Abby E. Stafford papers, 1859-1866

Civil War letters, largely by Samuel McKinney Stafford to his sister Abby Stafford, and to other members of his family. Topics include military events and army generals in Missouri and Arkansas; depredations by Union troops; Confederate guerilla activity; immorality of troops; profiteering by officers; contrabands; illness; a hospital in Keokuk, Iowa; Sherman's advance through Georgia and the capture of Fort McAllister on the Ogeechee River; the condition of former Federal prisoners at Vicksburg, including survivors of Andersonville; the wartime growth of Cairo, Ill., and Memphis, Tenn.; and the decline of Vicksburg. Units mentioned are the 16th Ohio Independent Battery of Light Artillery and the 47th Regiment of Illinois Infantry Volunteers.