1859-1901
Guide to the Microfilm Edition
Abstract
This collection consists of papers of James McWhinnie related to his service as a sergeant with the 20th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.
Biographical Sketch
James McWhinnie was born in Thompsonville, Conn. on 6 Mar. 1840. He served as a sergeant with the 20th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War. He was wounded in May 1863 at the Battle of Chancellorsville, and his leg was amputated. After the war, McWhinnie became a Baptist minister, preaching at Lansingburgh, N.Y., Portland, Me., and Cambridgeport, Mass. He married Louise Shailer in 1870, and they had two children, James and Louise. McWhinnie died at Cambridgeport on 2 Mar. 1892.
Collection Description
This collection consists of papers of James McWhinnie, including a memoir, correspondence, and diaries detailing his service as a sergeant with the 20th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, 1862-1863, in particular the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, where he was wounded, and his hospitalization and recovery from leg amputation. The collection also contains diaries kept while he was a student; scrapbooks of clippings related to the Civil War and post-war political events; two carte-de-visite photographs of McWhinnie; and pages from John W. Storrs' book The "Twentieth Connecticut": A Regimental History (1886), which contains an account by McWhinnie of the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Ernest J. Sargeant, December 1996.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Photographs, ca. 1864-1870
The original carte-de-visite photographs have been removed to the MHS Photo Archives and cataloged separately (Photos. 3.001-2).
This photograph depicts McWhinnie in uniform following his injury at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863.
This memoir by McWhinnie describes his Civil War service, in particular the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, where he was wounded, as well as his subsequent hospitalization and recovery from leg amputation.
This correspondence to and from McWhinnie during his stay in hospitals discusses his medical care and his return to Connecticut.
Diaries, 1859-1865
These four diaries kept by McWhinnie include two pre-war diaries (19 Mar. 1859-3 Apr. 1860 and 10 Apr.-11 Dec. 1860) discussing his schooling in Suffield, Conn., church and lecture attendance, and religious reflections; one Civil War diary (2 Sep. 1862-23 Apr. 1863) describing his service in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, with a list of men who served in his regiment; and an 1865 diary he kept after the war as a student at Brown University.
Scrapbooks, 1880-1901
Included are clippings related to the Civil War, the army, reunions, and key participants, as well as several articles written by McWhinnie.
Included are clippings related to national and international events, in particular the assassinations of James Garfield (1881) and William McKinley (1901).
This book entitled The "Twentieth Connecticut": A Regimental History, by John W. Storrs (Ansonia, Conn.: Press of the Naugatuck Valley Sentinel, 1886), contains McWhinnie's account of the Battle of Chancellorsville. Only the title page and the pages of his account have been filmed.
The original book has been removed to the MHS printed collection and cataloged separately.
Preferred Citation
James McWhinnie papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.
Organizations:
Subjects:
Materials Removed from the Collection
Photographs from this collection have been removed to the James McWhinnie photographs (Photos. 3.001-2). The "Twentieth Connecticut": A Regimental History, by John W. Storrs (Ansonia, Conn.: Press of the Naugatuck Valley Sentinel, 1886), has been removed and cataloged separately.