Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm2019086307
DACS was used as the primary description standard.
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of Charles Augustus Hill were purchased by the Library of Congress in January 2019. The Library purchased additional material in October 2019.
The papers of Charles Augustus Hill were arranged and described by Jake Bozza in 2019. An addition was processed and the finding aid revised in 2022 by Jake Bozza.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Charles Augustus Hill is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The papers of Charles Augustus Hill are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Charles Augustus Hill Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Charles Augustus Hill (1833-1902) span the years 1863-1971, with the bulk of the material dating between 1862 and 1865. The papers include correspondence, transcripts of the correspondence, and miscellaneous material chiefly documenting Hill's service as a Union army officer in the 1st Colored Infantry Regiment, United States Army. The papers consist primarily of letters written by Hill to his wife Lydia Hill during the Civil War. The subjects covered in Hill’s letters include major battles in which his regiment participated during its two years of service, including the assault on Petersburg, Virginia, in June 1864. A letter written in May 1864 refers to the retribution taken by Black troops after the Fort Pillow Massacre, Tennessee, in April 1864. Hill often provides his view of the Black troops serving under him and their treatment throughout the war. Other letters describe camp life in the Union army and his time spent as a patient in Chesapeake Hospital, Hampton, Virginia, from July to November 1864. Hill’s letters written between July and September 1865 describe his role as acting superintendent for the United States Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. These letters provide insight into the political tension in the South immediately following the Civil War, as well as a glimpse into Hill’s view of the early Reconstruction era. The papers also include family correspondence consisting mostly of letters written by Hill to his family while serving as assistant attorney general of Illinois in 1898.
The 2022 Addition, 1862-1863, complements the initial portion of the collection and
includes additional correspondence and related transcripts from Hill to his wife Lydia
relating his experience during the Civil War and his role as acting superintendent for
the United States Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands in Elizabeth City,
North Carolina. The subjects covered in Hill’s letters depict major battles such as the
Battle of Antietam (September 1862), the Battle of Wilson's Wharf (May 1864), and the
capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina (January 1865). Military maps and histories
included in later publications are attached to several of Hill's letters and add context
to the military engagements described in them. These include a June 1863 battle map of
Brandy Station, Virginia, from Fairfax Downey's
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material and chronologically therein, with the addition listed last.
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm2019086307