New Collection Available: John S. Harrison Civil War Letters, 1860-1865

Volunteer Meghan Bailey, with the help of archivist Jennifer Williams, has just recently completed processing the "John S. Harrison Civil War Letters, 1860-1865." This collection is composed of eighty-one letters written mostly by John S. Harrison concerning his time spent as an operative in Company F of the 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers. Both Harrison and the recipient, John H. Freeman, were residents of Lawrence. This important collection gives a glimpse into the daily lives of soldiers in the Civil War. Subjects include living/working conditions; love interests; the weather; a description of the barracks; experiences on the front; homesickness; reports of fort artillery; brigade drills; the draft riots; and references to friends living in Lawrence. Some of the people mentioned are Lieutenant-General Grant, President Lincoln, General McClellan, General Burnsides, and Governor Seymour. The finding aid can be found here. If you are interested in the history of the Civil War, military, weaponry, or Lawrence, you should definitely take a look at this collection! Although the original letters are restricted, we have transcriptions and scans available for researchers to view. You can look at them by contacting the Lawrence History Center at 978-686-9230 or research@lawrencehistory.org.