Philip Lutes collection, 1862-1863

Card showing Afro-American Union soldier bayonetting Confederate soldier. Color lithograph by H. L. Stephens.

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. .

Location: Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center (Fremont, Ohio)
Background: Lutes was a resident of Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, where he served in Company K of the 100th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He was imprisoned at Richmond, Va., where he died less than two months after his capture.
Contents: The collection contains thirteen letters (Sept. 1862- July 1863), written to Lutes's older half brother, John Barr, who resided in Sandusky County. The letters were written from various locations in Kentucky and provide descriptions of military duties and camp life. The collection also contains two handwritten poems: "Sherman's March to the Sea" and an untitled. The letters include comments regarding slavery, reasons for enlisting, and African Americans who served as aides to Union officers. Lutes expressed resentment of African Americans who received higher pay and more privileges than the Union soldiers, his views on slavery which he hoped would be abolished, and his belief that an African colony should be established.