February 2026 Meeting

Time: Feb 25, 2026 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88901754859

Meeting ID: 889 0175 4859

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

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 Post Office and Dead Letter Office went to extraordinary efforts to return these images to a rightful recipient. Melissa Winn will share photos from her collection of Dead Letter Office images and tell the touching story of these interrupted sentiments and the noble efforts by many to send them home. 

 About Melissa:

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, for which she served as the primary photo researcher, photographer, and a regular writer. She’s a Senior Editor for Military Images magazine, with a regular column focused on women and the Civil War; Editor of Shavings, the member newsletter of the Early American Industries Association, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Civil War Roundtable Congress; and President of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table. Winn received a BA in English from the University of Wisconsin. She’s a member of the Professional Photographers Association, Authors Guild, Women's Relief Corps, and the Center for Civil War Photography.