Civil War Manuscripts Project
Alphabetical Name List K - L

by K. Nolin, M.L.I.S., Assistant Library Director

Internet Design and Implementation, Stephen Yearl, Digital Resource Administrator

A-B || C || D || E-F || G-H || I-J || K-L || M-N || O-P || Q-R || S-T || U-V || W-X || Y-Z
Index of Names || Index of Regiments || Index by Residence
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K

Kelley, Michael

Papers which detail Kelley’s service as a substitute for Leverett Brainard. Brainard paid William H. Green, substitute broker, the sum of $625.00 to furnish a substitute. Kelley was paid $350.00. Also included is Brainard’s certificate of exemption for having furnished a substitute and an agreement between Brainard and Kelley which states Kelley was from Eastford. Among the papers is a form of assent from Kelley’s father, William, allowing his son to serve as a substitute. Kelley enlisted at Hartford on 15 September 1862 and was mustered-in a Private, Company I, 22nd Connecticut Infantry. He was mustered-out of this nine-months unit on 7 July 1863. He reenlisted at Wethersfield and was mustered-in a Private, Company C, 8th Connecticut Infantry, on 3 September 1863. He was captured on 16 May 1864 at City Point, VA. There is no further official record of this soldier though the papers state that Kelley "Came back safely." Also included is a tintype of Private Kelley.
Location: MS

Kellogg, Robert Hale

One envelope and two scrapbooks containing memorabilia and newspaper clippings relating to the 16th Connecticut Infantry, to Colonel Frank W. and Ward Cheney, to the "Soldier Boy" monument dedicated to Connecticut’s prisoners of war, and to Andersonville prison. Kellogg, an unmarried apothecary, enlisted on 11 August 1862 and was mustered-in a Private on 24 August 1862. He was promoted to Sergeant in May of 1863 and to Sergeant Major on 7 December 1863. He was captured on 20 April 1864 at Plymouth, NC, and was paroled in November 1864. Kellogg was discharged 1 June 1865. Also see following entry.
Location: MS

Kellogg, Robert Hale (1844-1922)
Sergeant Major
Wethersfield
Sixteenth Connecticut Infantry, Company A
1862-1909
1 Box

Four diaries (1862-1865), ca. fifty letters to his parents, Dr. Silas Root Kellogg and Lucy Church Hale Kellogg in Sheffield, MA, and papers. Also included are newspaper clippings and memorabilia relating to the 16th Connecticut Infantry. Kellogg is the author of Life and Death in Rebel Prisons (Hartford: L. Stebbins, 1865) which was based on these, his Andersonville diaries. Very articulate observations of his war service. See prior entry for Kellogg’s record of service.
Location: MS 68013

Diary, papers and photographs. Collection consists of a manuscript copy of his diary, copied after Kelly’s return from the war, taken from original diary installments sent home to Sharon while in service. Kelly intersperses his copied diary with later commentary. The manuscript provides considerable detail on camp life and the soldiers in his unit. There are also many interesting entries pertaining to his adventures as a recruiting agent for his regiment. A typescript transcription is also available. Papers include mainly retained copies of official regimental papers: military pass; list of quartermaster stores (1864-1865); charges and specifications (three charges of absence without leave) against Private William Shepard, Company G; quarterly return of ordnance and ordnance stores (28 August 1865); general orders (24 June 1865); account of materiel retained or lost; some quartermaster’s correspondence; inventory of the effects of Corporal Charles Reed, Company G; and special orders (9 January 1865) relating to Private John Reynolds, Company G. A tintype depicts Kelly, Lt. Daniel Monson and an unidentified comrade. Kelly, an unmarried moulder, enlisted on 29 July 1862 and was mustered-in as First Sergeant, Company G, on 11 September 1862. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant, Company F, on 5 March 1864 and to First Lieutenant, Company L, on 20 December 1864. He was later promoted to Captain, Company G, on 15 March 1865 and received the rank of Major by brevet on 2 April 1865. Kelly was mustered-out on 18 August 1865.
Detailed Examination
Location: MS and microfilm copy No. 79237

