Mostly pertaining to 3rd Sergeant William Valient Alldridge, Co. "C," 35th Alabama Infantry, to include: ten war-date autograph letters, all octavo, signed "W. V. Alldridge"; five manuscript army documents, including Alldridge's post-surrender parole; two partial 20th century rosters of Co. "C"; a war-date letter by "Andy Aldridge"; a recipe for "Confederate Dye; an undated letter from a Tennessee soldier; six pages of antebellum song lyrics and verse; eight postwar letters and receipts; an 1898 letter outlining Alldridge genealogy; a 1957 letter soliciting donations for publishing a family history.

Sergeant Alldridge served his regiment from its April 1862 inception until war's end. During the course of these three tumultuous years, the 35th Alabama earned an impressive array of battle honors. After participating in the assault on Corinth, actions around Vicksburg, and the defense of Port Hudson, the regiment joined the Army of Tennessee opposing W. T. Sherman during the summer-long siege of Atlanta. The Confederacy's subsequent disaster at Nashville was followed by the Carolinas Campaign and, ultimately, surrender. Sergeant Aldridge returned home, married three times, raised a family and died a venerable patriarch at the highly respectable age of 98 in the summer of 1937. His Civil War letters read in very small part as follows: (Marcial (sic), Mississippi, 9/18/62, with A. P. Aldridge)...I was sorry to here of the trouble you and the children had to save your things from the hands of the yankees though I don't think you will have any more trouble with them...I think they are about played out...(Holly Springs, Mississippi, 11/2/62)...there seems again to be a hope of peace...England and France are about to recognize us as independent and the men in camps seem to be in high spirits...with us yesterday on general service...there was about 30 regts of us infantry and cavalry and Artillery to any amount all in one field besides there was Gen Price Vandorn Lovel (sic) and Rust with all their aids there must have been in all 40,000 men...(Port Hudson, Louisiana, March 19, 1863)...I have no hopes of getting home till this unholy war ceases. I saw two yankees yesterday. I asked them if they had seceded. They said yes and commence laughing. When they went to leave us they told us goodby and said they were now off for Jackson...they belong to the 174th N.Y. Regt...they did attack our batterys last Saturday Knight and got whiped badly. We set one of their gun boats on fire and burnt it up. It floated down the river and made a pretty sight as it went down...(Jackson, Mississippi, 3/25/63)...we went down the west side of Big Black River in the neighborhood of Vicksburg...our regt was sent out on picket we lay near the yankee lines all Knight...we sent out skirmishers and opened the fight...they shelled us...we all fell back gradually to our lines...about 75,000 men surrounded us...Stephenson's division cut their way out and fell back to Big Black and they fought there on Sunday...we slipped out south of the battlefield we marched within 200 yds of the yankee line of battle...Nobody said a word and we got out...(Jackson, Mississippi. 4/12/63)...Gen Buford's brigade is ordered here. the 27th Ala is in that brigade...(Holly Springs, Mississippi, 10/15/63)...Andy and myself are in tolerable health...I have been in another hard fight harder than the Baton Rouge fight...we lost eight (men) on the retreat from Corinth...I do not know what our loss is but estimate it in killed wounded and missing at about eight thousand...Your son until Death...(Line of Battle Near Atlanta, Georgia, 7/30/64)......we can't get a letter at all. We have been in line of battle ever since the 25th of May...we had a fight on the 20 inst in which John Stewart was wounded shot through the left hand but not badly...Hardee fought them on our right on the 22nd, whipt them and drove them out of their breatsworks...I was slightly wounded in the left ankle...James Williams and Bill Stewart were slightly wounded but are all on duty now...This has been the most serious campaign I ever experienced and it is not near over yet...Gen Joe E Johnston is releaved from his command here and Gen Hood is in command of this army...(Near Atlanta, Georgia, 8/13/64)...We boys are all busy digging and throwing up breastworks which the yankees know won't do to charge...we are now in line of battle again but ever thing is going on quietly today...(Lovejoy Station, Georgia, September 11, 1864)...It is with the greatest imaginable grief that I inform you of the death of my last and dear brother your devoted son. He died at (?) Hospital Griffin Ga...was buried very nice at the soldiers grave yard...he breathed his last and his wearied soul took its flight to that happy land where wars and pestilence is not known...(Lovejoy Station, Georgia, 9/13/64)...We have not drawn any money yet nor is there any prospect of us getting our money for some time yet. I understand they are going to pay the officers in a few days...; Sergeant Alldridge's manuscript parole reads as follows: William V. Alldridge was mustered in to the Confederate military Servis as Sergent in Co C 35th Alabama Vols at Courtland Lawrence County Alabama on the 25th day of February 1862 by Maj. Jones; and Surrendered to Col Fairbanks of U. S. Army at Wheeler Sta. Lawrence Co Ala on the 17th day of May 1865. Signed W. V. Alldridge May 17th 1865."


From a private North Carolina estate

Generally good estate condition, though some of the papers have splits, fading and minor losses.

$500 - 1,000