R. Buckley Letter
Scope and Content
This collection consists of a single letter from Union soldier R. Buckley, writing from Rock Island to his mother and wife. The writer is likely Ralph Buckley of the 197th Pennsylvania Infantry. Buckley writes briefly of personal matters, health, and weather and is happy to report that the health of his regiment is improving: "I have not a man that is dangeriously ill ..." He notes that the regiment has had two deaths and that he will enclose papers for Mr. Evans so that he can collect the pay due his son. The closing passage suggests that Buckley will soon be returning home: "Now Sally in about three weeks you will be enciously looking to heare of your humbug being on his way to Phila, it is not long to keep up Salley, by increased affection we will pay up for our separation ..."
Dates
- 1864
Creator
- Buckley, Ralph, 1830-1895 (Person)
Language of Materials
The materials in the collection are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Biographical Note
Apart from the signature, this letter contains no information to identify the writer. The writer addresses "Sally" within the contents so that seems to have been the name of his wife. Elsewhere the contents seem to suggest that the writer will soon return home to Philadelphia.
The writer may have been Ralph Buckley, born in England on January 31, 1830. As a young man, Buckley immigrated to the United States. He married Sarah Bowden (1824-1884), and the couple lived in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where Buckley worked as a tinsmith. On June 27, 1863, he joined Company F, 29th Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia (Emergency) as first lieutenant. Later in 1863, he joined Company B of the 124th Pennsylvania Infantry as a second lieutenant, then was promoted to first lieutenant. On July 8, 1864, Buckley enrolled as captain of the 197th Pennsylvania Infantry, a 100-day regiment. Ralph Buckley died on October 11, 1895, and was buried in Middletown Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Elwyn.
Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
Letter from Union Army Captain R. Buckley, written to wife and mother from Rock Island, Illinois, where Buckley's regiment was engaged in guarding prisoners at a prisoner-of-war camp.
Source of Acquisition
The R. Buckley Letter was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1989.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the R. Buckley Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).
Processing Information
The processing and description of the R. Buckley Letter commenced and was completed in January 2022.
- Title
- R. Buckley Letter, 1864
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- John M. Jackson
- Date
- 2022 (CC0 1.0)
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2020-08-31: Finding aid notes updated to new department standards. juliags
- 2021-04-29: LM Rozema added missing notes for an unprocessed collection (abstract, source, processing, bio note), updated agent, added FA title, added FA date from EAD, and added component with instances previously attached to collection level.
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