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This collection has use restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 8 items |
| Abstract | Calvin Leach was born in 1843 and served as a church clerk in Montgomery County, N.C., before he joined the first North Carolina Infantry Regiment, Confederate States of America, in September 1861. He died near Mechanicsville, Va., in June 1864. The collection includes Calvin Leach's pocket diary, 1861-1864, and five letters, 1863-1867. Note that the first entry in the second volume of the diary is marked 1862 and subsequent entries are marked 1863. Contents indicate, however, that the correct date is 1862 throughout. Most of the diary entries recount daily life in the army and record military activities in Virginia and Maryland, especially at Malvern Hill and Antietam. The first four letters were written by Leach to his mother and his sister Louisa and relate his living conditions and news of other men from his hometown. The 1867 letter was to Leach's father, D.A. Leach, from William Owens and concerns land appraisal. |
| Creator | Leach, Calvin, 1843-1864. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
Calvin Leach was the oldest of the eight children of D.A. and Rebecca Leach of Scottish descent, from Montgomery County, N.C. He was a church clerk at Walnut Grove before he joined Company B of the First North Carolina Infantry Regiment, Confederate States of America, in September 1861. He died in Richmond in 1864.
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Scope and Content
The Calvin Leach diary and letters collection includes the diaries and letters of Civil War soldier Leach during his service with the First North Carolina Infantry Regiment. The three-part pocket diary spans the years 1861 to 1864, and the five letters span the years 1863 to 1867. Most of the writing recounts military life in the army and records military activities. During this time, Leach was chiefly in Maryland and Virginia Note that the first entry in the second volume of the diary is marked 1862 and subsequent entries are marked 1863. Contents indicate, however, that the correct date is 1862 throughout..
The five letters, 1863-1867, are mostly concerned with army life. The first four were written to Leach's mother and his sister Louisa and relate his living conditions and news of other men from his hometown. The final letter, 1867, was written to D. A. Leach from William Owens and concerns a land appraisal.
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Diary and Letters, 1861-1867.
The Calvin Leach diary and letters collection includes the diaries and letters of Civil War soldier Leach during his service with the First North Carolina Infantry Regiment. The three-part pocket diary spans the years 1861 to 1864, and the five letters span the years 1863 to 1867. Most of the writing recounts military life in the army and records military activities. During this time, Leach was in Maryland and Virginia at Mechanicsville, Gaines Mills, Malvern Hill, Gordonsville, Frederic, Boonsboro, Sharpsburg, Winchester, Front Royal, Strasburg, New Market, Fredericksburg, and Orange Court House.
The first diary, July 1861-June 1862, recounts daily events in life in the army. Many of Leach's entries include descriptions of various sermons he has heard. Leach also listed the dead at various battles and wrote about Jefferson Davis's inauguration. At the end of this diary, there is an entry dated 29 June 1864 that tells of Leach's death of a shell wound near Mechanicsville.
In the second diary, July 1862-December 1862, Leach discussed regiment activities and the battles of Malvern Hill and Sharpsburg (Antietam). Note that the first entry is marked 1862 and subsequent entries are marked 1863. Contents indicate, however, that the correct date is 1862 throughout.
In the final diary, February 1863-April 1863, Leach wrote of military activities and also included a few pages of a financial log.
The five letters, 1863-1867, are mostly concerned with army life. The first four were written to Leach's mother and his sister Louisa and relate his living conditions and news of other men from his hometown. The final letter, 1867, was written to D. A. Leach from William Owens and concerns a land appraisal.
Folder 1-3
Folder 1Folder 2Folder 3 |
Diary, 1861-1863 |
| Folder 4 |
Letters, 1863-1867 |
| Reel M-1875/1 |
Microfilm |
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Items Separated
Microfilm (M-1875/1)
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