Letters to his wife, Fanny H. Cornell Kies (1831-1901), from Fort Marshall (near Baltimore), MD; from near Winchester, VA; and from Norfolk, VA. Kies, a carpenter, enlisted on 10 August 1862 and was mustered-in a Second Lieutenant on 18 August 1862. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on that same day. Kies was captured on 15 June 1863 at Winchester, VA, was paroled on 10 December 1864 and was discharged on 17 June 1865. See MS 74311 for a letter dated 24 January 1865 from Fanny Kies to her husband; MS 74308 for letters, 1863-1865, from Erastus Kies (George’s brother) to Fanny Kies; and MS 74309 for two letters, 1865, from "Frank" Kies (wife of Erastus Kies) to Fanny Kies. Also see following entry.
Location: MS 74308-74311

Papers and correspondence. Collection includes military orders and passes and correspondence between various Kies family members. Also included are letters to Fanny Kies from Colonel Ely and other members of the 18th Connecticut Infantry. Most of the letters in this collection were written and received during George Kies’s captivity, 15 June 1863-10 December 1864 (see previous entry). George and Fanny Kies were married in January 1855. Three children had been born to the couple prior to the war: Walter Eugene, born 27 June 1857; twins Leonore Agnes (born and died August 1860) and Leroy Everett (born and died 1860). One daughter was born to them after the war, Victoria Gertrude, born ca. 1867-1868.
Location: MS 78389

Kinney, John C.

Correspondence between Kinney and various parties in Louisiana (A. S. Gates, Louise E. Chambers, etc.) regarding the return of the battle flag to the St. Mary Cannoneers in a ceremony which took place in Franklin, LA, on 16 October 1885. The flag had been taken from the battery by the 13th Connecticut during the battle of Irish Bend, LA, on 14 April 1863. Collection also contains a broadside advertising the ceremony and newspapers accounts recounting the formal return. Kinney, an unmarried student, enlisted on 9 January 1862 and was mustered-in a Sergeant, Company K, on 11 January 1862. He was promoted to First Sergeant, Company A, on 1 June 1862 and to Second Lieutenant on 1 September 1862. Kinney was wounded at the battle of Irish Bend, LA, on 14 April 1863 and was promoted to First Lieutenant, Company I, on 17 March 1864. He was detached as a Signal Officer on 1 May 1864 and was relieved from this duty on 10 July 1864. On 29 December 1864 he was transferred to Company B. Kinney resigned and was discharged on 21 June 1865.
Location: MS Civil War Box I, Folder 9

Kinney, Van Buren

Civil War reminiscences, 29 pp. Kinney describes the key role played by the "fighting 10th" in the battle of Kinston, NC, (14 December 1862) under the leadership of Lt. Colonel Robert Leggett (1830-1874) wherein a "forward by rushes" advance was ordered, a tactic Kinney claims was ordered by Colonel Roosevelt at the Battle of Santiago during the Spanish-American War; comments that not even Frank Leslie’s ubiquitous representative with his camera was there to capture the action; mentions the solicitude shown towards the men of the 10th Connecticut by Chaplain Henry Clay Trumbull (1830-1903), who could call every man by name and who stressed care of the body as well as care of the soul. Trumbull had charge of the ambulances and Kinney claims all the men took their troubles to the Chaplain as to their mothers. Also speaks highly of Governor William Buckingham’s careful choice of officers for his assembling regiments. Kinney, an unmarried mechanic, had seen prior service in the 2nd Connecticut Infantry. He enlisted in the 10th Connecticut Infantry on 1 September 1861 and was mustered-in a Corporal on 1 October 1861. He received a wound in the thigh at Deep Bottom, VA, on 14 August 1864, and was reduced to the ranks due to illness. He received a disability discharge on 2 August 1865.
Location: MS 93199

