Jacob Hampton Civil War Letter
Scope and Contents
The collection contains one letter dated November 13, 1864 by Civil War soldier Jacob Hampton (1847-1929) from Pavilion, Michigan while enlisted in the First Regiment Michigan Engineers and Mechanics and addressed to his sister while stationed in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In the letter, he discusses daily life and reports on Confederate troop movements.
Dates
- Creation: November 13, 1864
Creator
- Hamptom, Jacob, 1847-1929 (Author, Person)
Jacob Hampton Biography
Jacob Hampton was born in Pavilion, Michigan in 1847. He enlisted on August 23, 1864 at age 18 in the First Regiment Michigan Engineers and Mechanics and mustered out on June 24, 1865. He returned to Wakeshma and married Clarissa Reed Hampton in 1867 and they had a son and daughter. He worked as a woodworker, cooper and wagon maker. The letter does not indicate which of his six sisters Jacob addressed the letter.
First Regiment Michigan Engineers and Mechanics Biography
The First Regiment Michigan Engineers and Mechanics was formed in 1861. The regiment initially was outfitted as regular infantry but later would take on tasks relating to infrastructure maintenance. By the time the regiment was in Chattanooga where Hampton wrote this letter, their mission had changed to destroying infrastructure deemed significant to the Confederacy’s war effort.
Extent
.10 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This letter was purchased through funds from the Starring Endowment.
Physical Description
The letter amounts to .10 cubic feet and is composed of a single piece of paper measuring 10” x 8”. The page had been folded lengthwise with writing on all sides of the paper. The first two pages are cross-written on two of the pages. The contents of the materials were written in black ink. The paper has yellowed and has numerous brown stains on the pages. The bottom of the third and fourth page has been lost and repaired with another piece of paper. There is also tape on the along the fold to keep the pages together.
- Title
- Jacob Hampton Civil War Letter finding aid
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Stephanie Chapman
- Date
- 2023-04-06
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Western Michigan University Archives & Regional History Collections Repository
Charles C. and Lynn L. Zhang Legacy Collections Center
1650 Oakland Drive
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5307 US
(269) 387-8490
arch-collect@wmich.edu