Robert C. Caldwell Collection

The Robert C. Caldwell Collection at East Carolina University offers an interesting perspective on life in the South during the Civil War. The collection consists primarily of Robert Caldwell’s letters to his wife between August 1863 and February 1865. He served with the 10th Battalion North Carolina Heavy Artillery, which remained in eastern North Carolina until they were sent to Georgia November 1864. Caldwell owned slaves, but by June 1864 he hoped that “this cruel war” would end and “let…Soldiers return home to our love ones in pece [sic].” In addition, this collection includes several letters from members of his extended family – Private Amzi Harris, who served in the 9th Mississippi Volunteer Regiment, wrote two letters in late 1861 that described Confederate operations in Florida. Mary W. Driskill, who lived on a farm in Georgia with her daughter, explained the hardships she faced while her husband served in the army.