CSA Lt. Thomas Bell and 30th Tennessee Regt. Related Archive. Includes Thomas Bell’s writings (all to his brother, Cornelius Bell) include 1 letter from Camp Red Springs as the company was enrolling, 3 letters from Fort Donelson, 9 letters from Johnson’s Island (including details of capture and prison conditions), 1 undated letter, possibly written after his release while preparing for more action in Mississippi, and 1 letter written from Georgia. 15 letters total written by Thomas Bell. One additional letter written to Cornelius Bell from Fort Donelson by 1st Corporal A. B. Rogers, a relative by marriage. Two additional letters written to Cornelius Bell from A. B. Rogers prior to the war, one making reference to President Lincoln and his doubts that war will materialize.
A letter written to Thomas Bell in prison from a relative criticizing the South and his participation in the Confederate cause, which Bell apparently forwarded to his brother. Both Thomas Bell and A. B. Rogers were captured at Fort Donelson and both died during the war. Archives includes many of the original envelopes. More information in coming weeks.