{"id":12519,"date":"2026-07-22T21:11:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T21:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/library\/?st-import=9cef5e19b2a42e49712ddef9fe95d887"},"modified":"2026-07-22T21:11:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T21:11:51","slug":"cawla-celebrates-america-250-with-250000-letters-and-counting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/library\/2026\/07\/22\/cawla-celebrates-america-250-with-250000-letters-and-counting\/","title":{"rendered":"CAWLA Celebrates America 250 with 250,000 Letters and Counting"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Leatherby Libraries\u2019 Center for American War Letters Archives<\/a> (CAWLA) is dedicated to preserving and making accessible wartime correspondence and related materials between U.S. service members and their loved ones, from the American Revolution to the present. To honor America\u2019s Semiquincentennial (250 years) of independence, CAWLA is thrilled to announce that it has acquired more than 250,000 letters!<\/p>\n

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On Veteran\u2019s Day 2023, CAWLA\u2019s Founding Director Andrew Carroll kicked off the Archives\u2019 campaign to reach 250,000 letters by July 4, 2026, with a Dear Abby<\/a> letter marking the 25th anniversary of the War Letters Project. To hit the goal in time, Leatherby Libraries and the Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives staff<\/a> created the Project 250 Task Force to handle the influx of collection donations.<\/p>\n

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One of the latest collections we received includes a Civil War letter, written by Union Army Captain Daniel Kauffman from a field hospital to his cousin on April 20, 1865. He conveys his relief that the war was over and grief about President Abraham Lincoln\u2019s assassination, which had occurred just a few days earlier.<\/p>\n

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The Project 250 Task Force successfully hit its 250,000 letter goal in December 2025, over half a year ahead of schedule! To date, the staff has processed 264,604 letters<\/strong>, and that number continues to increase!<\/p>\n

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CAWLA is grateful to the following Task Force members, whose incredibly hard work made this possible:<\/p>\n