Subject: Military life

A four-page handwritten letter from Herman Hamburger, serving in Camp 18th Pa. Cav. at Fairfax Court House, VA, to his friend John Pugh Green, dated June 8, 1863. Hamburger reports on his experiences during the Civil War, detailing the monotony of his life as Acting Adjutant of the Regiment, minor skirmishes with bushwhackers and Mosby's guerrillas, and his preference for Philadelphia over camp life. He mentions seeing fellow soldiers, inquires about "Bedford Estate Papers," describes his horse's condition, and refers to a grand scout mission to Falmouth. Hamburger also asks about John's potential injury and mentions the Battle of Chancellorsville. The letter concludes with personal regards and instructions for directing mail. The document is written in legible cursive script.

Four letters detailing the events leading up to and surrounding a duel between Lt. Henry Deyo and his superior officer, Capt. Mordecai Myers, in Williamsville, New York, in April and May 1813. The correspondence includes a challenge, acceptance, and the terms of the duel. A fifth letter, dated May 23, 1813, discusses a delay in the duel due to the Battle of Niagara Falls.

First edition of "Rules and Regulations for Men of War." Published in 1861. This copy came from the Universal Movies Research Library, acquired in 1946. The book's publication was prompted by the Civil War; at least two later editions exist. The description also notes that the author had previously published this material gratis several years prior.

This archival object comprises a World War I kit belonging to Joseph Gelt, a soldier trained at Camp Meade, Maryland, in Company 9 of the 79th Division. The kit, a 27-inch-long khaki pack with six pouches, contains a prayer book with scriptures in English and Yiddish, army pamphlets, a shaving kit, notebook, scissors, needles, thread, an army button, and pins. The kit was supplied by the Soldiers' Sailors' Welfare League, 24th Ward, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and designed to be worn around the waist. This kit was exhibited at a Library of Congress exhibit in Cincinnati (sponsored by the American Jewish Archives) in 2005 and in the 2010-2011 core opening exhibit of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its completeness is considered unique among surviving examples.