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Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], William Henry Ruse Correspondence, Ms1989-068 , Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The William Henry Ruse Correspondence was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1989.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the William Henry Ruse Correspondence commenced and was completed in February 2022.

Biographical Note

William Henry Ruse, son of David and Catharine Ruse, was born in Virginia, February 12, 1841. By 1860, he was living with his family in Adams (Muskingum County), Ohio. Ruse enlisted in Company E, 97th Ohio Infantry on July 31, 1862, for three years' service. On April 10, 1864, he transferred to Company I, 11th Regiment, Veteran Reserve Corps. He mustered out of the service at Albany, New York on June 29, 1865. Ruse married Margaret "Maggie" Stewart (1840-1914) in Muskingum County, Ohio on November 16, 1866; the couple would have seven children. The 1870 and 1880 federal censuses show the Ruses living and farming in Muskingum County. By 1900, the family had moved to Stark County, Ohio, where William Ruse was employed as a coal teamster. William Henry Ruse died in Canton (Stark County), Ohio on September 6, 1912, and was buried in West Lawn Cemetery, Canton.

Scope and Content

This collection contains four letters written by William Henry Ruse, a private in Company E, 97th Ohio Infantry and Company I, 11th Regiment, Veteran Reserve Corps. Written between 1863 and 1865, the letters are all addressed to "Maggie" (Margaret "Maggie" Stewart). The first three letters were written from a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. On March 16, 1863, Ruse relates the contents of a recent dream of the war's end, then conveys news of mutual acquaintances and discusses the recent photograph taken of him. He notes that "I never see any ladies worth a cent and what I do see are all Rebels. I do think that Rebel women are worse than armed Rebels themselves!" In his letter of May 7, 1863, Ruse discusses his feelings for Maggie and the recent discharge of Maggie's brother, Nixon Stewart. Ruse writes of "Heaven, Home, and Mother" on November 1, 1863, and notes that he has been preparing the payroll. In the final letter, written from the headquarters of the 11th Veterans Reserves at Point Lookout, Maryland Ruse looks forward to his discharge and puts to rest Maggie's fear that he has fallen in love with a woman in Cincinnati, then praises the work of the Christian Commission. Accompanying the letters are a lock of hair and an envelope addressed to Maggie Stwart in Adamsville, Ohio.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

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

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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