Knox, Andrew

Papers and correspondence with his mother and his wife, Sarah. Papers include invoices, returns, circulars, muster rolls and statements, 1862-1865. Also included is a list entitled, "Names of Men who went to the front with the Wooster Light Guards from Danbury, April 19th, 1861," and a roll of married men entitled to a State bounty, listing their wives and children along with the ages of the children. Letters discuss preparing fortifications at Fort Scott, VA, among other more mundane topics. His letter of 2 July 1863 is on patriotic stationery. Knox had seen prior service as First Sergeant in the 1st Connecticut Infantry, Company E. He enlisted in the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery on 3 December 1861 and was mustered-in as Second Lieutenant, Company B. Knox was promoted to First Lieutenant, Company I, on 23 May 1862 and was transferred to Company M on 19 December 1864. He resigned on 15 March 1865.
Location: MS 93308

L

Lansdale, Philip
Surgeon

Diary which also contains newspaper accounts of the battle of Mobile Bay (5 August 1864) with a "Copy of Fleet-Surgeon’s ‘Summary’ of casualties to Farragut’s fleet...on the 5th of August, 1864"(51 reported killed or wounded aboard the U. S. S. Hartford) and Lansdale’s commentary on Confederate accounts of the engagement. Lansdale served aboard the steam sloop Pensacola (August 1863-June 1864), and the U. S. steamer Hartford (July-November 1864 [?]). Included in the journal is a register of patients, 1864 July 20-November 28, which lists name, rate, age, birthplace, admission and discharge dates and nature of illness; formulas for prescription medicines; printed Acts of Congress relating to the Navy, 1871-1872; cash account; copies of letters; and addresses. Lansdale reported for duty aboard the Hartford on 14 July 1864 at New Orleans, LA.
Location: MS 64958

Law, James B.

Letters to his sister, Agnes M. Law Smith (1837-1925), and father, James (1796-1864). Law, a married tinner, enlisted on 25 August 1862 and was mustered-in 20 September 1862. He was transferred to the ranks at some point and was mustered-out with his nine-months unit on 7 July 1863. It is difficult to determine exactly when Law was transferred to the ranks as he seems exempt from most duties throughout the correspondence. On 30 April 1863, from Suffolk, VA, Law notes the presence of six Connecticut regiments, the 8th, 11th, 15th, 16th, 21st and 22nd Connecticut Infantry. In the same letter he comments, "Our band has not played any since we have been in our present camp, we are so close to the rebs, that they are afraid they might shell us out." Law also mentions bounties and substitutes. A transcript is available with the collection.
Location: MS 86300

Lay, Horace

Letter, 3 pp., from Leesboro, MD, to his wife. Lay, a shoemaker, enlisted on 1 August 1862 and was mustered-in with his unit on 24 August 1862. He was wounded at the battle of Antietam on 17 September 1862 and died a few weeks later. Lay mentions Eugene Comstock, of Old Lyme, currently serving in Company E, 11th Connecticut Infantry. He writes, "[My] heal is so sore that I cannot bear my boot, in case we march before it gets well I shall ride on the baggage train."
Location: MS Civil War Box II, Folder 2

