Correspondence

This small collection of William Oland Bourne’s correspondence includes drafts of letters he composed to prominent politicians about issues of the day, but is primarily comprised of letters received by Bourne in relation to the left-hand penmanship contests sponsored by Bourne’s newspaper, The Soldier’s Friend. Some of the letters from veterans may have been intended as penmanship contest entries, or are supplemental to the contest entries found elsewhere in the collection. Notable correspondents include James A. Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, Oliver Otis Howard, John A. Logan, and William T. Sherman.