Call Number:

C1447

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 2 boxes
• 0.6 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Julius Hall and Jared Kimberly Papers of the 1st California Regiment, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1861-1913 (bulk) and 1804-1927 (inclusive)

Creator:

Hall, Julius C., 1840-1913

Form:

Diaries -- 19th century, Letters -- 19th century., Memoirs -- 19th century., and Regimental histories--19th century.

Abstract:

Julius C. Hall and his friend Jared T. Kimberly grew up together in rural Wallingford, Connecticut, and went to California to seek their fortunes during the early days of the Civil War. Hiking through the wilderness from San Francisco to Oregon, they nearly lost their lives in an Indian attack, before enlisting together in Company K of the 1st California Infantry Regiment, which embarked on an epic march from San Francisco to Fort Craig in New Mexico. This collection contains first-hand accounts of these two men's Civil War service as they encountered the occasional Confederate sympathizer, but more often Apaches and Navajos who were resisting American encroachment into their territory.

Julius C. Hall (1840-1913) and his friend Jared T. Kimberly (1840-1917) grew up together in rural Wallingford, Connecticut and went to California to seek their fortunes during the early days of the Civil War. Hiking through the wilderness from San Francisco to Oregon, they nearly lost their lives in an Indian attack. They enlisted together in Company K of the 1st California Volunteers Infantry Regiment, which embarked on an epic march from San Francisco to Fort Craig in New Mexico. They encountered the occasional Confederate sympathizer, but more often, Apaches and Navajos who were resisting American encroachment into their territory.

Julius C. Hall, son of Jeremiah A. (1807-1892) and Jemima Field (1807-1858) Hall, was raised on a farm in Wallingford, Connecticut, along with his siblings, Henry D. (1836-1923), J. Atwater (1838-1900), and Harriet (b. 1843). After the death of their mother, their father married Ursula Palmer (d. 1903). The family appears to have been close, with Henry D. and J. Atwater Hall working together as butchers during the war. Hall left Wallingford in August, 1861, to travel to California and the West, mentioning in several of his letters his desire to see the country. On November 9, 1861, encouraged by fellow travelers, Hall and Kimberly enlisted in Company K of the 1st California Volunteers Infantry Regiment. Company K traveled, largely by foot, from California, to Arizona, to Texas, and to New Mexico during their three years of service. Although coming into contact, occasionally, with Confederate soldiers and Native Americans, it appears that neither Hall nor Kimberly participated in any conflicts with either. Many of their days were spent marching, at camp, or building fortifications. Hall mustered out of service on November 29, 1864, and returned to Connecticut, where he joined his brothers in working as a butcher. He married Mary B. Higgins (b. 1843) and they were the parents of Mabel C. Hall (1878-1957). Hall maintained contact with his fellow soldier, George H. Pettis, and wrote several versions of his memoirs, which were never published. He died in 1913.

Jared T. Kimberly, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Olds Kimberly, also grew up in Wallingford, Connecticut, apparently friends of Julius C. Hall and his brothers, Henry D. and J. Atwater Hall. With Hall, he traveled to California and Oregon, and enlisted in Company K. His experiences were similar to Hall's, although it is difficult to determine if they were sent on different details during the war. After mustering out of the United States Army, Kimberly also returned to Wallingford, where he became a dentist. He married Charlotte Francis Chatfield (1851-1924), and they had one son, Jared Raymond Kimberly (1878-1945). Kimberly died in 1917.

The Julius Hall and Jared Kimberly Papers on the 1st California Regiment contains first-hand accounts of two men from Connecticut who served as Union soldiers in Company K from 1861 to 1864. The collection consists of Julius C. Hall's correspondence with his family, an article written by him detailing his experiences during his service, and three versions of his unpublished memoirs; and Jared T. Kimberly's diary and letters. Together, these accounts provide a fascinating glimpse into Civil War service, far from the main campaigns and battles of the Civil War. Both men are fiercely patriotic, but, at the same time, critical of the political environment of the early 1860s. Perhaps because neither of the soldiers appears to have seen any action in the war, they did not become as disillusioned with the war as many who fought in battles on the east coast of the United States. They were openly hostile towards the Native Americans, basing much of their discussion and, probably, their own opinions upon atrocity stories told by their fellow soldiers. On several occasions, they both relate, in letters or in diary, the same event and subsequent consequences. While Hall appears to have been fairly satisfied with army life and his time in California, Arizona, and New Mexico, Kimberly was critical of the area, the forts, and army life. Both men regularly expressed their desire to return to their home in Connecticut.

Researchers interested in the Civil War, generally, and the Civil War in California and the Southwest, in particular, will find this collection to be extremely valuable. Researchers interested in soldiers' opinions on the federal government during the Civil War should consult the letters of both Hall and Kimberly. Further, the memorialization of the war is well documented by Hall's article, memoirs, and correspondence with George H. Pettis, who wrote a regimental history of Company K of the 1st California Volunteer Infantry (included in the collection).

Arranged in three series.