1862-1871; bulk: 1863-1865
Guide to the Collection
Funding for the digitization of this collection and the creation of preservation microfilm was provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act grant as administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Restrictions on Access
Use of the originals is restricted. This collection is available as color digital facsimiles (see links below). Black and white microfilm is also available for use in the library.
Abstract
This collection consists primarily of letters from Edward Burgess Peirce of Lowell, Mass. to his parents during the Civil War.
Biographical Sketch
Edward Burgess Peirce was born in Lowell, Mass. on 27 May 1847, the son of John Nelson Peirce and his second wife Mary Miller (Alden) Peirce. He enlisted at age 16 and served as a drummer and a private in Company F of the Massachusetts 2nd Heavy Artillery Regiment, July 1863-Sep. 1865. He saw action primarily in New Bern and Kinston, N.C. After the war, he worked as a claim agent and assistant in the legal department of the New York and New England Railroad and held patents for a number of inventions related to railroad work. In the 1870s-1890s, he held many public offices in Lowell, serving on the Common Council, the Water Board, and the Board of Aldermen.
In 1870, he married Ella Augusta Folsom, and the couple had the following children: Charles Edward Peirce, John Alanson Peirce, and Florence Ethel Peirce (later Wright). He died at a sanitarium in Takoma Park, Md. on 25 June 1919 and is buried in the Peirce family plot at Lowell Cemetery.
Collection Description
This collection contains letters written by Edward Burgess Peirce of Lowell, Mass. to his parents from Camp Meigs, Readville, Mass.; Fort Totten and Fort Stevenson, New Bern, N.C.; and Kinston, N.C. during the Civil War. His letters describe the routine of camp life; provisions and troop movements; the Battle of New Bern, Feb. 1864; the yellow fever epidemic there, Sep. 1864; his health; the Battle of Wyse Fork, Kinston, N.C., Mar. 1865; and the end of the war. Peirce also requests money and goods from his parents and responds to news in Lowell. The collection includes a newspaper describing conditions in New Orleans, La. in 1862; a sketch by Peirce of Fort Totten; a history of the Peirce family; and a letter received by Edward Peirce's father, John N. Peirce.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mary A. Wright, Dec. 1999. Photograph given by Mary A. Wright, Jan. 2001.
Restrictions on Access
Use of the originals is restricted. This collection is available as color digital facsimiles (see links below). Black and white microfilm is also available for use in the library.
Other Formats
The collection is also available as color digital facsimiles and on microfilm, P-804, 1 reel.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Letters, 1863
Letters, Jan.-June 1864
Letters, July-Dec. 1864
Letters, 1865
Peirce family genealogy, undated
Miscellaneous papers, 1862-1871
Preferred Citation
Edward Burgess Peirce letters, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.
Persons:
Organizations:
Subjects:
Materials Removed from the Collection
One photograph from this collection has been removed to the MHS Photo Archives (Photo. 9.1).