Memoir, ca. 1864
Scope and Content
This collection contains three items relating to Sergeant Edwin R. "Ned" Coghill of Company E ("Caroline Greys"), 30th Virginia Infantry of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. The collection includes Coghill's war memoir and a roster of Company E soldiers, as well as a 1970 booklet commemorating a memorial service for General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, held at Bethel Baptist Church (Caroline County, Virginia).
Identified on its first page as a diary, Coghill's account of events seems instead to be recollected from memory. (Because the account ceases with mid-May 1864, however, it seems likely that Coghill may have been summarizing his experiences to that point.) Beginning with the march to Manassas Junction, Coghill details the movements of his regiment. He describes battles between artillery emplacements and gunboats on the Potomac River near Evansport and briefly notes the battles at Harpers Ferry and Antietam, recording the deaths of a number of comrades. Coghill mentions attending the funeral service for General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson at Bethel Baptist Church. (Held sometime between May 15 and June 3, 1863, the service was instead more likely one of the first of many memorial services held for Jackson throughout the South.) The memoir also contains a list of the company's members present at the surrender of forces at Appomattox and lists of Company E soldiers who were killed in battle or died of wounds and disease. The memoir concludes with a handwritten copy of Robert E. Lee's farewell address to the Army of Northern Virginia. The accompanying roster of the Caroline Greys, compiled after the war, lists names, ranks, and notes on deaths, wounds, imprisonments, promotions, and transfers.
Also contained in the collection is a 1970 booklet commemorating the 1863 funeral of General Thomas J. Jackson at Bethel Baptist Church. The booklet contains information on Jackson's death, photos of Edwin R. Coghill and some of his descendants, and a complete transcript of Coghill's memoir.
Dates
- ca. 1864
Creator
- From the Collection: Coghill, Edwin R., 1842-1925 (Person)
Language of Materials
The materials in the collection are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 0.2 Cubic Feet (1 box, 1 oversize folder)
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu