The letters of James Love (Irish officer in Civil War)

Molly Kodner

Archivist

My Dear Molly: The Civil War Letters of Captain James Love

The archival collections of the Missouri Historical Society (MHS) are bursting with firsthand accounts of historic and everyday moments, but when archivist M. E. Kodner first read the James Love letters, she knew they were extraordinary. My Dear Molly consists of 160 letters St. Louisan James Love wrote to his fiancée, Eliza Mary “Molly” Wilson, during his Civil War service. In addition to detailing the couple’s love story, the letters discuss the war, including activities in Missouri, battles, Love’s life as a soldier, and his time in Confederate prisons. Spanning the entire Civil War period, the letters give a full account of both the ongoing conflict and the many different aspects of Love’s life, making My Dear Molly a unique contribution to literature of the time period.

~Missouri Historical Society