Voices of the Soldiers
The men who built and guarded Fort Duffield left behind a remarkable record of their experiences —
letters home, diary entries, official reports, and personal reflections. These documents preserve
the human story of the winter of 1861–62: the labor, the sickness, the cold, the humor, the fear,
and the determination of the Union soldiers stationed on Muldraugh’s Hill.
This hub brings together every soldier’s voice in one place. Explore the collections below to read
their words exactly as they wrote them.
Letters & Correspondence
Personal letters written by soldiers and families during the construction and occupation of Fort Duffield.
These are the most vivid first‑person accounts of daily life on the hill.
- Halladay Letters — Monroe D. Halladay’s letters and fragments.
- Love Letters — Pvt. John C. Love’s detailed accounts of camp life.
- DeLand Letters — Capt. Charles V. DeLand’s published reports.
- Barker Letter — Early October 1861 movement toward West Point.
- Parkhurst Letters — Lt. Parkhurst’s personal and family letters.
- Duffield Family Letters — Col. Duffield and family correspondence.
- Little Love Letters from the Hill — Combined exhibit of Halladay, Love, and DeLand.
Wellington C. Wells — Diary
Pvt. Wellington C. Wells kept a daily diary from October 25, 1861 through March 31, 1862. His entries
provide a chronological backbone to the letters above — often describing the same events from a different
perspective.
Diary & Letters Cross‑Reference Exhibit
Many letters written from West Point align exactly with Wellington’s diary entries. This exhibit shows
those connections — day by day — revealing how different soldiers described the same weather, rumors,
hardships, and events.
Featured Soldier Exhibits
These curated exhibits combine multiple sources into thematic stories about the soldiers at Fort Duffield.
- The Story of Fort Duffield — Your long‑form interpretive history.
- Little Love Letters from the Hill — A combined narrative of three soldiers.
- Wellington Diary — “So Much to Say”
Why These Voices Matter
Fort Duffield never witnessed a major battle, but the voices of the soldiers reveal a different kind of
Civil War story — one of endurance, labor, sickness, and the quiet determination to hold a strategic
position during a critical moment in Kentucky’s wartime history.
Their words preserve the human experience behind the earthworks still standing on the hill today.