Author: Gloria Wickman

Research Arsenal Spotlight 14: Alfred Homer Johnson of the 30th Georgia Infantry

Posted on by Gloria Wickman

This week our spotlight is on a collection of five letters related to Alfred Homer Johnson who served as a private in Company F of the 30th Georgia Infantry. Alfred Homer Johnson was the son of Handy William Johnson and Frances Matilda (McKneeley) Johnson and was born in Griffin, Georgia. During the war, Handy William Johnson was part of the 2nd Georgia Reserves, while four of his sons, including Alfred Homer Johnson, also joined the Confederate army.

Alfred Homer Johnson first enlisted for one year in Company C of the 39th Georgia Infantry on September 25, 1861. Around May, 1862, he enlisted for the duration of the war in the 30th Georgia Infantry, this time in Company F. Two of his brothers served in the same regiment: James Archibald Johnson and William Gilben “Gip” “Dill” Johnson. A third brother, O. Sidney Johnson, served in the 3rd Georgia Reserves until also transferring to Company F of the 30th Georgia Infantry in May, 1864.

The 30th Georgia Infantry in South Carolina

View of Charleston, South Carolina.

The first letter in our collection written by Alfred Homer Johnson on April 8, 1863. By this time he had already been serving in the 30th Georgia Infantry for about a year. His brothers, James Archibald Johnson, and William Gilben “Gip” Johnson were also serving with him. His youngest brother, O. Sidney Johnson, was about 15 years old and still to young to join the regiment.

The 30th Georgia Infantry had already served duty in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. At the present moment they were part of the defenses of Charleston, South Carolina. And in his letter, Alfred Homer Johnson wrote that he expected a fight soon:

“We are well. I hant got any news to write—only we are here waiting for a fight. We are expecting to be ordered to the battlefield every hour. The Yankees has 9 ironclads inside of the bar now and 40 standing just below the bar now and 75 transports down in the river. That is the news we get out here. I don’t know how true it may be.

We left Gip at Savannah. He is well. We will go back to Savannah just as soon as the excitement is over here at Charleston.”

Despite Alfred Homer Johnson’s fears of an imminent battle, the 30th Georgia Infantry was soon removed from Charleston and sent to Mississippi. It was there that he faced a much more trying moment at the Battle of Jackson.

Alfred Homer Johnson and the Battle of Jackson, Mississippi

Illustration of the Battle of Jackson, Mississippi by A. E. Mathews of the 31st Ohio Infantry via Wikimedia.

In May of 1863, the 30th Georgia Infantry was stationed in Mississippi and facing off against General Ulysses S. Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign. In between the Union Army and Vicksburg was the city of Jackson, Mississippi, and Confederate Forces under command of General Joseph E. Johnston.

Believing that the city could not be defended, General Johnston had his forces withdraw, and his rear guard clashed with Union forces on May 14, 1863. In a letter written on May 23, Alfred Homer Johnson detailed the battle to his parents and the whereabouts of his brothers serving with him:

“There has been a fight at Jackson. We was there in time of the fight. I can’t say that we was in it although all of the boys think we was in it. It is true we was on the battlefield. I only shot three times and if they had come in sight of me, I would have shot more but I wanted to see them. The [buns?] and balls fell very thick around us. I was not scared a bit—more than if it had a been hail. James was not there in the time of the fight, nor Gip. I sent him off in the rear. The Yankees would have taken every one of us if we’ens hadn’t got away just as we did. General Johnston did not intend to fight there. Our force commenced retreating in the night before the fight came next morning. We was left there to hold them in check so our force could get away.

We lost everything we had at Jackson—our clothes, knapsacks, and blankets. We hant got anything, only what we have got on. We lie on the ground every night by the fire. I done about as well with[out] blankets as I done with them. We will get some clothes and blankets I reckon before long. We have been marching every day since we have been here through the mud and it has been raining a great deal. The water is bad and hard to get.

The Yankees got three of our company—William Johnson and William Willis and Arch Head. It is some spoken that Head let the Yankees take him on purpose. I can’t say whether he did or not.”

Death of O. Sidney Johnson

In July, 1864 tragedy repeatedly struck the Johnson family. A short note sent to Handy Johnson at that time revealed grim news about three of his four sons in the Confederate Army:

“Mr. Johnson,

I will send you a word about your boys. I brought a letter from Lieut. J. M. Wise last night. Dilly are wounded in the foot very bad—left foot. Alfred in the face. Sidney are dead. He died on the 30th of June in Atlanta. — L. J. Foster”

Alfred Homer Johnson was wounded during the fighting at Kennesaw Mountain on or around June 27, 1864. His brother, O. Sidney Johnson, died from disease. William Gilben “Dilly” Johnson’s wound in the foot was recoverable, and he not only survived the war but lived until 1920.

On July 14, 1864, Alfred Homer Johnson had recovered enough from his own wounds to write to his family about the sad loss:

“Dear and beloved Mother and Father,

I seat myself to drop a few lines which will inform you of my troubles that is inflicted on me. The solemn and sad news that has come to my ear is this—that I have lost one of my brothers. I heard today that Sidney is passed from time to eternity. Oh! that the poor boy is better off than he was before. He departed from this life to another world. I was impressed that the poor boy could not stand a camp life. I hope the poor boy is better off. I hope he is where there is no war and trouble to be with him.

