June and Gilbert Krueger, collectors, Civil War letters, 1861-1865.
Collection Number: 2052

All the material in the collection may not be covered by this guide.

Chiefly letters to Lavinia Obreham, Freeport, Winneshiek County, Iowa from her brothers, Edwin C. and Charles J. Obreham, her cousin and future husband, Charles L. Beebe, and other Union soldiers, serving with the 9th Iowa Volunteers and other units; written from Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Washington, D.C., the letters deal largely with camp life, troop movements, military engagements, with some mention of the siege of Vicksburg and the march on Savannah.

Letters from Charles L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham, dating from January 1, 1861 to December 15, 1865: concerning travels with Presiding Elder of Brethren Church and visit to church in Rock Island, Illinois; Union army movements, soldier's life; evacuation of Vicksburg, location of army camps; expedition into Louisiana after a force of rebels; capture of prisoners and army equipment and supplies; a steamboat with bacon for rebel army; desertion of Confederate conscripts; Northern Army diet and foraging for food, game animals and fish; battle at Chattanooga; guarding captured railroad property of Federal Government surrendered by rebels; deaths and casualties among Negro and white troops within Union Army; opinions and feelings for Union army troops regarding use of Negroes, doing duty with them, and Negro suffrage, use of Negro troops with Confederate Army.

Letters from Charles J. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham dating from September 4, 1862 to January 6, 1865; Union Army movements and quality of food, encounter with a band of rebel guerillas, comments on Vicksburg campaign; reenlistment in First Illinois Veteran Volunteer Calvary; deaths and casualties; location of Union Army camps, camp conditions; Christmas and New Year's in Tennessee.

Letters from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, dating from November 16, 1861 to May 29, 1865; soldier's life; preparation for battles; opinions of regiment on election; condition of Union and Confederate troops at Vicksburg, food conditions, attack on Vicksburg by Union troops including the Iowa 9th, failure of attack and beginning of siege, condition of 12th and 46th Illinois, the 3rd Iowa; causalities and deaths; personal thoughts on enlistment of men and women. Death of brother Henry H. on June 13, 1863. Life of Army of the Mississippi; steamers at landing, location of Army camps, surrender of Vicksburg, July 4, 1863, fighting at Black River and condition of Vicksburg. Battles in Georgia: position of troops of 9th Iowa Volunteers in Georgia; deaths and casualties in skirmishes with enemy; Morale of Union Army, capture of prisoners, fortifications of both Armies, rebels entering Union lines, length of time in trenches, exchange of papers and conversation with rebels. Destruction of railroad, location of Union regiment, march to Savannah. Sherman's campaign, mustering of troops, Sherman's Army reviewed by President Johnson and General Grant.

One reel of negative microfilm of Civil War Letters. Positive microfilm copy made Aug. 17, 1970

Letter from C. L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham, dear cousin, re: his travels with a Presiding Elder in the Brethren Church and visit to a church at Rock Island, Illinois.

Letter from Jack Drake to Lavinia Obreham, Camp Herren, (about forty miles from St. Louis, Mo.), re: soldiers' life in Civil War, prisoners of war, raiding parties, etc. of 9th Iowa Volunteers.

Letter from Ed Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Camp Herren, dear sister, life in Civil War.

Letter from Jack Drake to Lavinia Obreham, Camp Herren, re: life in Civil War.

Letter from Ed Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Camp Herren, preparation for battles.

Letter from Charles J. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Union Army Movements.

Letter from Ed Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Helena Arkansas.

Letter from Miss Emaline Knight to my dear friend, Castalia. Personal letter.

Letter from C. L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham. The ague and fever.

Letter from Ed Obreham to Lavinia Obreham. Elections and opinions of regiment.

Letter from Sylvester Roberson to Lavinia Obreham, La Grange, Tennessee. Preparations for battles, army movements, Civil War.

Letter from Ed Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Helena, Arkansas.

Letter from Sylvester Roberson to Lavinia Obreham, Tennessee. Civil War, preparations for battles, army movements.

Letter from C. J. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, New Madrid, Missouri. Army diet.

Letter from C. L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham, Moscow, Tennessee. Army Movements.

Letter from C. L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham, Camp Lafayette, Tennessee. Army life and movements.

