Call Number:

C0534

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 1 box
• 0.4 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Paul Ambrose Oliver Collection, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1862-1912 (inclusive)

Creator:

Oliver, Paul Ambrose, 1830-1912

Form:

Correspondence.

Abstract:

Consists mainly of letters by Civil War Army officer Paul Ambrose Oliver.

Paul Ambrose Oliver worked in the shipping business prior to the start of the Civil War. In 1861, Oliver joined the 12th Regiment of the New York National Guard as a second lieutenant. During the war, Oliver was present at the battles of 2nd Bull Run, Antietam, Fredricksburg, and Chancellorsville. Oliver left the army in 1865, having been brevetted to the rank of brigadier general of volunteers for his actions at Resaca, Ga. In 1892, Oliver was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his conduct at Resaca. Following the war, Oliver established and operated an explosives factory in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

The collection consists mainly of letters by Oliver but includes some letters by other correspondents. The collection contains letters by him to family members, especially to his brother Samuel, while he was an officer in the Union Army (1862-1865) during the Civil War. In addition, there is a history of the 12th Regiment of the New York National Guard, of which Oliver was a member, and the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to him for valor during a battle (1864) at Resaca, Ga.

Letters by Oliver precede letters to him.