Special Collections Department

David Lilley Letters

1861 - 1864

Manuscript Collection Number: 219
Accessioned: Gift of Mr. Thomas Lilley, April 1969
Extent: 38 items
Content: Letters
Access: The collection is open for research.
Processed: 1990-1991 by Tim Murray and Wendy Van Wyck; completed January 1994 by Kelly Baum

Special Collections, University of Delaware Library
Newark, Delaware 19717-5267
(302) 831-2229

Table of Contents

• Biographical Note
• Scope and Contents Note
• Contents List

Biographical Note

David N. Lilley was born in Cecil County, Maryland, in 1842. He was one of twelve children in a family that moved near Newark, Delaware, when he was quite young. Lilley attended school in Newark briefly, but left early to help support the family. He first worked for his father as a well digger and quarry man; later he was employed at the Dean Woolen Mills, which were on the site of the later National Vulcanized Fibre Company.

In 1861, at the age of 19, Lilley enlisted in the Union Army, joining Company "C," 2nd Regiment, Delaware Volunteers. After much training, he was assigned to the Blue and Elk Rangers, considered a top local unit and one later involved in many military engagements. Lilley's letters to his older sister, Miss Annie Lilley, an employee of the Curtis Paper Mills in Newark, recount these wartime experiences. After being discharged in 1864, David Lilley returned to Newark.

David Lilley died February 24, 1887, from the complications of lockjaw and blood poisoning, resulting from the amputation of his foot which was injured in a train accident on February 15.

Sources:

"Accident at Newark," Every Evening - Wilmington, Delaware, Feb 15, 1887. Second edition.

"A Change for the Worse," Every Evening - Wilmington, Delaware, Feb 24, 1887. Second edition.

"David Lilley Funeral," Every Evening - Wilmington, Delaware, Feb 25, 1887.

"Lilley's Funeral To Morrow," The Morning News - Wilmington, Delaware, Feb 26, 1887.

Note: Some of the biographical information is derived from material in the collection.

Scope and Content Note

This collection of Civil War correspondence consists of thirty-eight letters written between 1861 and 1864 by David N. Lilley to his older sister, Annie Lilley, who lived in Newark, Delaware. The letters originated from places such as Camp Brandywine, Camp Andrews in Baltimore, and Falmouth, Virginia, and chronicled Lilley's experiences during the Civil War. Lilley recounted anecdotes and social events from the camps where he was stationed, described military battles, and related the harsh and trying conditions that soldiers endured. He also discussed the relationship between 'rebel' and Union soldiers and in one letter recalled a visit from Abraham Lincoln. His letters also noted the emotional vicissitudes typifying a soldier's life: Lilley was at times content and optimistic but at other times depressed and fatalistic. Because of variations in handwriting, grammar, and style, it appears that Lilley might not have written all the letters himself.

The letters are contained in nine separate folders and arranged in chronological order.

Contents List

Folder -- Contents

     Series I.  Letters, 1861-1864
          
F1   5 items
     1861 Jul 11
          Jul 20
          Aug 8
          Aug 13
          Oct 11
     
F2   4 items
     1862 Jan 17
          Mar 30
          Apr 6
          May 3

F3   4 items
     1862 May 31
          Jun 26
          Jul 6
          Jul 24

F4   4 items
     1862 Jul 25
          Jul 27
          Oct 5
          Nov 28

F5   4 items
     1863 Jan 4
          Feb 27
          Apr
          Apr 11
     
F6   4 items
     1863 Apr 24
          Apr 27
          May 11
          May 22

F7   4 items
     1863 Aug 9
          Aug 18
          Aug 28
          Sep 23

F8   5 items
     1863 Sep 28
          Nov 18
          Dec 21

     1864 Apr 28
          Jun 22

F9   4 items
     [n.d.]

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