William Tell Cobb Papers, 1802-1965

By Kathy Feeney

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Collection Overview

Title: William Tell Cobb Papers, 1802-1965

ID: Mss. 98 C63

Creator: Cobb, William Tell (1840-1913)

Extent: 0.5 Cubic Feet. More info below.

Arrangement: Organization: This collection is organized into 3 series. Series 1 contains letters and typescripts; Series 2 contains miscellaneous material; and Series 3 contains transcripts. Arrangement: This collection is arranged into series by item description and then by chronologically by date.

Date Acquired: 07/01/1993

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Letters of William Tell Cobb (1840-1913), of Mauricetown, New Jersey, and his brother, Edwin Cobb (b. 1838), also of Mauricetown, New Jersey. William Cobb participated in the battles of Fair Oaks and 2nd Manassas while in the Army, and the battle of Fort Fisher while in the Navy; he describes these battles in his letters. Edwin Cobb provides an eyewitness account of the battle between the "Monitor" and the "Merrimac". Other topics dealt with in the letters are camp conditions and everyday life in the Army and Navy, interaction between Union and Confederate soldiers, and the financial difficulties faced by William Tell Cobb and his family during the war. The collection also includes a photo of William Tell Cobb, his copy of "The Soldier's Guide" and a collection of typescripts of the letters

Biographical Note

William Tell Cobb (1840-1913) served in the Union Army during the Civil War, as a private in the 20th Pennsylvania Infantry, an orderly sergeant in Company F, 5th Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers from 1861- 1862, and as a private in Company B, 2nd U.S. Cavalry from 1862-1864. He also served in the U.S. Navy as an ordinary seaman on the ships Allegheny, Daylight, Shenandoah, and Princeton from 1864-1865.

Edwin Cobb (b. 1838), younger brother of William Tell Cobb, served in the U.S. Navy as well, as a 1st Lieutenant on the ship C. W. Holmesin 1862. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/William Tell Cobb.

Administrative Information

Alternate Extent Statement: 188 items

Access Restrictions: Collection is open to all researchers.

Use Restrictions: Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Manuscripts and Rare Books Librarian, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Acquisition Source: Ralph Poriss

Acquisition Method: Acc. No. 1993.45A; Purchased: 188 items, 7/01/1993. (Same as 98 C63).

Related Publications: Ludwick, Michael P. "Your most obedient son,": The Civil War Letters Of William Tell Cobb." 1995. Master Thesis, Swem Library, College of William and Mary. Call Number: LD6051 .W5m Hist., 1995, L83.

Preferred Citation: William Tell Cobb Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Processing Information: Processed by Kathy Feeney in 1998.

Other URL: http://vip.lib.virginia.edu:8080/cocoon/vivaead/published/wm/viw00070.xml.frame

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Folder:

[Folder 1: Letters, 2 [March] 1802-23 December 1861. 33 items. ALSs. Including Tss of ALSs.],
[Folder 2: Letters, 4 January 1862-28 December 1862. 73 items.ALSs. Including Tss of ALSs.],
[Folder 3: Letters, 6 February 1863-15 December 1863. 29 items.ALSs. Including Tss of ALSs.],
[Folder 4: Letters, 1 January [1864]-25 April 1865. 46 items.ALSs. Including Tss of ALSs.],
[Folder 5: Miscellaneous items relating to William Tell Cobb, including an envelope, a soldier's manual, a photograph, and negatives (4 items)],
[Folder 6: Transcripts of letters written by William Tell Cobb and his brother, Edwin Cobb, during the Civil War Including copy of transcripts on computer disk and information about a photo of William Tell Cobb. (3 items)],
[All]

Folder 1: Letters, 2 [March] 1802-23 December 1861. 33 items. ALSs. Including Tss of ALSs.: Mostly from William Tell Cobb, a soldier in the Union Army, to his father, Samuel Cobb of Mauncetown, New Jersey. Letters describe Union camp conditions and skirmishes with Confederate troops in Virginia and West Virginia. There are 12 letters included, each with typescripts.