William Wilberforce Douglas Papers, (1861-1863)
(Manuscript Collection #1192)
Descriptive Summary
| Title: | William Wilberforce Douglas Papers |
| Creators: |
Douglas, Sarah Sawyer
Douglas, William Wilberforce, 1841-1929 |
| Repository: | ECU Manuscript Collection |
| Languages: | English |
| Abstract: | Collection consists of a volume containing handwritten copies of twenty-two letters (December 30, 1861-September 16, 1862; April 1863) written by Lieutenant (then Captain) William Wilberforce Douglas (1841-1929) of Providence, Rhode Island, while he was in the Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers and serving in General Ambrose Burnside’s Expeditionary Corps in North Carolina. He wrote these letters to family and friends and his mother, Sarah Sawyer Douglas, copied them into this journal contemporaneously. His letters document the battles of Roanoke Island and New Bern and the siege and surrender of Fort Macon. He also describes his surroundings in North Carolina and the people (both white and African-American). Glued into the back of the journal are newspaper clippings that appear to be accounts written by Douglas of his exploits in the war. |
| Extent: | 0.015 Cubic feet, 1 box, consisting of correspondence copied into a journal |
Administrative Information
Accessions Information
February 2, 2012, (unprocessed) 0.015 cubic feet, 1 item; Collection consists of a volume containing twenty-two letters (December 30, 1861-September 16, 1862; April 1863) copied from the originals into this journal contemporaneously. Lieutenant (later Captain) William Wilberforce Douglas (1841-1929) wrote these letters to family members while he was in the Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers and serving in General Ambrose Burnside’s Expeditionary Corps in North Carolina. His mother, Sarah Sawyer Douglas, copied the letters into this journal. His letters document the battles of Roanoke Island and New Bern and the siege and surrender of Fort Macon. He also describes his surroundings in North Carolina and the people (both white and African-American). Glued into the back of the journal are newspaper clippings that appear to be accounts written by Douglas of his exploits in the war; and 10 pages of “Lectures in Chemistry” by Professor G. J. Chase written down by Douglas’s sister Sarah. Donor: Purchase (Special Manuscript Fund) from Carmen D. Valentino, Rare Books & Manuscripts.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions
Copyright Notice
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
Preferred Citation
William Wilberforce Douglas Papers (#1192), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Acquisition Information
- Purchase (Special Manuscript Fund) from Carmen D. Valentino, Rare Books & Manuscripts.
Biographical / Historical Note
William Wilberforce Douglas (November 26, 1841-1929) was the son of Rev. William Douglas and Sarah Sawyer Douglas of Providence, Rhode Island. He enlisted in the Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers during the American Civil War and rose to captain while serving for three years in Union General Ambrose Burnsides' Expeditionary Corps in North Carolina. After his military service ended, he returned to Providence, Rhode Island, and received a law degree in 1866 and served in the Rhode Island General Assembly for two terms starting in 1871. He also served in the Providence city council (1873-1876), was elected state senator in 1890 and became an associate justice of the state supreme court in 1891 and was chief justice for the years 1905-1908. On June 30, 1884, he married Anna Jean Bennett of Newton, Massachusetts. Source: National Cyclopedia of American Biography (Vol. 14, p. 214).
