads and/or printer's crests.
|
CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
|
Correspondence, 1861–July 1862 |
Folder 1 |
|
Correspondence, August 1862–78 |
Folder 2 |
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://157.91.92.2/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, SC 2639).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.