— Alfred H. Johnson”

Alfred Homer Johnson survived until the end of the Civil War, but finally succumbed to his wounds in 1866. His brother, James Archibald Johnson, also died of wounds received earlier on September 7, 1864.

You can read more of the Alfred Homer Johnson’s letters as well as letters by his brother, James Archibald Johnson, with a Research Arsenal membership.

We’d like to extend a special thanks to William Griffing of Spared & Shared for his work in transcribing and sharing these documents.

If you enjoyed this spotlight, you might want to check out some of our other features, like this post on a photo album of the 25th Ohio Infantry and our collection of letters by Rufus P. Staniels of the 13th New Hampshire Infantry.

 

Research Arsenal Spotlight 13: 25th Ohio Infantry Photo Album

Posted on by Gloria Wickman

This week, we’re taking a look at a photo album of members of the 25th Ohio Infantry. The album contains fifteen cartes de visite (CDVs) of men in the regiment and most of those identified belonged to Company E. Five of the soldiers remain unidentified and consist of two privates, two corporals and a first lieutenant. Many of the CDVs were made in South Carolina. The regiment was stationed in South Carolina for much of the war after 1863, so it is likely the photos were taken sometime between August 1863, and 1865.

History of the 25th Ohio Infantry

The 25th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase, Ohio and mustered into service on June 28, 1861. It initially did duty in western Virginia before becoming part of the 1st Corps of the Army of the Virginia. While part of the Army of the Virginia, the 25th Ohio Infantry fought at the Battle of Cedar Mountain as well as the Second Battle of Bull Run.

In late 1862, the 25th Ohio Infantry became part of the 11th Corps of the Army of the Potomac. As part of the Army of the Potomac, the regiment fought in the Battle of Chancellorsville and the Battle of Gettysburg. It was at the Battle of Gettysburg that one of the soldiers in the album, Nathanial Haughton was wounded. Haughton recovered and went on to become a Brevet Brigadier General before the close of the war.

CDV of Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Haughton, taken at Columbia, South Carolina.

After the Battle of Gettysburg, the 25th Ohio Infantry was transferred to the 10th Army Corps and the Department of the South. The regiment did duty at Hilton Head as well as Folly and Morris Islands. The 25th Ohio Infantry also fought at the Battle of Honey Hill as part of Sherman’s march to the sea. At that battle another of the men in the album was wounded, Private Daniel Knisely of Company E.

CDV of Private Daniel Knisely of Company E, 25th Ohio Infantry taken at Columbus, Ohio.

The 25th Ohio Infantry continued serving in the Department of the South long past the close of the Civil War. The regiment finally mustered out at Todd’s Barracks, Ohio on June 18, 1866.

The Men of the 25th Ohio Infantry

Nathaniel Haughton

The first CDV in the album is of the above mentioned Nathaniel Haughton, taken at Columbia, South Carolina when he was serving as a Lieutenant Colonel. Haughton was born in 1833 and joined the 25th Ohio Infantry on June 5, 1861 as a first lieutenant of Company K. On July 30, 1862, he was promoted to Captain of Company A. About a month after being wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg, he was promoted to Major of the regiment on August 4, 1863, then promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on July 13, 1864. In March 1865, he was promoted to Brevet Brigadier General. Nathaniel Haughton died from a fever after falling into a canal on January 31, 1899 at the age of 65 and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Toledo, Ohio. The Daily Sentinel-Tribune of Bowling Green, Ohio, published February 1, 1899 mentioned the eerie coincidence that Nathaniel Haughton’s brother had been murdered in Toledo several years earlier by being tossed into a canal and drowning.

Edward C. Culp

CDV of Major Edward C. Culp of the 25th Ohio Infantry taken at Columbia, Ohio.

Edward C. Culp was born in Plymouth, Ohio on Mar 23, 1843. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the 25th Ohio Infantry as a sergeant in Company D.  He was promoted to sergeant major on November 1, 1861, second lieutenant of Company C on May 6, 1862, first lieutenant of Company F on September 11, 1862, Captain of Company A on March 15, 1864, Major on January 6, 1865 and then finally Lieutenant Colonel on May 25, 1866, just a few weeks before the regiment was mustered out.

After the war Edward C. Culp went on to serve as a sheriff of Norwalk, Ohio for two terms starting in 1868. He helped organize both the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri by serving as the secretary of the committee on ceremonies for both events. Later he moved to Salina, Kansas where he lived until his death in 1904.

Edward C. Culp also wrote a history of the 25th Ohio Infantry published 1885.

Michael Murray

CDV of Captain Michael Murray of Company E, 25th Ohio Infantry taken at Columbus, South Carolina.

