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.

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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], Captain Isaiah A. Welch Correspondence, Ms2009-094, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Captain Isaiah A. Welch Correspondence was purchased by Special Collections in 2009.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Captain Isaiah A. Welch Corrrespondence commenced and was completed in June 2009.

Biographical Note

While Captain Isaiah A. Welch's tombstone in Bramwell, West Virginia, marks his birth as March 3, 1823, it is more probably that he was born in 1829. Welch was born in Doddridge County, Virginia–now part of West Virginia. He worked as a civil engineer before and after the American Civil War. During the war, he served on the field staff as Assistant Quartermaster for the 13 th Battalion, Virginia Light Artillery. Welch's most enduring legacy, however, may be his work in the West Virginia coal fields. He died in 1902. The town of Welch, West Virginia, is named after him.

Captain Cripsin Dickenson (Dickerson) was born on December 6, 1832 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Dickenson, a physician, and his wife, Mary C. (Catherine), had three sons: Charles T. (b. abt. 1856), Daniel C. (b. abt.1857), and John C. (b. abt.1859). Dickenson enlisted with the Confederate Army in Company B ("Ringgold" Battery), 13 th Battalion, Virginia Light Artillery. A 1 st Lieutenant at the time of his enlistment in 1862, he was promoted to Captain only a year later. On April 9, 1865, Dickenson surrendered his regiment at Appomattox Court House. From 1885 to 1887, he served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.

Richard T. "Dick" Miller (b. 1842) served in the 18 th Regiment, Virginia Infantry, before being transferred to the 13 th Battalion, Virginia Light Artillery, where he became Quartermaster Sergeant in the "Ringgold" Battery. After his capture at Petersburg, Miller was a prisoner at Point Lookout from April 4-June 16, 1865. Following the war, he worked as a laborer.

Scope and Content

The collection contains a letter from Captain Isaiah A. Welch to his former fellow American Civil War officer, Crispin Dickenson. Welch's intention was to "renew the friendly relations which our contact and association during two or three years of hardships and common suffering begot..." The letter also depicts some of the post-war difficulties of Confederate soldiers, particularly in Welch's portrayal of Richard Miller's circumstances. The collection also contains a handwritten shopping list.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

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

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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