William Parker Johnson Letters

The collection consists of seventy-nine Civil War letters and ten family photographs. All but a few letters are written from Johnson to his wife, Julia. He also wrote to his daughter, Addie (Mrs. Adela Johnson Boise), and his father-in-law and fellow Athens physician, Dr. William P. Blackstone. There is one letter to Julia Johnson from her cousin Morris Johnson. The letters sent to Dr. Blackstone tell of the horrors of war and describe Johnson's surgical methods. The letters, in general, depict the daily struggle to stay healthy and give detailed information about battles, including the numbers of missing, wounded, and killed. In March 1863 Johnson was aided by his wife as he suffered from frequent bowel problems.

The 18th OVI fought the majority of its battles in the Tennessee theater of war with skirmishes in Alabama and Georgia. Some of the battles mentioned were at Manchester, Stewart Creek, Stone River, and Dug Gap, Tennessee. Johnson tells of his personal experiences during these battles and the amount of work involved tending the wounded. The letters also frequently convey references to the health of the "Athens Boys" after the battles.

The photographs include four of Johnson (one of him in uniform and another printed copy from a drawing), one of Julia, and their children.

The last files include handwritten transcriptions of a number of letters and a paper by Mr. Latham on his ancestors delivered in January 1996.

Envelopes received with the collection have been removed with photocopies placed in with the letters.