Michael Murray enlisted in Company A of the 25th Ohio Infantry as a private in June, 1861. In March, 1862, some of the officers in his company including First Lieutenant Arthur Higgins and Captain James F. Charlesworth wrote to Governor David Tod recommending Michael Murray be promoted to Second Lieutenant in the Company.  According to Edward C. Culp’s history of the 25th Ohio Infantry, Michael Murray was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. On October 17, 1864, he was promoted to Captain of Company E. He mustered out with the regiment on June 18, 1866.

Oliver P. Hershey

CDV of Second Lieutenant Oliver P. Hershey of Company E, 25th Ohio Infantry taken at Fremont, Ohio.

Oliver P. Hershey enlisted as a private in in Company E of the 25th Ohio Infantry. In December of 1861, a detachment of the the 25th Ohio Infantry participated in the Huntersville expedition, led by Major George Webster of the 25th Ohio Infantry and who would later become colonel of the 98th Ohio Infantry. During this expedition, Private Oliver P. Hershey was the only casualty from his regiment, being severely wounded in his arm.

A few months after the expedition, in March, 1862, Oliver P. Hershey was promoted to corporal. In August 1863, he received a promotion to sergeant and then to first sergeant on May 4, 1864. He was commissioned as second lieutenant on October 17, 1864, and promoted to first lieutenant of Company H on May 18, 1865. He mustered out with the regiment on June 18, 1866.

Byron Hutchins

CDV of Private Byron Newton Hutchins of Company E, 25th Ohio Infantry taken at Columbia, South Carolina.

Byron Newton Hutchins was born at Prairie Depot, Ohio on September 3, 1844. Unlike the other men profiled above, Byron Hutchins enlisted in the 25th Ohio Infantry on February 23, 1864, at the age of 19. He served in the regiment until it mustered out of service in June, 1866, for a total time of two years and four months.

According to his obituary, Byron Hutchins suffered from heart disease and passed away on June 6, 1911, at the age of 66 years.

Conclusion

CDV of unknown lieutenant in the 25th Ohio Infantry taken at Columbus, Ohio.

A regiment has as many unique stories as it has names on its roster. When browsing an album of CDVs you can get the sense of the bonds that tied these men together and memorialized an important time in each of their lives. Although not every soldier’s name is recorded among these photos, their images will continue to be preserved and remembered to remind new generations of their deeds.

You can access the full photo album, as well as thousands of other Civil War photographs with a Research Arsenal membership.

If you enjoyed this spotlight on our collection, be sure to check out our other posts on Rufus P. Staniels of the 13th New Hampshire Infantry and deep dive into what makes up a US Cavalry Return.

 

 

 

Research Arsenal Spotlight 12: Rufus P. Staniels 13th New Hampshire Infantry

Posted on by Gloria Wickman
Photo of Rufus P. Staniels via findagrave.com.

Rufus Putnam Staniels was born in 1833 in Chichester, New Hampshire to Charles Herbert Staniels and Elizabeth N. (Johnson) Staniels. He enlisted in Co. C of the 13th New Hampshire Infantry as a private in August, 1862, and was mustered in as a second lieutenant in the same company. On February 20, 1863, he was appointed first lieutenant of Company H. Rufus P. Staniels wrote most of his letters to Selina Aiken Cook, whom he married after the war on November 28, 1865. The vast majority of the letters in this collection were written during 1864, though there are also a few from 1862.

Changes in the 13th New Hampshire Infantry

While Rufus P. Staniels joined the 13th New Hampshire when it was first formed in 1862, by February, 1864 it was undergoing some drastic changes in the men that made it up. In a letter  to Selina Cook dated February 5, 1864, he outlined a few of those changes. The first of the changes was the addition of substitutes into the service, some of which were very unreliable, as Rufus P. Staniels described:

“One of the men of old “H” came in to see me last night (one of the subs). Said he had lost every cent of his money ($76.00). Another sub, his tent mate, got it away from him by gambling. He did not even pay the sutler whom he owes I found today $15.00. He wanted to know if there was not some way by which he could get his money back again, but the one who won it from him went away yesterday A. M. & we have not seen him since — presume he has deserted. The introduction of these subs & new recruits into the regiment has changed it very much & not for the better.”

A second source of changing personnel was that many of the regiment’s initial soldiers and non-commissioned officers were leaving for appointments as commissioned officers in the various US Colored Troops regiments that had begun forming.

“Quite a number of non-commissioned officers & privates from this regiment have been up to Washington and been examined for positions as officers in negro regiments & the most of them have been successful, receiving appointments as captains, & 1st and 2nd lieutenants. I think as many as a dozen have already received appointments from this regiment. One of the sergeants of old “H” went up the other day & got an appointment as captain. The orderly sergeant is going up the first of the week to be examined.”

In a letter from February 18, 1864, Rufus P. Staniels related another story of substitute who was coerced into enlisting under promise of a bounty that never fully materialized and wanted to get his discharge.

