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Lincoln at the Library

Dead Letter Office Images: The Civil War's Lost Sentiments

Melissa Winn shares photos from her collection of Dead Letter Office images and tells the touching story of these interrupted sentiments and the noble efforts by many to send them home.

On July 8, 2026, at 6:30 pm ET, the Allen County Public Library is hosting Melissa Winn via Zoom.

During the Civil War years, hundreds of thousands of soldiers wrote letters home, many containing card-sized photos of themself. By the end of the conflict, thousands of letters and images remained undelivered at the Dead Letter Office in Washington, D.C. For decades after the war, the employees of the Dead Letter Office went to extraordinary efforts to return these images to a rightful recipient. Melissa shares photos from her collection of Dead Letter Office images and tells the touching story of these interrupted sentiments and the noble efforts by many to send them home.

Melissa A. Winn is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Previously, she was the Marketing Manager for the American Battlefield Trust and Director of Photography for HistoryNet, publisher of nine history-related magazines, including America’s Civil War, American History, and Civil War Times.

Melissa is a Senior Editor for Military Images magazine, with a regular column focused on women and the Civil War. She is the editor of Shavings and The Chronicle, the member publications of the Early American Industries Association, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Civil War Roundtable Congress and the Manassas Battlefield Trust; and serves as President of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table.

Email Lincoln@acpl.info for any questions.

Lincoln at the Library is sponsored by the Friends of the Allen County Public Library