Slaughter-Murray Papers

An archival journey through Civil War letters...

Welcome

To the digital archives for the letters of Montgomery Slaughter, the wartime mayor of Fredericksburg, and George Murray, an enlisted member of the 114th PA Zouaves Regiment. This website houses 80+ documents and letters from both individuals, each of whom had ties to Fredericksburg. Slaughter’s letters provide a look into how the city faired during the war while Murra’s in comparison provide insight into the daily life of a soldier. Although Slaughter and Murray never met, they represent both the Union and Confederate sides of the conflict who’s experiences converged in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December of 1862.

The Battle of Fredericksburg: The Battle of Fredericksburg was the bloody culmination of one of the Army of the Potomac’s numerous major offensive campaigns aimed at Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. In addition, the battle also marked the convergence of the lives of Montgomery and George Murray, though the two men never met. The Battle of Fredericksburg would prove to be a defining moment in both men’s lives and careers. For George Murray, it was his first major battle. For Montgomery Slaughter, the battle would devastate the city he was charged with representing, and much of the next year he would be occupied with the task of rebuilding and managing relief for the city’s citizens. The Fredericksburg Campaign began on November 15th when Union general Ambrose Burnside, commanding the Army of the Potomac, set the army into motion towards the Rappahannock from its position further west near Warrenton, hoping to reach the river before Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia could intercept. The pontoon bridges Burnside needed to cross the river were misdirected, and Burnside was unable to quickly cross the river. The Army of the Potomac finally managed a crossing against heavy Confederate opposition on December 11th, and took up positions in and around the city; the opposing Confederate army was deployed on the commanding heights above the town and waiting for them. Burnside’s army launched a major assault on December 13th, and was repulsed in an utter bloodbath, due to the superior defensive positions of the Confederates. George Murray’s regiment, part of Robinson’s brigade of III Corps, played a significant part in fighting on the Prospect Hill front of the battlefield, participating in a Union counterattack to stem a Confederate advance. How To Use This Site: To learn about Montgomery Slaughter and George Murray, watch the video accompanying this page. For further information as well as access to their letters, click on the tabs that bear their names on the top of the pages. After clicking on these, a short biography will appear for each man as well as a link to look through their letters. To view only the list of letters, click “Browse Collections” and then choose which set of documents to work with.

Each letter is titled after the date is was written. After clicking on a letter, more information will come up. The “Subject” provides a short description of the information contained, the “description” gives the full transcription, and the “Creator” is the author. An embedded text-searchable, and downloadable PDF transcription is provided for each letter. Furthermore, there are two options to access copies of the original letter scans. The TIFF files are full quality resolution, while the JPGs to no provide as high a quality, but download faster. Please be patient while the scans load. Lastly, a select few of the letters in each collection are also accompanied by an audio recording.

For sources please see here