Call Number:

C1213

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 1 box
• 0.2 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); George Roden Civil War Letters to His Family, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1861-1864 (inclusive)

Creator:

Roden, George, b. 1841.

Form:

Letters -- 19th century.

Abstract:

Consists of twenty-eight letters sent by George Roden, Jr., while he was on tour during the American Civil War, to his family in Newark, New Jersey.

The son of English immigrants who settled in Newark, N.J., George Roden enlisted at age twenty-one as a 1st Sergeant in Company K, 2nd New Jersey Infantry, a regiment in Gen. Phillip Kearny's 1st Brigade. Stationed in northern Virginia during its active service in the Civil War, the 2nd New Jersey infantry was involved in several important engagements, including the Union defeat at Blackburn's Ford in June 1861, and as a reserve regiment in the First Battle of Bull Run (or Manasas) on 21 July 1861, which was the first major land battle of the war. Roden left the service on 21 June 1864.

The collection consists of twenty-eight letters by George Roden, Jr., addressed to his family in Newark, N.J., dating from 28 August 1861 to 13 May 1864 and posted from different camps or battlegrounds in Virginia where his company in the 2nd New Jersey Infantry was stationed, such as Fair Oaks and Fairfax. The letters provide a valuable record of military life during the American Civil War by a soldier in the Union Army. George Roden, namesake of his father, addresses his parents as "Dear folks at home"; other letters are specifically addressed to his mother, to his brother, Hugh, or to his sisters, Lizzie, Rachel, and Agnes. In addition to providing detailed accounts about the movements of the "Rebels," Roden writes about battles he participated in, his superiors in the army, namely Gen. George B. McClellan, Gen. Phillip Kearney, and Capt. John Taylor; and about the scenery in different areas where he was stationed. He also writes about sending or receiving items or money from his family. A letter dated 26 January 1863 includes a small pen-and-ink drawing by Roden.

The letters are arranged chronologically.