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Nineteenth-century American military collection
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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Mexican War (1846-1848) and the American Civil War (1861-1865) were two seminal American military conflicts of the ninteenthy century.
The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) stemmed from the annexation of Texas to the United States and the ensuing dispute between the United States and Mexico over the territorial extent of the new state of Texas. The war, which proved highly controversial, was supported by President James K. Polk and the Democratic Party, and opposed by the Whig Party and abolitionist elements, the latter of whom saw the war as an attempt to extend slavery into the conquered Mexican territories. Decisive American military victories resulted in the annexation of over 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory, and, in turn, spawned further political discord over the expansion of slavery. The Compromise of 1850 emerged as a temporary resolution: it admitted California as a free state and ceded the issue to popular sovereignty in the remaining territories.
The American Civil War (1861-1865) was a civil war fought between the 23 states of the federal government (the "Union") and 11 Southern states which sought to secede and form their own nation, the Confederate States of America (or, the Confederacy). The Civil War was the product of decades of tension over slavery, trade and tariffs, states' rights and the fundamentally different economies of the North and the South. The ensuing war claimed the lives of over 600,000 soldiers and wounded another 275,000, in addition to an unknown number of civilians wounded or slain. In terms of body count, it remains the deadliest war in American history. Although fought using many of the tactics of earlier wars, the Civil War is regarded as one of the earliest industrial wars, owing to its widespread use of new technologies such as railroads, iron clad ships, telegraph lines, and mass produced weaponry. The Civil War ended in the destruction of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery in America. While it strengthened the role of the federal government, it left behind social, political, economic, and racial tensions which remained violentally active long after the war's end.
"American Civil War." Encylopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2011. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/19407/American-Civil-War. Accessed 16 December 2011."Mexican War." Encylopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2011. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/379134/Mexican-American-War. Accessed 15 December 2011.
The Nineteenth-century American military collection is an artificial collection that contains 1.6 linear feet of American military records spanning the period 1846-1903. The bulk of the collection dates from the American Civil War (1861-1865). Additional records are from the Reconstruction period (1865-1877) and the remainder of the nineteenth century. There are also five items pertaining to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and two documents from the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers from 1856-1858. The records primarily document the administrative and bureaucratic logistics of waging a war and maintaining an army. Items include official correspondence between officers; orders; morning, tri-monthly and consolidated reports of unit manpower and supplies; food inspections; cargo and livestock manifests; provisions for supplies; and discharges and appointments of individual soldiers. Some personal letters (11 items) to and from Civil War soldiers are also present, as are a number of personal letters to and from Civil War veterans written during the post-war period.
Notable items in this collection include a William Tecumseh Sherman manuscript; an apparent forgery of Abraham Lincoln's signature; and a certification of the muster-out-roll for Sylvester Butcher, a private in the US Colored Troops.
The collection is organized chronologically into four series: I. Pre-Civil War; II. Civil War; III. Post-Civil War; and IV. Veterans' documents.
Series I contains five documents pertaining to the Mexican War (1846-1848) and two records from the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers from 1856-1858. The Mexican War documents are administrative in nature, and include official correspondence, a morning report, and an inventory of supplies. The Topographical Engineers records consist of two vouchers for expenses incurred on duty.
Series II, which comprises the bulk of the collection, contains records of the Union Army during the Civil War. (No records of the Confederacy are present.) The records, which are primarily administrative in nature, are organized by the state or territory from which they originated. Multiple regiments and units are represented within each region. Official correspondence and orders provide information on the engagement and management of individual units both on and off the battlefield. Administrative record-keeping documents such as morning reports, food inspections, cargo manifests, and requisitions for supplies document the day-to-day manpower and movements of individual units. Although most of the records are official in nature, Series II also includes eleven personal letters to and from Union Army soldiers, which are interfiled with the other documents from their relevant regions. The personal letters are noted in the container list.
Series III consists of official military records post-dating the American Civil War. The document types are similar to those found in Series II. As in Series II, these records are organized by the state or territory from which they originated. Many of the documents in Series III were originally collected as examples of the autographs of various Civil War officers.
Series IV contains the personal and business correspondence of former soldiers, primarily American Civil War veterans. A number of the documents consist of letters from former soldiers seeking political patronage or requesting aid in obtaining civilian employment. Other letters document veterans’ attempts to document and commemorate the Civil War through published writings, private reunions and commemorative associations. Many of the documents in Series IV were originally collected as examples of the autographs of various Civil War officers.
A handwritten item-level description of the collection was prepared in the 1970s and is available in the collection files.
- Box 1: Shelved in SPEC MSS record center cartons
- Boxes 2-3: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes
Gift of the Moyerman family, 1970.
Processed and encoded by Alexander Clark Johnston, April 2012.
