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Patrick Augustus McGriff was born November 6, 1826. He married Mary N. Harvin and, after she died on April 5, 1851, he married her sister, Susan. By 1860, he operated a labor farm of about 600 acres along the Georgia-Florida border and enslaved 27 Black men, women, and children. McGriff served with the Fifth and Twelfth Regiments of the Georgia Militia from March 1864 until the end of the war. He died in a hunting accident on December 20, 1877, in Decatur County, Georgia.
Summary:
The collection contains photocopies and transcriptions of the letters of Patrick Augustus McGriff written while serving in the Georgia Militia. Among the many topics discussed are his trip to Atlanta through Albany and Macon, refugees, hospitals, Confederate wounded, Union prisoners, conditions in Atlanta, the movements of Union and Confederate forces, his concerns for his family, and news from relatives. Some letters reference Orsen, an enslaved Black man who attended McGriff during his enlistment, and record his sentiments for his wife, Elmira, and their infant daughter. The final letter in the collection dates September 10, 1864, from Camp Stephens, Georgia.
The collection also contains an undated speech by McGriff in which he calls for increased aid for soldiers' families. Other Confederate soldiers authored three of the letters in this collection. Two letters are from William Harvin, McGriff's brother-in-law, and a third is from "Jeff," McGriff's nephew.
Finding Aids:
Calendar available. 0 Item listing available. 0
Additional Physical Form:
Reproduction Note:
Photocopies.
Location of Originals/Duplicates:
In possession of donor.
Associated Materials:
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Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
Confederate States of America. Army. --Georgia Militia Regiment, 5th. Confederate States of America. Army. --Georgia Militia Regiment, 12th.
African Americans History To 1863. Florida Atlanta Campaign, 1864. Slavery Florida
United States History Civil War, 1861-1865
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