Significant collection of Civil War letters between general and his wife finds a new home at Virginia Tech

When members of the Wharton family sold their home, which later became Radford’s Glencoe Museum, they made a remarkable discovery.

Unbeknownst to the family, who had lived in the house for more than a century, steamer trunks full of documents belonging to a Civil War general, Gabriel C. Wharton, were tucked away waiting to be found. The family discovered and kept them as they moved across the country, not fully knowing the documents’ significance until recently.

“Over the past 12 years, I’ve been on an unexpected treasure hunt — one that began in my parents' garage,” said Sue Heth Bell, 1988 Virginia Tech alumna and great-great-granddaughter of Wharton. “Buried under what seemed like a pile of forgotten papers, were over 1,000 Civil War era documents, including deeply personal letters that offer an unfiltered glimpse into history.”

The documents from the 1840s to the early 1900s include more than 500 letters exchanged between the Confederate general and his wife, Anne “Nannie” Radford Wharton, during 1863-65 of the Civil War. This valuable collection of handwritten first-hand accounts provides insight into Southwest Virginia life during tumultuous wartime and the couple’s opinions, love, ambitions, fears, and frustrations from both battlefield and homefront perspectives.

“Unlike official records or polished memoirs, these letters were never meant for public eyes,” said Bell. “The people who wrote them were simply corresponding with loved ones, sharing their thoughts, fears, and daily struggles with raw honesty. Reading them 160 years later, I don’t just see history, I meet real people. And what is most striking is how much they resemble us today.”

Experiencing history

“Because of the volume of letters, I made the decision to experience them as their writers might have: reading only one per day, following the same calendar date as the collection,” said Bell. “If I read a letter dated Jan. 10, 1864, I read it on Jan. 10, 2018 and so on. This approach forced me to live with the uncertainty they faced, waiting until the next day to see if another letter would answer pressing questions: were you in battle, were you hurt, etc.

“One of the most powerful moments came on Nov. 15, 2018, when I opened a letter from Nov. 15, 1864,” said Bell. “My heart stopped as I read that Nannie’s brother Johnnie had been shot — presumed mortally but not confirmed. I forced myself to wait until the next day to learn his fate just as his family had to wait for the news. I kept reminding myself that these people had been dead for over 160 years but in that moment, their anguish felt so real. I can still feel my own emotion as I read that terrible letter.”

Recognizing the collection’s historical significance, Bell collaborated with historian William C. "Jack" Davis to edit and publish the letters. The compilation, titled “The Whartons' War: The Civil War Correspondence of General Gabriel C. Wharton and Anne Radford Wharton," was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2022.

The decision to donate

On March 29, during Virginia Tech’s Civil War Weekend, Bell donated the significant collection to University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives. 

“These letters belong to history, not to any one person, and I wanted them to be accessible to historians and anyone interested in them,” said Bell. “Virginia Tech’s Special Collections felt like the right home for them, not only because of its dedication to preserving historical documents but also because of their deep regional connection. Much of this collection was written while Gen. Wharton was stationed in the Shenandoah Valley and Nannie was at her home in Radford. These people were from Southwest Virginia, and their lives and experiences are woven into the history of the region. It seems only fitting that their papers should find a permanent home at Virginia Tech — an institution Wharton himself helped establish in the 1880s.”

Scholars will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the social, economic, and cultural aspects of the era. The materials also contribute to the African American history of the region, detailing the lives and experiences of enslaved individuals associated with the Wharton family.

“The Wharton family played a crucial role in the history and growth of Montgomery County and Southwest Virginia,” said Aaron D. Purcell, director of University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives. “The highlight of this voluminous collection is the almost daily Civil War correspondence between a husband and wife separated by war. The correspondence is unique because it is so complete and records both military activity in the region and details of the homefront in Montgomery County. The names, places, and events in these letters connect with many Civil War collections from other prominent and lesser-known families already available in Special Collections and University Archives.”  

Virginia Tech’s role in preserving history

Special Collections and University Archives will catalog and preserve the materials to ensure accessibility and discovery for researchers, students, and history enthusiasts. The University Libraries will digitize some of the documents so anyone with an internet connection can learn from them. The department plans to feature the collection in future exhibits and make it available to academic programs, enriching the study of Civil War history and 19th century American life.

“The depth and breadth of this collection will appeal to students, scholars, and community members,” said Purcell. “It helps us understand the main challenges that 19th century Americans faced — a divided nation, a rabid political culture, slavery and emancipation, reunification, westward expansion, industrial development, new roles for men and women, and, perhaps most importantly, the centrality of family in an ever-changing world.”    

The legacy lives on

The donation honors the Wharton's family's history and enriches the collective understanding of American history. Researchers, students, and the public can explore this collection by contacting Special Collections and University Archives to make an appointment.