“He says that when they arrived at Concord, he went to a saloon together with the man who had engaged him & also met another man there. Was invited to drink liquor several times but refused and was finally told by them that business was dull & he had better enlist & he finally yielded on condition that they should pay him $275.00. They paid him $175.00 & told him they would pay the other hundred in ten days since which he has seen neither men or money. And what they did pay him was stolen from him a few days after coming into camp. His age is 16 last May but he gave it as twenty through their influence. So you can see by this the manner in which many of the subs were obtained last fall. He is a pretty smart boy, wholly uneducated, & seems disposed to do his duty & is not very anxious to get out of the service — only on account of his mother, he says. I do not think they will succeed in getting his discharge.”

Rufus P. Staniels Wounded at Cold Harbor

Stereoscopic view of Cold Harbor Battlefield.

On June 1st, 1864, Lieutenant Rufus P. Staniels was severely wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor. While advancing with a line of skirmishers, he was struck in the right clavicle by a minié ball which shattered the bone and lodged in the lower part of his right lung. There is a long account of Rufus P. Staniels’ injury in the regimental history  of the 13th New Hampshire Infantry based on letter he wrote in 1887 to the book’s author, S. Millet Thompson.

Salina Cook received a rather alarming letter a few days after the battle, written by Quartermaster Sergeant Charlie Ames of the 13th New Hampshire Infantry.

“Miss Cook,

At the request of Lt. Staniels I write you a few lines this morning to inform you of his safe arrival here in the hospital. In a recent engagement upon the 1st of June at Cold Harbor during a charge made by the 2nd Brigade he received quite a severe wound in the right shoulder which prevents him from writing you, but do not give yourself any uneasiness concerning him — his wound is not dangerous, has been dressed and is doing nicely. He is in the best of spirits & sitting near me on the bed. He will doubtless go from here to some general hospital in a day or two and requests me to say that he will write to you again as soon as he is located. The 13th N. H. lost quite heavily. The Col. was slightly wounded by a spent ball. Two Captains & two lieutenants wounded. Number killed about 15, wounded 50, missing 15.”

On the 9th of June, 1864, Rufus P. Staniels was able to write a short note to Salina of his own:

“I arrived here last night in good condition. My wound is pretty painful but I think is doing well. We are resting good here. I shall try & start for home in a day or two. I would love to be there now. Please do not give grounds for any uneasiness. Excuse brevity.

Yours as ever, — Rufus.”

Rufus P. Staniels’ Promotion to Captain and Service as Assistant Adjutant General

On July 15, 1864 Rufus P. Staniels was promoted to captain of company H, though he remailed in the hospital. After several weeks recovering from his wound, Rufus P. Staniels paid a visit to his regiment on July 31, 1864 which he then detailed in a letter to Selina on August 3, 1864. He was met with a grizzly sight of wounded men from both armies being left on the field while commanders tried without success to arrange for a flag of truce to remove and care for them:

“On Sunday [31 July] I started out again as our regiment had not come in & found it after awhile occupying the front line of works & directly in front of the ruins of the fort. The reb lines run along about 25 to 35 rods [140-200 yards] in front & on a line with the destroyed fort. The field between the two lines was literally strewn with the dead & wounded which had been left upon the field & in some places near the fort they lay in piles. Several flags of truce went out from our line during the P. M. & were met midway between the lines by a reb truce & our officers made every effort to arrange for the burial of the dead & care of the wounded, but for some reason or other it could not be satisfactorily arranged & consequently the wounded men still left to suffer until agony from hunger & thirst & the scorching rays of the sun. When the flags were out, it was of course a signal for a cessation of hostilities & we would mount the works & look over the field & at the rebs & the rebs would look at us. The smell of the dead was very offensive & it was enough to make one sick at heart to look over that field & see the poor sufferers moving their handkerchiefs or caps & trying to drive away the flies & we could well imagine the condition of their wounds. I believe that early in the morning they had run out a flag of truce & had supplied some of them with water & our boys observed several instances where the rebs carefully raised & gave water to our wounded negro soldiers who had been left upon the field.”

After the visit, Rufus P. Staniels returned to the hospital to continue his recovery. On November 19, 1864 he was appointed as an Acting Assistant Adjutant General for the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 18th Army Corps. He mustered out on June 21, 1865 and died January, 4, 1890.

We’d like to give a special thanks to William Griffing of Spared & Shared for transcribing and sharing these documents.

The full collection of Rufus P. Staniels, as well as thousands of other Civil War letters and documents can be accessed with a Research Arsenal membership.

If you enjoyed this article, check out some of our other spotlight collections like the US Cavalry Returns and the collection of letters from Edward Horatio Graves of the 10th Massachusetts Infantry.

5 Easy Tips for Using the Research Arsenal

Posted on by Gloria Wickman

 

To get the most out of your Research Arsenal membership, it can help to know the quickest and most effective ways to search for the information you’re looking for. To help you out, we’ve prepared a short list of tips and tricks for searching the Research Arsenal database and finding the Civil War documents you’ve been looking for.

Tip #1: Choose a tile

Research Arsenal Libraries page.

The fastest way to get started with your search on the Research Arsenal is to choose a tile reflecting the library of documents you’d like from our Libraries screen. These tiles include: Photographs & Images, Letters & Diaries, Ordnance Returns, and much more.

The red number under each tile tells you how many documents of that type we currently have available to access and our collection is always growing.

