Grace Dunham Collection

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated December 31, 1861. In this letter, he discusses winter quarters, his brother, Emory, officers receiving promotions because of their prominent friends, the Trent Affair (Mason and Sidell), and his Colonel Poe.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his sister, Lura, dated April 12, 1863. In this letter, he discusses the mail, sending a photograph, and the status of his regiment.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated February 22, 1862. In this letter, he discusses his father's health, his opinions on McClellan and the war, finances, and slavery.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated August 22, 1862. In this letter, he discusses the status of his regiment.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his brother, Emory Crane, dated April 17, 1862. In this letter, he describes the Siege of Yorktown.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his parents, dated June 1, 1862. In this letter, he discusses his health, nurse duty, his impressions of Yorktown, the birth of his niece, and finances.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated March 30, 1863. In this letter, he discusses the status of his regiment, his impressions of Louisville, the camp, spies, and visiting Harpers Ferry.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated September 22, 1861. In this letter, he discusses his father's health, finances, and religion.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his parents dated July 12, 1862. In this letter, he discusses moving the sick from Yorktown, Virginia, to Portsmouth, Rhode Island and his impressions of Portsmouth.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated November 13, 1862. In this letter, he discusses the change in leadership from McClellan to Burnside, his opinion on the war, the status of friends on the front, and religion.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated July 3, 1863. In this letter, he discusses the movements of his regiment, his time in Illinois and Indiana, and the health of their father.

Letter from Hattie Crane to her in-laws dated September 17, 1862. In this letter, she discusses Emory Crane's health (including his bout with Typhoid Fever).

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated April 22, 1863. In this letter, he discusses his need for money to apply for a furlough.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated May 11, 1862. In this letter, he discusses the Battle of Williamsburg, General Philip Kearny, helping wounded Confederate soldiers, seeing the dead after the battle, and his health.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated January 11, 1863. In this letter, he discusses the status of his regiment, winter quarters, food rations, religion, camp life, and the health of family members.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated January 5, 1862. In this letter, he discusses his father's health, the Trent Affair, his opinion that the war will end in 1863, Colonel Poe, the weather, and camp.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated April 12, 1863. In this letter, he discusses religion, his father's health, and bringing his brother's body home.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his cousin dated December 23, 1861. In this letter, he discusses the camp, looting, the weather, General McClellan's opinion on the 2nd Michigan Infantry, a local wash woman, and the status of friends on the front.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated June 22, 1863. In this letter, he discusses his opinions on Louisiana, not getting a furlough, and religion.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated September 1862. In this letter, he discusses Emory Crane's health, his opinions on the war and foreign intervention.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his parents dated February 6, 1863. In this letter, he discusses his father's health, the status of his regiment, leaving the winter camp, and finances.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated March 5, 1862. In this letter, he discusses the status of his regiment, Quakers in the area, deserted Confederate homes, building roads, the movements of his division, and a captain in the the rebel army who used to be a neighbor.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated August 23, 1861. In this letter, he discusses his father's health, supplies (including food and clothing), moving timber, family news.

Cutout portrait of Jefferson Davis with the poem "To arms! to arms, ye brave, The avenging sword unsheath. March on! march on! all hearts resolved. On victory or death."

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his sister, Lura Huff, dated August 13, 1861. In this letter, he discusses his relationship with Emma, supplies, buying knickknacks, sleeping conditions, General McClellan, and his desire to remain a private.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated September 26, 1862. In this letter, he discusses Emory Crane's death.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated November 21, 1862. In this letter, he discusses the transfer of his infantry from the 3rd Army Corps to the 9th Army Corps, his opinions on McClellan and Burnside, and religion.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his sister-in-law, Hattie Crane, dated July 10, 1861. In this letter, he discusses friends, the camp (including tents with floors), clothing supplies, the hospital staff, rations, entertainment, and writing to family.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated October 15, 1861. In this letter, he discusses his father's health and his location.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated April 17, 1862. In this letter, he discusses the Siege of Yorktown and his views on slavery.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his sister-in-law, Hattie Crane, dated May 26, 1861. In this letter, he discusses being on a steamer, friends on the boat, Colonel Ellsworth's death, morale, receiving a Bible from the Bible Society, and family news.

Letter from Lorrison Taylor to William Crane dated July 16, 1863. In this letter, he tells of the death of Alphonso Crane.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his sister, Lura, dated December 4, 1862. In this letter, he discusses the status of his regiment, the Confederate army, his girlfriend, Emma, religion, and the status of friends on the front.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated June 15, 1863. In this letter, he discusses the movements of his regiment, the residents of Illinois, his impressions of Louisiana swamps, and his thoughts on capturing Vicksburg.

Letter from Emory Crane to his brother and sister dated January 30, 1862. In this letter, he discusses his health, visiting family, "Camp Michigan", and family news.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated January 20, 1862. In this letter, he discusses camp life, the weather, the duration of the war, and his opinions on General Halleck and General Burnside.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his his sister, Lura Huff, dated July 15, 1861. In this letter, he discusses skirmishes, pillaging food, touring Washington, D.C., and his thoughts on the war.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated October 29, 1862. In this letter, he discusses the status of his regiment, food, finances, the weather, soldier life, religion, farming, and his girlfriend, Emma.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his sister, Lura Huff, dated September 30, 1862. In this letter, he discusses the death of their brother, Emory Crane, the health of their father, and the status of his regiment.

Letter from Emory Crane to his father, William Crane, dated April 2, 1862. In this letter, he discusses his father's health (including his father's visit to the "Indian doctor"), religion, the movements of his regiment, and visiting friends.

Letter from Alphonso Crane to his father, William Crane, dated May 3, 1862. In this letter, he discusses Thaddeus S. C. Lowe's balloon, constructing a rifle pit, skirmishes, picket duty, and family news.