Help Me Save a Small Piece of Civil War History

I rarely bid on online auctions, but I recently came across a collection that deserves to be preserved and eventually housed in a museum, where it can be used by researchers and appreciated by the public.

The collection includes approximately 20 letters written by J.B. (John Bird) Foster (1839-1915), who served in the 15th Mississippi Regiment, and later worked as a medical doctor in Increase and Enzor, Mississippi. He was very active as a veteran and attended a number of reunions. The letters are addressed to a young girl by the name of Bonnie Eloise Mauney, who lived in Kings Mountain, North Carolina between 1904 and 1911.

While the letters exploring his life as a Civil War soldier and his attendance at reunions looks to be incredibly rich, the real prize of this collection is Foster’s artwork on the envelopes. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

I don’t think I need to say much more for you to appreciate the value of this collection.

How You Can Help

I made an initial offer that was far below the asking price, but surprisingly the seller’s counteroffer has us only about $1000 apart. I thought it might be worth trying to make up the difference by encouraging some of you to upgrade to a paid subscription.

Your paid subscription will give you access to all of this site’s content along with the ability to leave comments following posts, but you will also help me close in on striking a deal for this important collection of documents.

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My Plans for the Collection

From what I’ve seen, the documents shed light on the importance of veterans’ reunions and the meaning that men like Foster attached to their service in the war. Every archival collection prompts questions and I already have a long list that I would love to have the opportunity to follow up on at some point.

If I do come into possession of the collection, with your help, you can most definitely expect to see a series of posts here about Foster that features this collection.

Wouldn’t you like to know more about this man?

The folkart on the envelopes alone would certainly make for an interesting article for a magazine like Civil War Monitor. Perhaps the collection could also be utilized for a more scholarly piece in a journal or other publication.

The most important thing is that the collection is saved and protected.

Thanks so much for your help.