People
Organization
- United States. Army--History--19th century
- United States. Army--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States. Army. Office of the Chief of Engineers--History--19th century
- United States. Colored Troops
- United States. War Department--History--19th century
Subject
- Mexican War, 1846-1848
- Patronage, Political--United States--History--19th century
- Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)
Place
Occupation
- Publisher
- University of Delaware Library Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Finding Aid Date
- 2012 April 2
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce isrequired from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec
Collection Inventory
Series I contains five documents pertaining to the Mexican War (1846-1848) and two records from the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers from 1856-1858. The Mexican War documents are administrative in nature, and include official correspondence, a morning report, and an inventory of supplies. The Topographical Engineers records consist of two vouchers for expenses incurred on duty.
5 items
Vouchers, signed by R. S. Williamson and J. L. Kirby Smith, both of whom later served in the American Civil War.
Physical Description2 items
Series II, which comprises the bulk of the collection, contains records of the Union Army of the Civil War. (No records of the Confederacy are present.) The records, which are primarily administrative in nature, are organized by the state or territory from which they originated. Multiple regiments and units are represented within each region. Official correspondence and orders provide information on the engagement and management of individual units both on and off the battlefield. Administrative record-keeping documents such as morning reports, food inspections, cargo manifests, and requisitions for supplies document the day-to-day manpower and movements of individual units. Although most of the records are official in nature, Series II also includes eleven personal letters to and from Union Army soldiers, which are interfiled with the other documents from their relevant regions. The personal letters are noted in the container list.
7 items
5 items
1 item
45 items
54 items
46 items
Includes one item of personal correspondence: Autograph letter signed, M. Goldsmith, Louisville, [Kentucky] to [illegible], 25 February 1864, in which Goldsmith complained about his commanding officers and the bureacractic nature of his work.
Physical Description37 items
14 items
4 items
8 items
2 items
Includes one William Tecumseh Sherman-related manuscript: Autograph letter signed, Peter F. Sullivan, Headquarters, near Jackson, Mississippi, to Lieutenant Colonel Seutes, 20 July 20 1863; with an additional autograph note signed by William Tecumseh Sherman, 20 July 1863. Sullivan desrcibed his military service (including being "severely wounded" at the Battle of Shiloh) and requested permission to organize a regiment in Ohio. Sherman endorsed Sullivan's request, but the request was denied by order of Ulysses S. Grant.
Physical Description52 items
5 items
1 item
1 item
2 items
32 items
Printed in New York by Francis & Loutrel. Leaf [14r] inscribed: “New Berne NC / March 3rd 1865 / Head Quarters Dist of NC / the above is wrong / Head Quarters / 1st Division Dist. Of Beaufort.” Ten leaves contain handwritten drafts of military orders (on the recto leaf only), most of which appear in duplicate or triplicate on the carbon paper; all are inscribed in the same hand. The orders are attributed to Brigadier General J. N. Palmer and are signed by William Goodrich, Jr., aide-de-camp. An eleventh leaf contains the names and addresses of subsequent owners, inscribed in different hands: John M. Taylor; Embreeville C. [Jerm?], dated 1872 and 1878. All of the subsequent leaves are blank.
Physical Description1 bound journal of carbon copy paper
2 pieces of personal correspondence. Autograph letter signed, George Dissinger, North Laurenc, Stark County, Ohio, to Lusinda Keller, 15 June 1861, in which Dissinger professed his love of Keller and asked about a rumor that she spent the night with another man. He asked her to join him in Ohio. The letter is inscribed on stationery with a printed image of an American flag, a cannon, and the lines "Death to Traitors!" The second item is an autograph letter signed, J. E. McLinne, Darby Creek, [Madison County, Ohio], to "Dear Sir," 24 September 1863, in which McLinne reported the death of Lieutenant James E. Mitchell, who died "from the bite of a tarantula or some poisonous insect."
Physical Description2 items
Includes one item of personal correspondence: Autograph letter signed, "Father," Philadelphia, to Cortland, 13 March 1861. The letter is written by a civilian.
Physical Description10 items
53 items
Includes one item of personal correspondence: Autograph letter signed, G.L. Bowman, Beauford, SC to "Cousin," 14 December 1861, in which Bowman described an attack upon Confederate troops. The letter is inscribed on stationery with printed Headquarters letterhead and an image of General John Adams Dix.
Physical Description28 items
43 items
36 items
Includes an apparent forgery of Abraham Lincoln's signature on a holograph order regarding the dismissal of James Cox for absence without authority. Autograph letter signed, E. D. Towsend, War Department, Adjutant General's Office to Head Quarters, Davis Brigade, Folly Island, South Carolina, 29 July 1863. The order is inscribed "Approved - A. Lincoln" in the upper left corner. The word "forgery" is inscribed in pencil in the lower right corner.
Physical Description43 items
42 items
25 items
Includes a holograph copy of an order from Brigadier General L. A. Gillmore (Headquarters, Department of the South, Morris Island, South Carolina, 12 July 1863), in which he congratulated the soldiers for their success in capturing Morris Island. The soldiers had assaulted the Confederate batteries at Morris Island under heavy artillery fire; according to Gillmore, this was the first time in the entire war that such an assault had succeeded.
