Wight, Samuel letters: Includes 93 letters written by Wight to wife Mage Wight, written from Washington, D.C., Camp Brightwood, Camp Winfield Scott, various locations in Virginia and Campbell Hospital. Includes letters written by Mage Wight to her husband Samuel. Also includes letters and papers written to Mage Wight related to the death, funeral and pension of Samuel Wight., June 23, 1861 - Jan. 1, 1864

This collection contains original manuscript writings of relating to the experience of Rhode Islanders serving in the Civil War. The bulk of the collection includes correspondence between Rhode Island soldiers and loved ones at home. Also included is correspondence of Charlotte F. Dailey who inspected Union convalescent hospitals and reported on the experience of Rhode Island troops.

Also included is a field diary for the year 1862 written by Private James Albert Barber of Company C, 1st Regiment, Rhode Island Light Artillery. The diary, written in the field, recounts the daily activities and actions of Company C. The handwriting is difficult to read and Barber’s spelling is largely phonetic but the diary contains first hand accounts of some of the major battles of the war immediately after they happened. As a group, the materials depicts camp life for soldiers, battles and interactions with Confederates, slaves and free Blacks as well as discuss domestic matters on the homefront.