James Stepter papers
Abstract
James F. Stepter served as a private in the Union army during the Civil War. On August 14, 1862, he enlisted in Company B of the 6th Maryland Regiment Infantry, a company recruited from Cecil County. In the months before his death in 1864, he wrote numerous letters home to his wife Amanda from Harper's Ferry and various Union encampments. This collection consists of twenty-one of Stepter's letters which outline his personal observations on the war and military life, politics, and family concerns.
Important Information for Users of the Collection
This collection is open for research.
James Stepter papers, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
Digital copies of the letters in this collection are available at http://digital.lib.umd.edu/ in the University of Maryland's Digital Collections. Transcriptions were created by Jack Fallin, 2011.
This collection is PROCESSED.
Historical Note
James F. Stepter served as a private in the Union Army during the Civil War. On August 14, 1862, he enlisted in Company B of the 6th Maryland Regiment Infantry, a company from Cecil County. Stepter was wounded and captured on May 5, 1864, at the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia. He died while a prisoner of war at Andersonville, Georgia, allegedly on October 4, 1864.
The Stepter family lived in Elkton, Maryland, in Cecil County, prior to the Civil War. According to the 1860 federal census, James F. Stepter was twenty-seven-year-old weaver. His was Amanda was twenty-six years old at the time of the census, and the couple had a three-year-old son named William (Will) and a one-year-old daughter named Sarah E. (Ema). A third child named Sean was born before Stepter's enlistment. At some point after James Stepter entered the Union army, his wife and family moved to Chester, Pennsylvania. Amanda Stepter was born in Pennsylvania, and Chester may have been her hometown. Although Amanda Stepter traveled to Elkton on at least one occasion, it appears that the family remained in Chester for the period covered by these letters.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The papers of James F. Stepter consist of twenty-one letters which span the period 1862 to 1864. All of the letters were written by James Stepter to his wife Amanda from Harpers Fell and Union encampments near Brandy Station, Cullet Station, Bealton, and Berryville, Virginia. Major topics include Stepter's personal observations on the war and military life, politics, and family concerns.
Custodial History and Acquisition Information
The University of Maryland at College Park Libraries purchased the papers of James F. Stepter from Charlels Apfelbaum in 1996.
Processing Information
Processed by Pamela Alsop, October 1996.
All materials have been placed in an acid-free folder within an acid-free box.
EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access. Markup completed by Janna Robinson, February 22, 2005.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1: Correspondence, 1862-1864 (21 items)
This series contains twenty-one letters written between 1862 and 1864 by James F. Stepter to his wife Amanda. By the time Stepter entered the Union army, the couple had three children named Will, Ema, and Sean, all of whom figure prominently in James's letters. He clearly expresses his bitterness at the separation from his wife and children. Throughout the period during which these letters were written, Stepter waited for a furlough to visit his family. He even threatened to take a French (i.e. unauthorized) leave if a furlough was not granted, although he discusses the fact that deserters were not regarded highly by fellow soldiers. Sadly, he did not receive a furlough and never saw his family again.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | Item | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Correspondence (Online), 1862 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | ||
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), March 28, 1862 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 1 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), undated | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 2 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), November 6, 1862 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 3 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), December 11, 1862 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 4 | |
| Correspondence (Online), 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | ||
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), January 7, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 1 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), January 25, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 2 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), February 2, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 3 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), February 8, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 4 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), February 24, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 5 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), March 18, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 6 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), March 22, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 7 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), March 30, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 8 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), April 29, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 9 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), October 27, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 10 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), November 6, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 11 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), December 18, 1863 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 12 | |
| Correspondence (Online), 1864 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | ||
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), January 15, 1864 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 1 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), February 19, 1864 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 2 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), March 20, 1864 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 3 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), April 4, 1864 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 4 | |
| Letter (Transcription) (Online), April 19, 1864 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 5 | |
Related Material
For other related archival and manuscript collections, please see the following subject guides.
Selected Search Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the University of Maryland Libraries' Catalog. Researchers desiring related materials about these topics, names, or places may search the Catalog using these headings.
Subjects
- Stepter, James F. -- Archives
- United States -- Army -- Military Life -- History -- Sources
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources
Names (Added Entries)
- Stepter, Amanda