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Thomas Balch Library
Thomas Balch Library© 2006 By Thomas Balch Library. All rights reserved.
Processed by: Emily Hershman and Stephanie Adams Hunter
Collection open for research
No physical characteristics affect use of this material.
Donohoe Family Collection (SC 0021), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA, Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, Virginia.
1995.0059, 2011.0151
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1995.0059
Original manuscripts held by S. William Livingston.
Processed by Emily Hershman, 16 May 2008. Updated by Stephanie Adams Hunter 26 April 2011
Divided loyalties between antislavery religious groups and local slaveholders persisted throughout the Civil War era in Loudoun County. Soldiers enlisted in regiments on both sides, and opposing cavalry units (the pro-Union Loudoun Rangers and the Confederate 35th Virginia Battalion) were formed. The four eldest sons of Stephen George Donohoe (1809-1915), a Loudoun Justice of the Peace, entered the Confederate Army in 1861 and recounted their experiences during battle in letters to family members. George Augustus Donohoe (1843-1861), who enlisted in the 8th Virginia Infantry, was killed by a gunshot wound at the Battle of Ball's Bluff on October 21st, 1861; Stephen Joseph Donohoe (1841-1864), who served in the 6th Virginia Cavalry, died on May 14, 1864 of wounds received during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House a week earlier (May 7, 1864). John Carroll Donohoe (1838-1921), also a member of the 6th Virginia Cavalry, survived the war and later became a bookkeeper in Baltimore, Maryland. LeGrand Donohoe (1846-1920) served in the 35th Battalion and survived the war, but was bedridden for much of his later life. These four men frequently wrote letters home to their family, often to their aunts Amanda (1815-1901), Ann (1805-1894), and Mary E. Donohoe (1812-1899). The letters were transcribed by archivist Mary Walton Livingston (ca.1900-2007), and the original documents are currently held by her son, S. William Livingston.
The Donohoe Family Collection is comprised of transcriptions of letters to and from various members of the Donohoe family, as well as the last will and testament and obituary of Stephen George Donohoe. Also included is an account of the role of Flora Cook Stuart in caring for Donohoe as he lay dying, written by Robert W. Prichard 12 April 2011. The letters, dating from July 1861 to March 1865, contain notes in the margins made by Mary Walton Livingston, granddaughter of Stephen George Donohoe. The transcripts are in good condition and may be photocopied.
Letters from the soldiers in the collection describe poor food and conditions at camp, fighting in breastworks, injuries and deaths during the Civil War. Battles mentioned include First Manassas (July 1861), Spotsylvania Courthouse (May 1864), Battle of the Wilderness (May 1864), skirmishes with Union troops near Petersburg, Virginia (July 1864), and skirmishes between White's 35th Battalion and the Loudoun Rangers. Family members write with local news and express concern for those serving.
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Original manuscripts held by S. William Livingston
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