Levi Hines papers, ca. 1839-1864
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
- The collection is open for research.
Summary
- Creator:
- Hines family
- Abstract:
- Levi Hines enlisted as a private in the 11th Vermont Infantry (later converted to the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery) on December 10th, 1862. Seventy of the letters in this collection were written by Hines to his sister Maria, his brother Chester, and parents or other relatives while he was in the service. The remainder of the collection consists of letters from relatives to Hines, with the majority coming from Maria (8 letters), John (5), Chester (4), brother Joseph (7) and E.C. Fisk, who served with Hines in the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery.
- Extent:
- 113 items
- Language:
- English
- Sponsor:
- James S. Schoff Civil War Collection
- Authors:
- Collection processed and finding aid created by Rob S. Cox, June 1994
Background
- Scope and Content:
-
Levi Hines' letters are intimate in nature and provide access to an individual soldier's personal feelings. Seventy of the letters in this collection were written by Hines to his sister Maria, his brother Chester, and parents or other relatives while he was in the service. The remainder of the collection consists of letters from relatives to Hines, with the majority coming from Maria (9 letters), John (5), Chester (5), brother Joseph (7) and E.C. Fisk, who served with Hines in the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery.
A notable letter in the collection is Hines' account of seeing Lincoln and his entourage in Washington. Hines writes that Lincoln "is a much better looking man than I I [sic] expected to see... There is something in his Eye and in his physiognomy, that denotes firmness decision impressing one with an idea that when he had once taken his course he would not be easily swayed from it..." (1863 August 7-15). Hines also provides an account of the raising of the statue of the Goddess of Liberty on top of the Capitol Building, an occasion upon which he fired the fourth of seven shots in celebration. In the garrison, he recounts the story of a scam run in camp by three men of Company K who bought watches on credit and then deserted (1864 March 4). Another letter includes a humorous account of lice infestation (1864 March 5). Other noteworthy subjects include: Hines' thoughts of home while looking at the night sky (1862 October), his feelings regarding the lines of graves of soldiers who died of disease, and his comments on guard duty or fetching water for the regiment.
Hines' four letters from the field were written while in the trenches at Cold Harbor and Petersburg. He writes of how soldiers become inured to the violence surrounding them and the constant crash of shells and whistling of shot over head. These letters afford insight into one soldier's reactions to intense conflict.
- Biographical / Historical:
-
Hines, Levi
Rank: Private
Regiment: 11th Vermont Infantry Regiment. Co. A (1862)/1st Vermont Heavy Artillery Regiment Co. A (1862-1865)
Service: 1862 September 1-1864 October 13
Levi Hines was born in South Hardwick, Vermont. He enlisted as a private in the 11th Vermont Infantry (later converted to the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery) on December 10th, 1862. The 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery mustered into service at Camp Bradley in Brattleboro, Vermont. The 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery was soon re-assigned to the ring of forts surrounding Washington, D.C. and performed garrison duty at Fort Lincoln (September-November 1862), Fort Totten (November 1862-March 1864) and Fort Slemmer (March-May 1864). During this time period, not one member of the regiment fired a weapon against the enemy. Throughout the long period of garrison duty, Hines longed for the chance to do his duty in active fighting, to help settle the war quickly and finally.
However, at the end of May 1864 the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery was ordered from Fort Slemmer into one of the fiercest contests of the war, Cold Harbor. Stationed in the middle of the Union lines near Gaines' Mill and the town of Cold Harbor, the regiment served as infantry and sustained significant casualties. After the battle at Cold Harbor, the regiment was immediately sent to Petersburg. On June 23rd, during the Union attempt to regain ground at Weldon Railroad, Hines was taken as a prisoner of war. Sent to Lynchburg and then Andersonville, he managed to survive until being sent to the camp hospital with diarrhea. He died in the hospital on October 13th, 1864.
- Acquisition Information:
- M-2438, M-2946, M-6080.
