Manuscript Collection Number: 295
Accessioned: Gift, 1956.
Extent: .3 linear ft.
Content: Letters, transcripts, poems, essays, and invoices.
Access: The collection is open for research.
Processed: Revised 1993 by Anita A. Wellner

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

Table of Contents

• Biographical Note
  
• Scope and Contents Note
  
• Contents List

Reynolds's letters to his sweetheart, and later fiancée, Louisa (Lou) J. Seward, provide few details of his life prior to the Civil War. The letters suggest that he had attended school in Greensboro, Caroline County, Maryland, in 1860. His letters frequently refer to Caroline County and his desire to return there. From January to March of 1861, he was a school teacher in Chambersville (near Smyrna), Delaware.

In his letters, Reynolds describes himself as a "phrenologist" and someone who enjoyed writing, particularly poetry. He mentions his two sisters, Mollie and Frances, and the family home near Camden, Delaware. The muster sheet listed his occupation as "gentleman" and his place of origin as Delaware.

Reynolds's letters indicate that by 1864 he was engaged to Lou Seward, a resident of Greensboro, Maryland.

Captain Reynolds served in the Union Army until June 20, 1864, when he died of wounds received during the Battle of the Wilderness, near Richmond, on June 18. Reynolds was buried at Barrett's Chapel Churchyard in Delaware, where his tombstone records his age as 23 years and 3 months.

Sources:

Note: Biographical information also derived from the collection. 

The collection is organized into three series. Series I. "Captain Thomas M. Reynolds's Letters to Louisa J. Seward" includes Reynolds's letters, poems, and essay, as well as the invoice.

Captain Reynolds's letters begin in 1861, prior to his enrollment in the Delaware Infantry Volunteers. The early letters communicated Reynolds's feelings for Lou Seward, dreams for their future together, reminiscences about his visits with her in Maryland, and details of his everyday life.

By May of 1861, Reynolds's letters focused on the developing Civil War. He conveyed his desire to serve his country by enlistment in the U.S. Army, discussed his participation in Delaware's "Home Guard," and spoke of the growing dissension among his friends as to which side they supported. In July he reported the organization of a "Secession Company" in Camden, Delaware, by A.B. Knight.

By the end of 1862 Reynolds had been mustered in as Captain of Company H, 4th Regiment, Delaware Infantry Volunteers, and had been deployed from Camp du Pont at Brandywine Springs to several camps in Virginia, including Seward, "Tom Casey," and "Vermont." His letters are filled with expressions of patriotism, descriptions of the camps, thoughts about being a soldier, rumors about his regiment's destination, and comments about Delaware state elections and political implications for the war.

In his letters during 1863, Reynolds conveyed his belief that the rebel forces would soon be defeated, detailed his company's movements throughout Virginia, described the difficulties of camp life, reported the skirmishes and raids in which he was involved, depicted the landscapes and buildings he passed, and frequently apologized for the melancholy tone of his letters.

From January to June of 1864, Reynolds continued to describe the engagements of his regiments, especially the terrible battles occurring around Richmond, Virginia. Reynolds also described the living arrangements for officers whose wives had joined them near the camps, and the morale and living conditions in the camps. His final letter, dated June 15, 1864, was written from Wilcox Landing on the James River, where the regiment was awaiting orders to cross the river and engage the enemy.

The letters which were written during the Civil War provide a thorough chronicle of Reynolds's travels and experiences, as well as thoughtful examination of effects of war on those involved.

Included in several of Reynolds's letters are an essay and three poems which he wrote. The poems are titled "P Camden" (1861), "The Aspiration" (1864), and "Love Unrequited" (1864). The essay, titled "Thoughts Upon a Visit to Camp Fisker," describes the departure from Dover, Delaware, of the 3rd Regiment, Delaware Volunteers.

Series II. "Letters concerning Thomas Reynolds's death" consists of one letter, written by A.J. Wright of Felton, Delaware, to Joshua Seward (father of Louisa Seward), which reported the death of Thomas Reynolds on June 20, 1864. In addition there are two letters from Thomas Reynolds's sister, Mollie E. Reynolds, written to Lou Seward in July, 1864, inviting her to visit the Reynolds family.

Series III. "Transcripts of letters, essay, and poems" consists of one bound volume of typescript transcripts of the all of the material in this collection, with the exception of the invoice found in F6.

Related collections:

     Series I.  Captain Thomas M. Reynolds's letters to Louisa J.
               Seward, 1861-1864
               All letters are autograph.

F1   1861
     Includes an autograph poem titled "P Camden" written by
     Reynolds. 

F2   1862 Jan-Jul

F3   1862 Aug-Dec

F4   1863 Feb-Jun

F5   1863 Jul-Dec

F6   1864 Jan-Jun
     Includes an autograph invoice for medicines and hospital
     supplies for Surgeon Sutherland at field hospital in
     Washington, D.C.  Also includes two autograph poems titled
     "The Aspiration" and "Love Unrequited" and one essay titled
     "Thoughts Upon a Visit to Camp Fisker."  

F7   1861-1864
     Envelopes which had been separated from the letters.



     Series II.  Letters concerning Thomas Reynolds's death,
          1864 Jun-Jul

F8   Letters, 1864 Jun-Jul
     Autograph.     


     Series III.  Transcripts of letters, essay, and poems, 
          1861-1864

F9   Bound typescript transcript, 1861-1864
     Excludes invoice in F6. 

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