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John E. Rastall papers, Series I, Folder 1: Correspondence, September 1861-December 1862

1861-09-7-1862-12-7monochromeJump to full detailsRequest from Special Collections

Summary:John E. Rastall was a Union Lieutenant with the First Regiment, Eastern Shore, Maryland Volunteers during the Civil War. The collection includes 128 letters written by Rastall to his family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin detailing his service in Virginia and Maryland, especially on the Eastern Shore. Rastall describes his regiment's role in the battle of Gettysburg, speculates on the possible effect of the draft on his brothers in Wisconsin, and offers his impressions of prominent people such as General McClellan and Mary Todd Lincoln. He also reminisces about life at home in Milwaukee and describes civilian parties, meetings, and excursions he enjoyed in Maryland. The subjects addressed also include deserters from the First Maryland, Rastall's attempts to secure a promotion, his role in the battle of Gettysburg, court-martials, the draft, and the impressment of free blacks into the Union army. The arrangement is chronological. For more information, see the complete finding aid to the collection at http://hdl.handle.net/1903.1/1327.
Creator:Rastall, John Edward, 1840-1927
Century:1801-1900
Place of origin – Continent:North America
Place of origin – Country:United States of America
Place of origin – Region:Maryland
Virginia
Delaware
Place of origin – Settlement:Salisbury
Cambridge
New Castle
Baltimore
Fort McHenry
Drummondtown
Camp Wilkes
Camp Pocahontas
Easton
Felton
Temporal subject: 1861-1870
Geographical subject – Continent:North America
Topical subjects:United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Rastall, John Edward, 1840-1927
United States -- Army -- Maryland Infantry Regiment, 1st (1861-1865)
Maryland -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
Repository:Historical Manuscripts
Browse terms:War, Military
Collection may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the University of Maryland Libraries at http://digital.lib.umd.edu/archivesum/contact.jsp.