Allen, William M. Correspondence, 1858-1863. 22 items. Location: E:3. Farmer of Holmesville, Pike County, Mississippi. His sister, Letty, and her husband, John Houston, owned a farm in Minden, Webster Parish, Louisiana. William and his brother Felix were Confederate soldiers in the Mississippi Volunteers. Pre-Civil War letters from Houston discuss farming conditions, his advocacy of secession, and local social events. Civil War letters to Allen describe skirmishes in Kentucky and Louisiana, and war news such as the shelling of Port Hudson, Louisiana. Family affairs, illness and remedies, and attendance at the New Orleans School of Medicine are other topics in the letters. Available on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 1. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 701, 2287.