What if I want to look at multiple record types at once?

If you’re interested in viewing records from every tile, have no worries. You can view all of our documents at once by clicking the “view all” button at the bottom of the screen.

Tip #2: Start broad, then narrow as needed

When searching the Research Arsenal database, we recommend that you start with a broad search first and then narrow it down depending on how many results your initial search brings. Starting broad ensures that you don’t accidentally prune away relevant results before you get a chance to look them over.

Here are a few examples of starting with a broad search and narrowing it down.

Ex. 1) Start by searching with a year or a year and a month.

Dates filter set to show all records from February, 1864.

Using the dates filter can help you find documents from a specific time, or time range. If you select “1864” for the date filter, you can view all records from 1864 in the Research Arsenal database. To view a range of dates, you can select multiple years, like “1862,” “1863,” and “1864” to see records with any of those years tagged.

In many cases, bringing up a whole year might give you too many results. In that case, you can narrow them by selecting a year and a month like “1864, February.” If that’s still too big, you can further search to see documents only from a specific day like “1864, February, 28.”

In other cases, you might be looking for documents written at a specific time, like a holiday, regardless of the particular year. For example, if you wanted to see all documents written on Christmas regardless of the year, you could leave the year field blank and search “December, 25.”

Ex 2) Start with a regiment number and state

Units filter set to show all results containing “12th Illinois.”

Another way to search the Research Arsenal database is to start by searching for a regiment, or regiments, using the units filter. Once again, we recommend starting broad first, and then narrowing the results as needed.

To start with, we recommend filling in the Regiment # and State categories. One possible choice would be “12th, Illinois,” and seeing how many results you get. If the number of results is too high, or if you get results from a branch of service that doesn’t interest you, you can get more specific and search “12th, Illinois, Infantry” or “12th, Illinois, Cavalry” to hone in on what you want.

You can also search by a specific company or companies like “12th, Illinois, Cavalry, A.” This can be great for finding records like letters or clothing ledgers from specific companies, but would leave out some records from field officers who have no company designation.

You can also search more broadly by selecting only a branch of service like “Cavalry” and seeing all cavalry records from both Union and Confederate armies. Or select “US” or “CS” under army to see only Union or Confederate records.

Ex 3) Start with a location state before a city

Filter by state menu allowing you to limit results to a single state or show multiple states by checking boxes.

The State filter allows you to sort documents by the state in which the document was written. There is also a “Locations” filter that lets you filter by specific cities and towns like “Richmond” or “Atlanta.” As in the previous cases, we recommend that you search by a state first and then narrow your results as needed.

Ex 4) Combining Filters

Finally, you can combine several categories of filters to refine your search. For example, you could search “12th, Illinois, Cavalry” and then select “Virginia (VA)” as a state and see only documents from the 12th Illinois Cavalry written in Virginia. Or you could search a regiment and limit the results to a specific year or month, like “12th, Illinois, Cavalry” and “1863.”

Use the filters in whatever combinations you’d like, just remember to start broad and then narrow down.

Tip #3: Search a keyword first

Sometimes the documents you’re looking for aren’t related to a specific regiment, time period, or location. In that case, start with a keyword search.

Keyword search box.

Keyword searches search the entire transcription, notes, and tags of a document for your search terms and bring you all the relevant results. To do a keyword search, first select a tile as described in in Tip #1, or select “view all” to search through all documents at the same time.

With a keyword search, you can search for a specific term like “coffee” and bring up all results with the word “coffee” somewhere in them. If this search is too broad, you can refine it by clicking the three dots to the right of the search button and deselecting some categories.

Refine search options showing all categories selected.

By default, all of the search fields are included. To exclude some fields, click the blue toggle so that it turns gray.

Refine search box with “Image Notes” in gray indicating that the search will exclude checking the image notes category for your keyword.

You can also combine keyword searches with the filters discussed in Tip #2 to narrow down your results.

Finally, it’s important to remember that keyword searches won’t work as effectively on documents that haven’t yet been transcribed in the Research Arsenal database. While we’re working hard to complete transcriptions as soon as possible, in the meantime you can still use the filters discussed in Tip #2 to browse the records and read the scanned images. You can also use the “Request Transcription” button on a document to let our librarians know to prioritize transcribing it and get to get an email notification when its ready.

Tip #4: Check out documents in related sets

Sometimes when searching you’ll come across a document that’s part of a related set (or sets). Related sets are displayed at the top of your search results along with a description of how many times your search term shows up in the set out of the total number of documents in the set.

Search results page showing related sets containing the search term “coffee.” In the “Benjamin Jay Cushing” set, the term coffee appears in 23 records out of 138 total records in the set.

You can also view a related set from any individual document in the set by clicking on the set name on the gray bar at the bottom of the screen.

Gray bar showing the “Letters of Heyward Glover Emmel to family” set.

Clicking the set name lets you quickly view all of the documents in the set and clicking “view in gallery” will replace your current search filters and bring you to a new gallery view containing all the images in the set.

Expanded view of related set items after clicking the set name on the gray bar.

