Granville W. and Mary Caroline Belcher Letters

The bulk of this collection consists of 69 letters, dated from February 2, 1862 to June 28, 1864, from Granville W. Belcher to his wife, Mary Caroline Belcher. Ten (10) letters, dated from January 13/18, 1862 to August 26, 1864, between Mary Caroline; her brother, Washington Dickinson; her nephew, William H. Dickinson; Granville; and Granville's brother Charles Belcher make up the remainder of the collection. Granville and Washinton served in the Virginia 57th Infantry Regiment, William was a member of the 10th Virginia Calvary and Charles was also in the Confederate Army.

Granville's letters regularly express his displeasure with army life. He complains of excessive marching, poor rations and ill health. He also describes other aspects of army life, including the high prices of food and the election of Confederate regimental officers and noncommissioned officers.

Granville's letters rarely mention combat, although he does describe his regiment's action during the Battle of Gettysburg. He chronicles a few other engagements, only two of which he was actually involved in. More often, he writes of missing home and Mary Caroline. Occasionally he gives her instructions on how to manage their farm. A recurrent theme in Granville's letters is his desire to return home unharmed. He repeatedly assures Mary Caroline that if he is killed or wounded it will not be due to bravery on his part. The letters recount his attempts to go home on furlough or by securing a paid substitute. The letters also describe his arrest, sentencing, and confinement for going home without leave.

The remaining letters in the collection provide description of conditions in various Confederate camps, of some military action, of Mary Caroline's loneliness and have information pertaining to Granville and Mary Caroline's farm.