Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Charles H. Gray Letter, Ms1989-028, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Charles H. Gray Letter was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 1989.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Charles H. Gray Letter commenced and was completed in January 2022.

Biographical Note

Charles H. Gray, son of Frederick and Nancy Ann Chamberlain Gray, was born in Ohio on Februrary 10, 1840. The 1860 federal census lists him living in the Miami County, Ohio home of his parents and working as a teacher. On June 3, 1861, Gray enlisted in Company C, 4th Ohio Infantry; he was promoted to corporal on October 1, 1862. Gray sustained injuries while falling from a railroad car near Washington, D. C. and died soon afterward of typhoid at Harpers Ferry, (West) Virginia on November 23, 1862. He was buried in Fletcher Cemetery, Fletcher (Miami County), Ohio.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a single, 10-page letter from Charles H. Gray, of Company C, 4th Ohio Infantry during the American Civil War. Written to Gray's brother from Beverly, Virginia (now West Virginia) on patriotic stationery, the letter describes Gray's part in the recent Union advance on Beverly, Virginia (now West Virginia), and a report on the Battle of Rich Mountain. The letter was written over a period of two days (July 13-14, 1861) and provides a summary of the regiment's movements and battle engagements over the preceding few weeks from Clarksburg to Huttonsville and on to Cheat Mountain. He describes the hardships endured in camp, march, and battle but concludes "we are now repaid for all," as "[t]he secessionist[s] are all cleaned out of Western Virginia."

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Charles H. Gray Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).