Scope and Content Note
The papers of Charles Augustus Hill (1833-1902) span the years 1863-1971, with the bulk of the material dating between 1862 and 1865. The papers include correspondence, transcripts of the correspondence, and miscellaneous material chiefly documenting Hill's service as a Union army officer in the 1st Colored Infantry Regiment, United States Army. The papers consist primarily of letters written by Hill to his wife Lydia Hill during the Civil War. The subjects covered in Hill’s letters include major battles in which his regiment participated during its two years of service, including the assault on Petersburg, Virginia, in June 1864. A letter written in May 1864 refers to the retribution taken by Black troops after the Fort Pillow Massacre, Tennessee, in April 1864. Hill often provides his view of the Black troops serving under him and their treatment throughout the war. Other letters describe camp life in the Union army and his time spent as a patient in Chesapeake Hospital, Hampton, Virginia, from July to November 1864. Hill’s letters written between July and September 1865 describe his role as acting superintendent for the United States Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. These letters provide insight into the political tension in the South immediately following the Civil War, as well as a glimpse into Hill’s view of the early Reconstruction era. The papers also include family correspondence consisting mostly of letters written by Hill to his family while serving as assistant attorney general of Illinois in 1898.
The 2022 Addition, 1862-1863, complements the initial portion of the collection and includes additional correspondence and related transcripts from Hill to his wife Lydia relating his experience during the Civil War and his role as acting superintendent for the United States Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The subjects covered in Hill’s letters depict major battles such as the Battle of Antietam (September 1862), the Battle of Wilson's Wharf (May 1864), and the capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina (January 1865). Military maps and histories included in later publications are attached to several of Hill's letters and add context to the military engagements described in them. These include a June 1863 battle map of Brandy Station, Virginia, from Fairfax Downey's Clash of Cavalry (1959), as well as two entries from John Barrett's The Civil War in North Carolina (1963) .