Even if a document in a related set doesn’t have your particular search term, they can often provide additional context to the other documents in the set and are worth checking out.

Tip #5: Search by Source at the Research Arsenal

Sometimes the easiest way to find a document can be knowing where it came from. We have a growing collection of documents from the National Archives and if you’re familiar with their catalog system you can use it to find the documents you’re looking for just by selecting its call number.

To access the search by source function, you can click the “search by source/call #” tile or click the “Search” tab on the top of the screen.

After selecting a source, like “National Archives” for example, you can view a list of records available from that source below. The listing also tells you how many images are available in that listing. Double clicking on any of the listings will take you to a results page with all of the images in that call number.

Search by source page showing results for the National Archives.

After selecting a source, you can also use the call numbers dropdown menus to narrow your results. For example, you could select “RG94” to limit your results from the National Archives to just those from Records Group 94.

Conclusion:

With these five tips we hope you can have a smoother searching experience at the Research Arsenal. The best way to get the most out of your search results is to be flexible with the search terms and filters you use and to start with broad searches and then narrow down to specifics.

If you don’t have a Research Arsenal membership, consider signing up for one.

If you’d like more tips about researching documents you might enjoy this post about identifying authors of Civil War documents.

You may also enjoy our spotlight on reading and understanding US Cavalry Returns.

Research Arsenal Spotlight 11: US Cavalry Returns

Posted on by Gloria Wickman
Union Cavalry soldier.

The Research Arsenal is proud to announce that we recently uploaded all of the Civil War era cavalry returns for the 1st-6th US Cavalry. These returns encompass rolls 4, 5, 18, 29, 40, 41, 51, 52, and 61 of the National Archives’ M-744 microfilm collection.

What are US Cavalry Returns?

The US Cavalry returns are documents that were filed monthly by regimental commanders about the status of their regiments. During the Civil War era, US Cavalry returns contained information about the officers and enlisted men present and absent from a regiment and how those numbers changed from the previous month’s return.

The US Cavalry returns also list the regiment’s current station or post and often contain a record of events for the past month. These events are usually a list of the regiment’s movements and any skirmishes or battles it participated in. Finally, they list the names of men on extra duty and the duty they were assigned.

In addition to the monthly US Cavalry returns, there are also annual (and sometimes quarterly) reports of alterations in the regiment which can serve as a summary of the changes that occurred throughout the year (or quarter). There are also casualty reports listing the names of soldiers killed, wounded, and captured during battles.

How Can I Access the US Cavalry Returns?

You can access all of the Civil War era US Cavalry Returns for the 1st-6th US Cavalry with a Research Arsenal membership. Once you have an active membership, follow the steps below to access the US Cavalry Returns.

  1. On the Libraries screen, click the “Search NARA Microfilm” tile on the bottom row.
Research Arsenal libraries screen showing the NARA microfilm tile.
  1. On the “call numbers” dropdown menu, select “M-744″
Search NARA microfilm screen showing M-744 highlighted in blue.
  1. Double click a microfilm roll from the list below to view that particular roll of microfilm or click the “search” button to view all the rolls at once.
Results page showing all available M-744 microfilm rolls. Note that the results per page has been set to 10 per page rather than the default 5.
  1. Enjoy browsing the microfilm collection.

What information is on US Cavalry Returns?

The purpose of the US Cavalry returns was to keep an accurate record of the strength of each regiment in terms of manpower. It also provided a detailed account of where any officers and enlisted men not on duty actually were, whether it was serving on some sort of extra duty, absent sick, deserted, or any other reason.

US Cavalry returns are useful to researcher and historians because they can give a bird’s eye view of the regiment as a whole, while also giving details about individuals in it. While men on regular duty aren’t listed by name, anyone absent for any reason is listed in the remarks section along with an explanation of why they are absent.

Let’s take a look at a return to dive deeper into all they contain.

Return for the 1st US Cavalry dated November 1864 (page 1).

The first page of the US Cavalry Returns can be roughly divided into four sections: the top section listing the numbers of men present and absent and how those number changed since the last return, the box for listing the enlisted men on extra or daily duty, an accounting of all the absent enlisted men, and a small box at the bottom for identifying the regiment and its station.

Men Present and Absent: Taking up the entire top half of the paper, this gives an accounting of officers and enlisted men present and absent from the regiment and is broken down by company.

Return showing a break down of the number of men present and absent in each company of the 1st US Cavalry.

The “Present” category is broken down into several subcategories: “For duty,” “On extra or daily duty,” “Sick,” and “In arrest, or suspension.”

Similarly, there are several subcategories of absences: “On detached service,” “[absent] with leave,” “[absent] without leave,” “sick,” and “in arrest, or confinement.” There were also blanks left for commanders to fill out additional reasons for absences, and the image above shows the handwritten categories “Prisoner of War” and “Missing in Action.”

At the bottom of the box, a running total of each subcategory across all the companies can be found.

The right half of the box showing alterations since the last return.

The second half of the box on the right half of the page is dedicated to tabulating all the changes between the current return and that of the previous month. It is broken down first into the categories of men gained or lost, and then further subdivided into the reason the men joined or left the regiment.

