WILLIAM FRANCIS BRAND CIVIL WAR LETTERS

WILLIAM FRANCIS BRAND CIVIL WAR LETTERS

This collection, 1856 (1857-1866) 1959, ca. 134 items, chiefly consists of Civil War letters written by Confederate Soldier William Francis Brand (1840-1936), Augusta County, Virginia, to Amanda Catherine Armentrout, his future wife and a Greenville, Augusta County resident. Brand was a private in Company E (the Augusta Grays), 5th Virginia Regiment, Stonewall Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia.

In an effort to make these transcripts true to the original and easy to read:

1. When there is no punctuation in the document, it is added in brackets if needed for clarity.

2. The notation [sic] is used to indicate a misspelled word if needed for clarity.

3. A blank space, i.e. ________ indicates a word in the document that is not dicipherable.

4. The capitalization style in the original document is copied.

5. Square brackets, i.e. [ ] are used to indicate an addition by the transcriber to clarify meaning in the original document.

6. Underlining in the original document is repeated in the transcript.

7. An attempt is made to keep editing to a minimum to preserve the often unique character of the original.

-Mary D. Edwards Summer 2000

1859-1866, 1867 & 1871-1874 37 items Correspondence of Amanda C. Armantrout Brand

Seed Farm Westmoreland Co[.] Va[.]

Sept. 2 1866

My Dear Sister Kate

Again I attempt to write you a few lines - with the earnest hope that I may soon hear something from you[.] it has now been nearly four months since I have heard one word from you - so long & anxiously have looked for a letter from you that I have all most dispaired[sic] of ever hearing from you again. I often fear that something serious has happened or that is possible that I am now writing to the dead - I truly hope & pray that the sad thought is in correct[.] you know not my dear friend what anxiety of mind I have experienced, since you have been so long silent. I have had all sort of imaginations but can come to no conclusion - I earnestly hope now to hear from you & have all fully explained - or if I have lost my Dear friend Kate. & this letter is read by her dear parrents [sic][,] any surviving friend that they will speedily favour me with a letter - that would bear to me sad sad news,, for not withstanding we are come positively strangers you have always, since our earliest correspondence felt to me like a Sister - The Christian like Character of your correspondences is so characteristic of one who is a true Child of God - that it had drawn out my fondest attachments - for you as such - I ____ not write much more - if you are yet alive - (& God grant you might be) please answer at the earliest opportunity with a continuation of my imperfect prayer for your preservation[.] I will impatiently await tidings from you

Your constant friend

Robt. B. Spilman

P.S. Address

Oak Grove

Westmoreland

Co,,

Va,,

[Attached to this letter is an envelope addressed to "Miss Kate Armentrout , ______ Farm, Augusta County, Va.