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Lincoln Library Acquires Civil War Letters

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Dec 28, 2008 8:41 am US/Central

Lincoln Library Acquires Civil War Letters

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ― A collection of letters and sketches penned by a Civil War soldier has been acquired by Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

The correspondence was purchased from the Union soldier's family for $25,000.

Born in Scotland in 1823, William Wyllie became a corporal with the 58th Illinois Infantry after enlisting from St. Charles.

Library officials say his letters are extremely detailed. They include accounts of a whiskey riot and the Red River Campaign of 1864. Wyllie was a guard at a Confederate prison and spent time knitting gloves and socks to send to his children.

Diane Basten of Springfield, Mo., is one of his descendants. She says her ancestor "names names" in his letters and someone is going to find our their ancestor was a deserter.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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