Reasons for gaining men include: (officers) “by appointment,” “by transfer,” “recruits from depot,” “enlisted in the regiment,” “re-enlisted,” “from missing in action,” and “from desertion.”

Reasons for the loss of men include: (officers) “Resigned, or disbanded,” “dismissed,” “transferred,” “missing in action,” “died in action or of wounds received there,” “died of disease, etc,” “discharge for expiration of service,” “discharge for disability,” “discharge by sentence of general court martial,” “discharge by order,” “discharge by civil authority,” “missing in action,” and “desertion.

Finally, in the memoranda section on the far right of the page there is a small section to account for horses and artillery in the regiment.

Enlisted Men on extra duty: The bottom left of the front page contains a section for all of the enlisted men serving on extra duty to be accounted for by name with a description of the duty they’re performing.

Extra duty section of the 1st US Cavalry’s November, 1864 return. Note that no men are listed on being on extra duty.

As shown in the image above, not every month saw enlisted men doing extra duty. The space was frequently used instead for writing a summary of the regiment’s actions and movements in the last month, as seen in the example above which states:

“The regiment was encamped near Strausburg, Va November 2d. Moved to Charlestown, to guard the Rail Road then in construction. November 8 Moved camp about 6 miles, and Nov. 14 moved to Summit Point. Nov 18 Moved to Wadesville near the Opequon Creek. Nov 22/ Moved camp to Stevenson’s Station. Nov 29 Left camp on a Raid through the Loudon Valley. Killed or drove in all Cattle, burned Mills, Grain &c. Captured a few prisoners and returned to Camp near Kernsville.

Our loss was one man killed, 2 men wounded, and one man missing.”

Absent Enlisted Men: The last major section on the first page is an account of all enlisted men absent from the regiment.

Enlisted men absent from the regiment.

This section of the return is frequently very dense with information about the absent men from a regiment. The boxes on the left help organize the long list by company and by keeping count of the various ranks of the men absent.

The first line of the page is representative of what a typical entry looks like: “Saddle Serg. Oliver, Chief Bugler Peasner, and Musician Rerrot Abs. Sick at Carlisle Barracks Pa since Aug. 1864”

Regiment and Station: The final section on the first page of the return is a small section for the regiment, it’s station, and the date of the return. It’s a quick and easy way to identify the return you’re looking at.

1st US Cavalry return showing the regiment, it’s station, and the date it was signed by the commander of the regiment.

The second page of the US Cavalry Return contains two principal sections: Commissioned officers present and absent accounted for by name, and the alterations among enlisted men since the last return.

Second page of return for 1st US Cavalry dated November, 1864.

Commissioned Officers Present and Absent: The first half of page 2 of the US Cavalry Return leaves space for every officer in the regiment to be accounted for by name.

Partial section of the 1st US Cavalry November, 1864, return showing the blanks for each officer of the regiment to be accounted for.

This section of the return shows the name of every officer and their present whereabouts, whether that’s commanding a company, on detached service elsewhere, or taken as a prisoner of war. The special order putting an officer on detached service is also frequently listed, but not always.

Alterations among enlisted men: This final section of the return accounts for all the changes in the enlisted men from the previous month by name.

Alterations by name.

While the front of the return enumerated the gains and losses to the regiment numerically, the back of the form gives space for the individuals gained and lost to be written. Similarly to the front, the names are organized by gain and loss, and then subcategorized by the manner in which they left or returned to the regiment.

What if I have trouble reading a US Cavalry Return?

Reading US Cavalry Returns can sometimes be difficult given the small print and variable handwriting. Viewing the image in full screen mode and zooming in on one section at time can help make it easier to read.

If you still feel stuck, you can always send a transcription request and one of our librarians will get to work on transcribing the page and uploading it. You’ll also receive an email notification when the transcription is uploaded and ready to view.

To request a transcription, simply click the “Request Transcription” button at the top right of the page.

To see more of what the Research Arsenal has to offer, check out some of our other spotlights, like Edward Horatio Graves of the 10th Massachusetts Infantry and James Webster Carr of the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry.

Research Arsenal Spotlight 10: Edward Horatio Graves and the 10th Massachusetts Infantry

Posted on by Gloria Wickman

Edward Horatio Graves was born in Easthampton, Massachusetts in 1839, the son of Horatio Nelson Graves and Martha (Arms) Graves. His father died in 1852. The Research Arsenal collection contains 24 letters pertaining to Edward Horatio Graves. 9 were written by Edward Horatio Graves to his mother, and the remaining 15 were received by Graves from his family and friends. The letters begin in 1857 and end in June 1864.

Edward Horatio Graves enlisted in the 10th Massachusetts Infantry on June 21, 1861. He served as quartermaster sergeant before being commissioned as a lieutenant in 1863. He corresponded frequently with his mother, Martha (Arms) Graves, his siblings, and with a few different women friends.

