Alfred S. Roe Report
Scope and Content
This 1865 report by Alfred S. Roe details his experience as a prisoner of war (POW) during the American Civil War. The document is a questionnaire from the Office of War Prisoners' Division of the New York Bureau of Military Record. The first section asks numerous questions about Roe's capture and general experience as a Union POW in Confederate prisons, primarily at Danville, Virginia. The second section contains a letter from Roe addressed to Colonel A. J. H. Duganne, Historian of U. S. Prisoners of War for the Office of War Prisoners' Division. In this letter, Roe goes into more detail about the treatment and conditions that he and the other POWs faced during their confinement.
The collection also includes a transcription of the letter.
Dates
- 1865
Creator
Language of Materials
The materials in this collection are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for 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
Alfred Seelye Roe was born to Rev. Austin Marinus Roe and Polly Catherine Seeyle on June 8, 1844, in Rose, Wayne County, New York. Roe was a school teacher when the American Civil War broke out. He enlisted on January 21, 1864, as a private in Company A, 9th New York Heavy Artillery, in the Union Army. On July 15, 1864, he was captured and held as a prisoner of war, primarily at Danville, Virginia, until February 1865. He transferred to Company L of the 2nd New York Heavy Artillery on June 27, 1865.
Following the war, Roe graduated from Wesleyan University in 1870 and returned to teaching, eventually becoming a high school principal in Massachusetts. He served in the Massachusetts Legislature from 1892 to 1898. Roe also wrote and published on history topics.
Roe married Nora Ardelia Metcalf (1856-1910) on June 22, 1874, and they had four children. He passed away on January 6, 1917, in Worcester.
Source:
U. S. Federal Census, 1850-1910
"Alfred Seelye Roe", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/101366456/roe, accessed February 17, 2025.
"Alfred Seelye Roe" in the U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1555/records/3157475, accessed February 17, 2025.
Alfred Seelye Roe, The Ninth New York Heavy Artillery, Worcester, Mass.: Published by the Author, 1899, pp. 432-434, available online from Google Books at https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Ninth_New_York_Heavy_Artillery/waXJe-MEzXgC, accessed February 17, 2025.
Alfred S. Roe Civil War papers, 1862-1865, 1891-1892, Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA, https://archives.wesleyan.edu/repositories/2/resources/44, accessed February 17, 2025.
Alfred Seelye Roe Papers, Worcester Historical Museum Archives, Worcester, Massachusetts, https://worcesterhistorical.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/roe-alfred-seelye-papers-1978.52.5.pdf, accessed February 17, 2025.
Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
This 1865 report by Alfred Seelye Roe (1844-1917) details his experience as a prisoner of war (POW) during the American Civil War. The document is a questionnaire from the Office of War Prisoners' Division of the New York Bureau of Military Record. Roe discusses his capture and general experience as a Union POW in Confederate prisons, primarily at Danville, Virginia. Roe served in Company A, 9th New York Heavy Artillery, in the Union Army and following the war was a school teacher, principal, historian, and state legislator in Massachusetts.
Source of Acquisition
The Alfred S. Roe Report was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in September 2017.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Alfred S. Roe Report 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, arrangement, and description of the Alfred S. Roe Report was completed in September 2023.
- Title
- Alfred S. Roe Report, 1865
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Tyler Williams, Student Assistant, and LM Rozema, Archivist
- Date
- 2023 (CC0 1.0)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
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