Title: William Wilberforce Douglas letters

Identifier: 1192-b1-fa   (https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/22698)

Description: Twenty-two letters (December 30, 1861-September 16, 1862; April 1863), written by William Wilberforce Douglas to his family members, are accounts of the exploits of the Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers, and General Burnside’s Expeditionary Corps during the Civil War. The letters are copied from their original form into a single journal by Douglas’ mother, Sarah Sawyer Douglas. Many of the letters are only excerpts from the originals. Douglas discusses many different topics including war exploits, religion, family matters, and military life. Each letter is dated with the current location of the regiment. See link to Finding Aid for a more detailed record of what Douglas documents in his letters. The journal also includes newspaper clippings re-printed from a personal journal, thought to be written by William W. Douglas. Additionally, William Douglas’ sister, Sarah, used the last few pages of the journal to take notes on a Chemistry lecture she attended from Professor G. J. Chase.