Lee, Charles Gilbert

Diary and small wooden plaque on which is carved, "Dismal Swamp. Va. March 30th. 1863." Lee, an unmarried farmer, enlisted on 11 August 1862 and was mustered-in a Private on 24 August 1862. He was promoted Corporal on 11 August 1863 and was captured at Plymouth, NC, on 20 April 1864. Lee was paroled on 16 December 1864 and died 6 March 1865. On August 19th, Lee writes, "Two men from our regt. killed putting up barracks," and on September 1st, "...started for Alexandria at noon met hundreds of wagon loads of wounded on the road...." Company B received their Whitney rifles on 3 September and began to drill with them and on 9 September they learned to load and fire their weapons. On 15 September, "Started on the march....Met 300 rebels prisoners, saw a baggage train 17 miles long...." On October 9th, Lee was detailed to go on "wagon guard" duty to Harper’s Ferry, six miles distant, and on 13 November, "Nothing unusual has happened today except that a man in our Brigade got accidentally killed by a bayonet thrust through the heart." On 27 November, Lee writes, "This is the first time I have been away from home on Thanksgiving Day in my entire life." Following the battle of Fredericksburg, on 16 December, "During the night all of our troops & wounded men were taken back across the river..." Lee frequently mentions the poor health of his brother, William H. Lee, a Private in Company B. An article by Paul C. Helmreich, "The Diary of Charles G. Lee in the Andersonville and Florence Prison Camps, 1864," was published in the January 1976 (Volume 41, Number 1) issue of The Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin, pp.12-28. Contact Jill Padelford for ordering information.
Location: MS 83791

Letters and papers. One letter, bound into a volume, is dated 21 December 1863, and is addressed in Lincoln's hand, "Abraham Lincoln to Senators Foster & Dixon Dec. 21, 1863," and reads, "The Marshalship of Connecticut has given me some trouble." Lincoln notes that Mr. Nichols, Mr. Hammond, Mr. Barnum and Mr. Phelps have all been recommended. Lincoln endorses Mr. Hammond although several Connecticut citizens protested the appointment. A letter, 2 pp., from the Executive Mansion, addressed to Edwin H. Webster, et. al., and dated 27 July 1861 seems to address a recent complaint regarding an illegal search and seizure of concealed arms. A note dated 7 December 1864 asks Senator J. B. Henderson to see and hear a Missouri woman's story, apparently a complaint of wrongful imprisonment (also includes Henderson's note in reply in which he recommends that the prisoner be released). A 16 July 1864 letter from Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy, to President Lincoln recommends a Brigadier General's commission for Joseph R. Hawley (a recommendation which is endorsed by General Alfred Terry) and also contains Lincoln's response, on 18 July 1864, to make the appointment. Lincoln signs a printed document forming the [provost marshal] districts of Rhode Island and Connecticut, dated 8 August 1862. This document also encloses two commissions. A letter from Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury, dated 6 June 1864 notes that he is called to New York on business that day but wished to speak with the President about some business relating to Congress before he leaves, if the President has time. The same day Lincoln replies that he will try to go to Chase's office at 3 PM. An undated note from Owen Lovejoy, apparently to one of his children, notes that he had called on the President, sending in his card (enclosed and now framed) which was returned with a note from Lincoln saying he will see him in a day or two (also enclosed and framed). Photocopies of the papers in this collection are available. Also see following entry.
Location: MS Lincoln Letters and Papers

Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865)
President of the United States
1862-1865
4 Items

Telegram, calling card, invitation and memorandum, all of which belonged to Senator James Dixon (1814-1873) of Connecticut. The telegram from Lincoln is dated 15 August 1862, 8:25 AM, Washington, DC, to the Hon. James Dixon in Hartford and reads simply, "Come here. A. Lincoln." Also included is a small blank calling card dated 27 February 1865 from Lincoln to Senator Dixon. The message reads: "Would like to see Senator Dixon A. Lincoln." The third item is a printed invitation dated 20 April 1865 to the Hon. James Dixon asking him to accompany the remains of the late President from Washington to Springfield, IL, signed by E. D. Townsend, Asst. Adjutant General by order of the Secretary of War. The final item is an undated memorandum, 1 p., on Executive Mansion letterhead which lists four names and the Connecticut towns from which they hail and states, "I wish to come in no conflict with Mr. Dixon who had named another man -- who can hardly be deemed a representative man of those who are the majority in the State." A note on the back of the memorandum reads, "Written by Abraham Lincoln when President of the United States Found among his papers and sent to Mr Dixon by John Hay, private secretary." Also see previous entry.
Location: MS Welling Collection

