Nothing has yet been learned about William B. Phillips' imprisonment as a prisoner of war following the Battle of the Crater. Unlike many of those who were imprisoned, however, we know that William did not perish. A letter addressed to William from Mr. Richards tells us that William was paroled in early March 1865. Another letter, dated on April 9, 1865, from William to his "dear Annie" tells us that he has made his way to Washington, D.C., is about to be discharged, and has prospects for employment. One final letter is included in the collection presented here, which seems a fitting conclusion to the story. It was written by William to Annie Richards on May 27, 1865 from his parents home in Cwmavon, Glamorganshire, Wales. Here, in sentimental and earnest prose, William asks for Annie's hand in marriage.

A summary of the letters

Date	From	To	Contents
11/9/1864	Harry F. Evans	Annie Richards	The USS Susquehanna tows the Monitor Monadnock out of New York Harbor.
3/11/1865	Thomas Richards	Wm Phillips	Congratulates William on his being paroled from Confederate prison camp, informs him of attempts to communicate with him while imprisoned and also to send money, encourages him to return home as soon as possible.
3/12/1865	Harry F. Evans	Annie Richards	Apologizes for offending Annie in previous correspondence, introduces her to a shipmate who is anxious for a "cheerful correspondent."
4/9/1865	Wm Phillips	Annie Richards	Informs Annie of his whereabouts and activities since being paroled, mentions his impending discharge and possible employment opportunity.
5/27/1865	Wm Phillips	Annie Richards	Describes his return to Wales and hometown reception by family and friends, mentions his plans for visiting relatives during the coming weeks, and finally closes by asking Annie to marry him when he returns to Pennsylvania.
11/14/1865	Harry F. Evans	Wm Phillips	Admonishes Bill for not writing, describes activities of Brazilian Squadron, shore leave in Rio de Janeiro, whole crew drinking at St. Catherine's Island, anticipates coming home before long.

A few artifacts to accompany the letters

	This US patch is a family heirloom of the descendants of William B. Phillips. It was worn on the front of his officer's Kepi hat such as can be seen in the image below of a similar hat on display at the Smithsonian Institute.
	This Union officer's kepi hat shows the distinctive US patch that was worn by officer's. This hat is on display at the Smithsonian Institute.
	This First Lieutenant Artillery Officer's insignia was worn by William B. Phillips while serving as 1st Lt & Adjutant of the "Provisional Heavies" from April to August 1864.
	This 1861-5 vintage carte-de-visite image of an America sailor was found among the artifacts and letters belonging to William B. Phillips. The brim of the sailor's hat appears to have the word "Cumbria" on it. The Cumbria was a Union transport steamer that operated in the Gulf of Mexico in 1862-3. The image was taken by D. K. Brownell of Scranton, PA. Perhaps it was Harry F. Evans, Annie's cousin, who was known to serve on the frigate USS Susquehanna in 1864-5. See Harry's three letters above.

Click on images above to enlarge them.