Physical Description25 items
20 items
18 items
57 items
Includes two court martial documents. One, a holograph order dated 16 December 1863, sentenced Private John Kindall to death for desertion "with the intention of joining the enemy," and further commanded all soldiers in the division to assemble to witness the execution. The second, a holograph order dated 31 December 1863, sentenced Private Reuben Becker to hard labor for desertion.
Physical Description28 items
28 items
26 items
26 items
50 items
43 items
40 items
40 items
47 items
Includes a six page holograph order, titled "Notes of Reference," listing marching orders and battle plans for troops operating in Jackson, Tennessee. The document is marked "confidential." Signed General G. T. Beauregard, Jackson, Tenneesee, 3-4 March 1862; marked received at Headquarters, Western Department, 7 March 1862. Includes a holograph order, issued by Major General J. A. Campbell, Headquarters U.S. Forces, Camp on Battle Creek, 20 August 1862, granted safe passage to James Hill and his party. Hill had "been driven from his home by the Rebels near Chattanooga" and was resettling in Ohio.
Physical Description23 items
50 items
8 items
Includes a letter from a soldier requesting a promotion: autograph letter signed, Sergeant Paul Evertre, Company "A," 100th Regiment, to Brigadier General Naglee, Gloucester Point, [Virginia], 10 December 1862. Evertre provided an account of his military service in support of his request.
Physical Description23 items
38 items
41 items
Includes a holograph transcript of "statements of prisoners to the Provost Marshall at Yorktown, Virginia," 19 November 1862. It contains the statements of Edwin Pierce, an 18-year-old conscript from Baltimore; William Thomas, a 20-year-old conscript from Florida; and John Hawkins, an 18-year-old conscript, each of whom provided information on the current strength and location of their units.
Physical Description49 items
Includes two items of personal correspondence. Autograph letter signed: W. W. Hawkins, Camp on Ball Plains, near Fredericksburg, Virginia, to "Father," 30 November 1862. Hawkins wrote of a deserter being put on trial, a visit from President Lincoln and an approaching battle. ; Autograph letter signed: G. W. Jones, Culpepper, Virginia, to "Mrs Shingle," 17 January 1864. Jones wrote regarding Shingle's brother, Edward Dill, who had died in a military hospital. Jones wrote to return Dill's personal effects and inform Shingle of where her brother is buried.
Physical Description24 items
24 items
Includes two items of personal correspondence. Autograph letter signed: "John," Washington, D.C., to "dear ones at home," 29 May 1863. John wrote of his march to Washington, D.C., where he was serving on the defenses. He commented on the architecture in the city, noted that he wished to visit the Smithsonian Institute, and that he has enclosed a rose picked in Virginia (the rose does not survive). The letter is inscribed on stationery with a printed image of a Union soldier standing at attention with musket and affixed bayonet, beside a cannon and tents. The second item is an autograph letter signed, J. L. Brooke to James Sloan, Co. G., 1st Infantry Regiment PR Volunteers, General Meades Division, via Washington, D.C., undated. Brooke complained vehemently and at length about the policital situation. He also commented on his unit's losses in a recent battle, and noted that many of the soldiers had been permanently disabled by their wounds. The file also includes an evelope addressed to Abraham Lincoln; no letter or enclosure is included.
Physical Description16 items
16 items
34 items
29 items
Primarily from the Port of Philadelphia.
Physical Description39 items
Joseph Fulton Boyd was the Chief Quartermaster of the Army of the Ohio.
Physical Description23 items
21 items
Consists of military records which could not be identified to a specific locality. Also includes some blank forms.
Physical Description30 items
Series III consists of official military records postdating the American Civil War. The document types are similar to those found in Series II. As in Series II, these records are organized by the state or territory from which they originated. Many of the documents in Series III were originally collected as examples of the autographs of various Civil War officers.
29 items
1 item
6 items
5 items
5 items
18 items
90 items
Includes a certification of the muster-out-roll for Sylvester Butcher, a private in Company C, 43rd Regiment, US Colored Troops, dated 15 March 1882 and signed by James W. Latta. Butcher served from 22 March 1864 to 20 October 1865.
Series IV contains the personal and business correspondence of former soldiers, primarily American Civil War veterans. A number of the documents are letters from former soldiers seeking political patronage or requesting aid in obtaining civilian employment. Other letters document veterans’ attempts to document and commemorate the Civil War through published writings, private reunions, and commemorative associations. Many of the documents in Series IV were originally collected as examples of the autographs of various Civil War officers.
Correspondents include the following: George U. Barnard, H. J. Crump, L. M. Dayton, H. M. Enos, W. H. Forbes, C. C. Holmes, Sanford G. Kellogg, Loomis L. Langdon, Nicoll Ludlow, William Ludlow, W. S. Rosecrans, William Walsh, and Henry A. Weeks.
Physical Description34 items
Printed by the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Col. Jennings commanded the 26th Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia, the regiment sent to defend Gettysburg on June 23.
Physical Description1 item
1 item