May 2026 CVBT History Wire – It Becomes My Painful Duty to Inform You: Condolence Letters & Obituaries from Civil War Soldiers in Central Virginia – Part II
CVBT History Wire – It Becomes My Painful Duty to Inform You: Condolence Letters & Obituaries from Civil War Soldiers in Central Virginia – Part II
The May 2026 “CVBT History Wire” examines several condolence letters and obituaries about soldiers who fought at the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House.
Read Here: It Becomes My Painful Duty to Inform You: Condolence Letters & Obituaries from Civil War Soldiers in Central Virginia – Part II
One Civil War issue that would make for a good article or podcast is the notices in local newspapers on casualties in recent battles. Some came from official government reports, others came when, as was so common, an entire company came from one town or neighborhood, and after a fight a Sergeant or Captain or Major would write a letter to the local paper detailing the killed and wounded, and often exactly how they met their fate.