- Rules or Conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Related
- Additional Descriptive Data:
-
Subject Index
Absence without leave. - 1862 September 3
Balls (Parties) - 1863 November 30-December 8
Brothers. - 1863 November 7
Brothers--Death. - 1865 January 4
Camps (Military)--District of Columbia. - 1863 October 11-15
- 1864 May 10
Caps. - 1862 October 23
- 1862 December 18-19
Cemeteries--District of Columbia. - 1863 February 1-6
- 1863 May 3-8
Civilians--Virginia--Civil War, 1861-1865. - 1862 October 10
Cold Harbor, Battle of, 1864. - 1864 June 4
- 1864 June 5
- 1864 June 12
Conduct of life. - n.d.
Cookery (Beans) - 1864 March 5
Cookery, Military. - 1862 September 21
Courtship--Vermont. - 1862 September 30
Death. - [1860] September 9
- 1863 February 1-6
- 1863 August 7-15
Deserters, Military. - 1864 February 25-March 4
- 1864 March 4
Dodge, Augusta A. - 1863 October 3-4
Draft Riot, New York, N.Y., 1863. - 1863 July 15-17
Draftees. - 1863 August 16-17
- 1864 February 13
Draft--Vermont. - 1863 August 2
- 1863 August 16-17
- 1863 October 25
Drill and minor tactics. - 1863 June 22-23
- 1864 February 19
Duty. - 1864 May 10
Emancipation Proclamation. - 1862 September 26
Firearms. - 1863 August 7-15
Food. - 1862 October 2
- 1863 November 7
- 1864 January 25
- 1864 June 12
Fort Lincoln (D.C.) - 1862 September 21
Fort Slemmer (D.C.) - 1864 May 10
Fraud. - 1864 March 4
Garrison duty--District of Columbia. - 1863 January 19
- 1864 January 25
- 1864 April 19-21
Glory. - 1864 May 10
Guard duty--District of Columbia. - 1862 September 18
- 1863 May 19-21
- 1863 September 23
- 1863 December 29-1864 January 11
Happiness. - n.d.
Hines, Levi, ca.1839-1864. - 1865 January 4
Jaundice. - 1862 November 22
Lice. - 1864 March 5
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865. - 1863 August 7-15
Malingering. - 1864 February 25-March 4
Marches--Virginia. - 1864 June 18
Mortars. - 1863 June 22-23
Mothers--Death. - [1860] September 9
Patriotism. - 1863 September 8-12
- 1864 May 10
Petersburg (Va.)--History--Siege, 1864. - 1864 June 18
Picket duty--District of Columbia. - 1863 February 22-26
- 1863 February 26
Popcorn. - 1863 March 27-28
Prices--Vermont. - 1862 September 5
Prisoners of War. - 1863 October 6-7
- 1864 July 29
Promiscuity. - 1864 April 23
Prostitution. - 1863 May 3
Sabbath. - 1863 October 11-15
- 1864 June 12
Sexual ethics. - 1863 May 3
Slavery. - 1862 September 26
- 1862 November 16
- 1864 May 10
- n.d.
Smallpox. - 1863 March 8-11
- 1863 May 3-8
Soldiers. - 1863 December 29-1864 January 11
Soldiers--Alcohol use. - 1862 October 2
Soldiers--Death. - 1864 June 12
Target practice. - 1863 June 22-23
- 1864 March 5
Temperance. - 1862 November 16
Thanksgiving day. - 1863 November 27
United States. Army--Barracks and quarters. - 1863 November 30-December 8
United States. Army--Chaplains. - 1862 September 21
United States. Army--Inspection. - 1863 October 27-29
United States. Army--Invalid Corps. - 1864 February 1
United States. Army--Leaves and furloughs. - 1864 April 10
United States. Army--Officers. - 1863 June 22-23
United States. Army--Reenlistment. - 1864 April 19-21
United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.) - 1863 November 30-December 8
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Health aspects. - 1863 February 1-6
- 1864 January 25
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Hospitals. - 1863 August 3
- 1863 August 7-15
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical care. - 1863 April 15
Vice. - 1863 May 3
War--Psychological aspects. - 1864 June 12
Whiskey. - 1863 August 24
Women. - 1863 August 16-17
Women--District of Columbia. - 1862 September 28
Youth. - n.d.
Subjects
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Contents
Using These Materials
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
The collection is open for research.
- USE & PERMISSIONS:
-
Copyright status is unknown.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Levi Hines Papers, James S. Schoff Civil War Collection, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan