Archive of material related to Private Owen Weed Nimms, Company I, 12th Iowa Infantry Volunteers, Union Army. Nimms, originally of Maquoketa, Iowa, enlisted 1861 at the age of 19. He saw action at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in Tennessee, and was listed as missing in action April 6 1862 in Shiloh, Tennessee (he was captured at "The Hornet's Nest"). He was injured but recovered and was discharged Aug. 23, 1862. This archive consists of 14 letters with good content, a sixth plate tintype of Nimms in uniform; an 8" x 10" period print made from this image; photocopies of Nimm's military file; a Prayer Meeting Tune Book with inscription "presented to Nimms while a prisoner at __ Georgia by Captain S. Bradley of the Rebb Army May 16th 1862", (Nimms had written to his mother about how much he missed worship services); 2 reunion ribbons and 1 reunion medal; and an 1895 reunion booklet from the third reunion of the 2nd, 7th, 8th, 12th and 14th Iowa Infantries. The 14 letters are written by Nimms primarily to his parents back home and include some graphic descriptions of the activity at Fort Donelson: ""Wee came within about three hundred yards of the entrenchments and then the sharp shooters commenced. Wee took our station under the brow of the hill and expected an attack. Thursday night it rained until tenn o'clock and then it coments snowing and I had to lay on the cold wet ground without any blanket… Skirmishing went on until Saturday afternoon and the fight become general. The fighting lasted one hour and a half and I heard bullets came about as close as I cared about having them. Mother there was one poor man that I felt sorry for, there was two men got wounded by grape shot, one had his left leg shot off or just so it hung on and the other fell right on to me, you don't know how thankfull I was that I did not get killed, it was God that keep me throug(h) the battle." Nimms also writes of life in the POW camp: "Got news yesterday that Leut. John J. Marks was dead… died with fever.. there has benn a great many of the men died with nothing else but homesickness." Includes 1 letter from Camp ___, dated Oct. 13 but no year (extremely faded); 1 letter from Benton Barracks 1862 (undated, prior to Battle of Ft. Donelson); 2 letters from Camp Benton dated Jan. 18, 1862; 2 undated letter fragments; 1 from Camp Benton in St. Louis Jan. 21 1862; 1 from Fort Donelson (undated, just after battle); 1 from Fort Donelson Feb. 27, 1 undated from "Camp in the Woods near Tenn"; 1 dated June 16 1862 Nashville, after the Battle of Shiloh; 1 from Camp Benton dated July 11, 1862; 1 dated Aug. 23, 1862; 1 dated Dec. 16, 1864 after Nimms had left the service talking about starting a boat business (old photo of boat included). Provenance: Private Nashville, Tennessee collection. Condition: Letters with expected light fading and toning, some chipping at edges and fold lines, overall good condition and readable (with the exception of the Oct. 13 letter, very faded) with many of the letters transcribed. Prayer Meeting Tune Book with with worn cover and fragile spine. Reunion brochure and ribbons with some discoloration. Tintype very good but missing the cover of its union case. Period print is glued to cardboard backing and is in fragile condition with losses and wear.