Civil War General’s Love Letters Donated to Virginia Tech by Great-Great-Granddaughter
BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – The Glencoe Museum in Radford, once the home of Confederate General Gabriel Wharton, now holds significant historical artifacts. When the house was sold by General Wharton’s great-great-granddaughter, Sue Bell, and her family in the 1980s, they made an unexpected discovery in the attic.
“We had no idea what we were looking at. The documents were written in an old-fashioned cursive that I could read, but not like anything I had seen before,” Bell said.
What they uncovered were over a thousand Civil War-era documents dating from the 1840s to the 1900s, including firsthand accounts of wartime in Southwest Virginia, and about 500 heartfelt love letters between General Wharton and his wife, Nannie.
One letter, dated November 15, 1864, stood out to Bell. It contained a message from General Wharton informing Nannie that her brother had been severely wounded and was expected to die. Bell recalled, “I knew how devastating that letter must have been for Nannie.”
It wasn’t until more than a decade later that Bell began to fully appreciate the historical value of the letters. She spent time reviewing them each day, eventually working with historian Jack Davis to publish a book about General Wharton and Nannie’s wartime correspondence.
Bell also discovered that her great-great-grandfather had a hand in establishing her alma mater, Virginia Tech. Inspired by this, she made the decision to donate the letters to Virginia Tech’s Special Collections and University Archives, feeling her ancestor would want these precious artifacts preserved at the university.
“We aim to make these collections accessible, whether in person or online. It’s our responsibility to ensure that these items are available long after we’re gone,” said Aaron Purcell, Director of Virginia Tech’s Special Collections.
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