Letter from C. J. Obreham to family, New Madrid, Missouri. Encounter with Jeb Thompson's band of guerillas (rebels). "I thing if we whips them at Vicksburg that the war is pretty near over, that is the talk here."

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham, Vicksburg, Missouri. Condition of troops at Vicksburg.

Letter from C. L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham, Memphis Tennessee. Evacuation of Vicksburg, the camp near Vicksburg, army movements.

Letter from C. L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham, Memphis Tennessee. Evacuation of Vicksburg, the camp near Vicksburg, army movements.

Letter from Ed Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Greenville, Mississippi. Camp life, food available.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Yazoo River, Mississippi. Attack on Vicksburg by Federal troops, including the Iowa 9th; failure of attack and beginning of siege, the 12th and 46th of Illinois, 3rd of Iowa, casualties and deaths, personal thoughts on enlistment of men and women.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to sister and parents, Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi. Death of brother, Henry H. on June 13, 1863.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to ____, Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi. Camp life of the Army of the Mississippi, steamers at landing, wounded soldiers.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Camp of the 9th Iowa Volunteers, Vicksburg, Mississippi. Surrender of Vicksburg July 4, 1863, fighting at Black River, condition of Vicksburg.

Letter from Charles J. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Camp near Vicksburg. Enlistment in First Illinois Veteran Volunteer Cavalry to be organized on October 1, 1863.

Letter from Sophia to _____, Palatine, Illinois. A personal letter.

Letter from C. L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham, Camp near Natchez, Mississippi. Expedition into Louisiana after a force of rebels, capture of prisoners, army equipment and supplies, a steamboat loaded with bacon for the rebel army, desertion of Confederate Conscripts, Northern army diet and foraging for food, game animals and fish.

Letter from C. L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham, Camp at Oak Ridge near Vicksburg. Camp conditions, a cavalry camp of 1500 nearby, a force of rebels, news from Grant and Mead, cannonading near Natchez, battle at Chattanooga.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Woodsville, Alabama. Waiting for orders to move, personal letter.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to his mother, Kingston, Georgia. Battles in Georgia, hunting for enemy.

Letter from Charles J. Obreham to his Father, Mother and Sister, New Orleans, Louisiana. Fired by rebels, number of killed and wounded.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Sand Mountain, Georgia. A large force of rebels within one half mile, condition of armyworn, courage of army, taking prisoners, number of men killed and wounded.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to sister, Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia. Position of troops of 9th of Iowa Volunteers, number of wounded and killed in skirmishes with enemy, mailing address of Obreham at Nashville, Tennessee, description of fighting in area.

Letter from C. L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham, Vicksburg, Mississippi. Orders to march at 3:00 am.

Letter from M. M. Beebe to dear cousin. Personal letter.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Camp of the 9th of Iowa Volunteers, Georgia. Position of 9th Iowa, fortifications of union and rebels, hard fighting but no decisive battle, rebels entering union lines, length of time in ditches of 9th Iowa, skirmishes with rebels, exchange of papers with rebels and talking with them, number killed.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Camp of the 9th of Iowa Volunteers. Destruction of a railroad, the regiment one hundred miles from Atlanta, ordered to prepare for long and hard march south of the rebel army toward the coast, payment of troops, expected march to Savannah, Georgia.

Letter from Charles J. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Camp of 46th of Illinois, Louisiana. Position twenty miles above New Orleans, camp conditions, the march from Memphis started by boat, Christmas and New Year's in Tennessee.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Beaufort, South Carolina. Orders to Charleston, S. C., Sherman Campaign, health and food conditions of army, mailing address in N. Y.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Milliken's Bend, Louisiana.. Camped a few miles from Vicksburg opposite mouth of Yazoo River, on a scouting mission.

Letter from C. L. Beebe to Lavinia Obreham, Mobile, Alabama. Guarding government railroad property surrendered by rebels.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Washington, D.C. Mustering of some troops, Sherman's army reviewed by President and General Grant.

Letter from Edwin C. Obreham to Lavinia Obreham, Shreveport, Louisiana. March from Natchatoches, Louisiana four and one half days, one hundred and ten miles; camped with Negroes and doing duty with them, killed and wounded among Negro and White, feelings regarding use of Negro troops and opinions on Negro suffrage by Union Army troops.

Letter from Mary Beebe to sister, Miss Abby W. Beebe, Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa (postcard); Astherville.