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 xi Preface A letter dated September 14, 1863, from William McKnight to his wife, Samaria, describes General Ambrose Burnside’s operations in eastern Tennessee and the Union action around the Cumberland Gap. Reading the letter, I was intrigued about the possibility of additional letters in the family ’s possession. Matt Hauger provided the September 14, 1863, letter and indicated that his family had additional correspondence, approximately thirty to forty more letters.1 Further inquiry elicited that there are well over one hundred letters in the McKnight collection. The letters were in two locations: some were in the possession of Terry Hauger (Matt’s father); the others were with an aunt in Ohio (one additional letter was added to the collection by Ruth Hayth of Wellston, Ohio).2 A few short months later, the collection was in one site, and I was provided the opportunity to review, Envelopes addressed to Samaria McKnight. Courtesy of Terry Hauger. You are reading copyrighted material published by Ohio University Press/Swallow Press. Unauthorized posting, copying, or distributing of this work except as permitted under U.S. copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. preface  xii copy, and transcribe the letters with the family’s blessing. Most of the letters are written on fibrous paper and folded in the original envelopes, approximately three by five inches in size. As the project was developing, I invited Jason Combs to join me as coeditor . His scholarship and writing skills have been great additions to the research and editing of the letters. We have worked well together, as our abilities complement each other. Working with William McKnight’s descendants throughout this project has been worthwhile both personally and professionally, and we thank them for their generosity and goodwill. Envelopes addressed to Samaria McKnight and Lieutenant William McKnight. Courtesy of Terry Hauger. You are reading copyrighted material published by Ohio University Press/Swallow Press. Unauthorized posting, copying, or distributing of this work except as permitted under U.S. copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. ...

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