Skip to main content

Civil War Letters of Elisha Randolph Robinson

Civil War Letters of Elisha Randolph Robinson

This collection of letters is correspondence between soldier and sergeant E. Randolph Robinson and various members of his family during his nearly three years serving with the Union army in the U.S. Civil War. The bulk of his letters were sent from locations in Virginia, including Suffolk, Manassas Junction, Culpeper and Harpers Ferry. He was present at Appomattox when Lee surrendered and wrote of what he witnessed among the troops that day in the field. Most of the letters written to him were from family members in LaGrange and other locations in New York state and include several written prior to and after Robinson's Civil War service.

Elisha Randolph (Dott) Robinson was born on July 27, 1841, to Nathaniel C. and Roxa Mendel Robinson in the hamlet of LaGrange, Town of Covington, Wyoming County, New York. He attended school at the Middlebury Academy in Wyoming, N.Y. and taught school in Leicester, N.Y. before enlisting in Company D, 130th Regiment, New York State Volunteers in 1862. In mid-1863, he was transferred to the 1st NY Dragoons and served through the end of the war. He married Cornelia Maria Lane in 1875, with whom he had two sons, and died in Warsaw, N.Y. in 1924.

To view an image of the Robinson family tree, click on the thumbnail below:

Statement on potentially harmful content in archival collections
Milne Library is committed to building and preserving special collections and archives which support learning and understanding of American history, local history, and the history of SUNY Geneseo as part of our mission to support research, teaching, and learning.

Readers and viewers of the primary source materials found in the College Archives and Special Collections and the digital primary sources found in KnightScholar should be aware that some of the historical objects found in these collections represent harmful and offensive material that reflected society and culture at the time of their creation.

Milne Library does not endorse these past expressed attitudes and beliefs. The Library provides access to archival materials so that they may be studied as historical objects and illustrations of evolving societal norms and culture and to expose the negative impact that past beliefs, behaviors, and practices had and continue to have on certain groups.

Please contact members of the KnightScholar Services Team knightscholar@geneseo.edu with any questions or concerns.

Submissions from 1865 1865

Letter to Sister---May 24, 1865, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---May 6, 1865, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---April 14, 1865, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---April 6, 1865, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Father---March 24, 1865, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---March 18, 1865, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---February 26, 1865, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---February 15, 1865, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---January 12, 1865, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Submissions from 1864 1864

Letter to Father---December 10, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---December 3, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother and Hannah---November 26, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---October 23, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---October 15, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---September 22, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---September 14, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---September 9, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---September 6, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---August 27, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---August 22, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---August 15, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---August 14, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---August 8, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---August 3, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Sister Hannah---July 23, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---July 18, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Sister Hannah---July 18, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Father---July 15, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---July 9, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---July 6, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Sister Hannah---July 3, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---June 26, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Sister Hannah---June 27, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---June 22, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---June 5, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---May 26, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Sister Hannah---May 26, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---May 22, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---May 15, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---April 30, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Jonathan---April 25, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---April 24, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---April 20, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Father---April 16, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

unaddressed---April 14, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---April 5, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---March 30, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---March 21, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Ren---February 18, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Mendell---February 15, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---February 3, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---January 26, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother and Sister Han---January 19, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---January 12, 1864, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Submissions from 1863 1863

Letter to Mother---December 30, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---December 30. 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Mendell---December 24, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---December 24, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---December 18, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---December 17, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---December 9, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Mendell---November 25, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Sister Hannah---November 12, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---November 6, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---November 2, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Mendell---October 31, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Father---October 31, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Sister Hannah---October 31, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Ren---October 30, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---October 25, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---October 21, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Mendell---October 8, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---October 2, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Sister---October 8, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---October 8, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---October 3, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---September 26, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---September 23, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---September 14, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---September 6, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Father and Mother---September 3, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---August 24, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---August 18, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---August 18, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---August 15, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Mendell---August 9, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---August 7, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Men---July 31, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Father---July 31, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---July 27, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---July 26, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---July 21, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---July 18, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---July 14, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Brother Ren---July 11, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---July 10, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---July 3, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---June 24, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Parents---June 21, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson

Letter to Mother---June 18, 1863, Dott (Elisha) Randolph Robinson