Letter to Massachusetts Governor John Andrew recommending Mr. Charles Trumbull, Q. M. Sergeant of the 34th Massachusetts Infantry, for a sought-after "change of position." Lincoln writes that Trumbull "is a member of one of the most ancient and respectable families in this city."
Location: MS Tracy Collection

Letter, 2 pp., to Elizabeth Cogswell Dixon (1819-1871), states that the First Lady was ready to accompany Mrs. Dixon to the hospitals. Mary Lincoln also notes that her little boy's illness unnerved her, but that he was now recovering. The folder containing the letter also includes a Mathew Brady photograph of Mary Lincoln endorsed, "Mrs. Lincoln," probably in the hand of Abraham Lincoln. Elizabeth Dixon was the wife of Senator James Dixon of Connecticut. Also see previous entry.
Location: MS Welling Collection

Littlefield, Charles Henry

Family correspondence, the majority of which consists of letters from Charles to his wife Phoebe in Sterling during his term of military service. Littlefield, a farmer, enlisted on 11 August 1862 and was mustered-in on 5 September 1862. He received a disability discharge on 11 February 1865. Littlefield, as Company cook and launderer, was frequently relieved from other military duties. These letters are almost illegible due to Littlefield’s level of literacy and require much time and patience to decipher.
Location: MS 78158

Loring, Locke L.

Letter in journal format written to his mother from aboard the steamship McClellan en route to the Gulf of Mexico and Ship Island, MS. Loring writes, "I took the fine tooth comb to my head and what do you think I found why a louse big enouf to tow this ship along I am agoing to sell him for horse beef," and later, "...this morning I did not feel very well so I took sum of my syrup then a teaspoonfull of peppermint and an onion raw...I guess I shall be better." The McClellan rammed into another steamer, the Governor Morton, the night of 20 May 1862. The Governor Morton, with about 50 on board "sank in less than 1 minet." Loring reports two drownings. This is quite an interesting and detailed letter. Loring, an unmarried farmer, enlisted on 22 October 1861 and was mustered-in on 20 November 1861. He was wounded on 27 May 1863 at Port Hudson, LA, and died from his wounds on 30 May 1863. A typed transcription is available with the collection.
Location: MS Civil War Box II, Folder 2

Letter from Washington, DC, to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, also in Washington, recommending the Rev. William A. Adair for a position "at the head of a regiment of colored men..." Lovejoy also notes that Adair had "spent most of his life in praying & now desires to fight..."
Location: MS Tracy Collection

Document. Order addressed to Thomas Cowles to pay John W. Stoddard the money due Mrs. Loveland from the town of New Hartford for the financial support due the family of a volunteer soldier.
Location: MS Civil War Box II, Folder 26

Letter to son Charles A. Lovell in Brooklyn, NY, written c/o Spencer & Martin. Mrs. Lovell relays news of deaths in the 16th Connecticut Infantry at Andersonville (John Damery, Company A, died 20 July 1864 and Joseph Flower, Company C, died 9 August 1864) and writes of meetings of the local sewing society. She also informs her son that his father, A. S. Lovell, was in quarantine off Fort Monroe, VA. This letter is one of four in the collection, 1864-1867, and is the only letter with Civil War content. Mrs. Lovell's letter reveals her personality: "Your hasty letter acknowledging the package was received. You did not say any thing about the poetry. I wish you would not write in such a hurry, your letters are not satisfactory at all. I want you to write oftener and be more particular. I exerted myself so much to get those wristbands on that day and to get the bundle off in season that I got tired out and have'nt felt well since. Last night I had a miserable night did'nt sleep much . . . . I received a line from [your father] this afternoon. He started for home last thursday. His letter was dated Oct 1st Quarrentine off Ft Monroe."
Location: MS