Enlisting in the 10th Massachusetts Infantry

Edward Horatio Graves’ first letter to his mother was written on June 26, 1861. In it he describes his arrival at his regiment’s camp and the less-than-stellar accommodations they were provided, though his spirits were still high:

“We arrived here Sunday noon and marched immediately to Hampden Park where we have remained ever since. As soon as we arrived we commenced making preparations to sleep and get some straw and placed in our Bunks. I am now quartered in what used to be the Barn occupied by the horses at Horse Shows.”

The enlistment ceremony also saw some excitement, with several volunteers getting cold feet and being dealt with in a harsh manner:

“When we were sworn in we being the right were sworn in first and the N. Adams Company when their turn came to be sworn in some fifteen backed out and you ought to have seen the rest of the Co. take those poor men and strip their uniform off and drum them out with scarcely no clothing at all on and one man a kind of ring leader they shaved half his hair and whiskers off and then drummed him out without any hat. I felt sorry for him but he ought not to have volunteered his services.”

In the fall of 1861, the 10th Massachusetts Infantry was stationed at Brightwood in Washington, D.C. The regiment saw many of its members suffering from fever, and two women came to them from Massachusetts to aid in the hospital as nurses.

One of the women, a widow by the name of Anne Sophia (Clapp) Merrick, seems to have been known by Edward Horatio Graves, and is mentioned by him in a letter to his mother written on October 22, 1861, but the exact nature of their relationship was never revealed. Martha (Arms) Graves does refer to a “Mr. Bigheaded Clapp” in one of her letters, which is likely some relative of Anne Sophia (Clapp) Merrick. Mrs. Merrick was held in much higher esteem than her male relative:

“Mrs. Merrick is very much liked and I believe she is pleased with her position. I have not as yet claimed any relationship and shall not until I am placed under her charge which I trust I shall never be. I have been unusually healthy but we have been quite sickly here having had the Typhoid fever and about ten have died.”

Photo of Mrs. Anna Sophia Merrick and Miss Helena Wolcott, two women who served as nurses for the 10th Massachusetts Infantry in the fall of 1861. via Archive.org

Edward Horatio Graves in 1862

In August of 1862, the 10th Massachusetts Infantry was stationed at Harrison’s Landing, where Edward Horatio Graves wrote to his mother about some recent excitement in an August 3rd letter:

“We were aroused the other night about 12:00 by a furious cannonading coming from the River and the next morning I found upon enquiring down by the wharf that the Rebels had erected several batteries across the James River for the purpose of destroying the transports in the stream but the Capts of the transports had presence of mind enough to raise their lanterns to the top of their masts and thus deranged their fire and their shots went over some of them falling into the camp and doing some damage. Killed 8 or 10 men and several horses. Our heavy siege guns soon silenced them and yesterday when our forces went over they found that the Rebs had skedaddled and left several of their artillery which proved that they were in a hurry. It created some excitement necessarily as we thought that it might be a blind to draw our attention while they attacked us in front. All our reconnaissances have failed to find the enemy in force yet and many are the conjectures as to where they have gone.”

By the end of the month, Edward Horatio Graves had fallen ill and wrote to his family from the hospital:

“My Dear Mother,

Your kind letter came duly to hand and found me flat upon my back.

I was brought here to this Hospital 4 days ago in an ambulance completely worn out with our retreat from Harrison’s Landing. We left Harrison’s L. on Friday and I was comparatively well when we started but was seized with a sudden faintness and was obliged to leave my horse and get into one of the Baggage wagons where I stayed until we got to Williamsburg.”

Battle of the Wilderness

Camp of the 10th Massachusetts Infantry near Washington, D.C.

By 1864, Edward Horatio Graves had been promoted to 1st lieutenant of company K. In May, 1864, the 10th Massachusetts Infantry fought in the Battle of the Wilderness and Edward Horatio Graves was seriously wounded.

Martha (Arms) Graves wrote to her son on May 31, 1864, after hearing that he had been wounded. Her letter reflects her strongly religious nature:

“I hope you are very thankful as we are that “that bullet” did not take life. It was sent by an unerring hand. There was no chance in the matter at all and now don’t forget that your spared life is a consecrated life from the first I have only asked your life that it might honor God. You have nobly honored him in serving your Country Suffering bleeding for Freedom the second best gift of God to man. We believe our nation will be justified by its own blood. Let us believe that the blood of Jesus Christ can purify us + that is the highest honor we can give to God.”

Edward Horatio Graves replied to his mother’s letter on June 2, and gave her a few further details on his health:

“You see that I am still here and I cannot see much improvement yet although I am now able to sit up 5 minutes to a time which will tend I think to strengthen me. I have strong notion of coming home as I am how would that do. I don’t suppose you could have two invalids in the home at the same time but I have got so tired and sick of the place that I think it hinders me from getting well as fast as I might. The Dr. told me this morning that he did not think it would harm me much to go.”

Despite his serious wound, Edward Horatio Graves eventually recovered and returned home. He passed away in 1880 at the age of 41. To read the full collection of letters, sign up for a Research Arsenal membership.

Learn about other collections in our spotlight such as James Webster Carr of the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry and Asa “Frank” Chester of the 20th Illinois Infantry.

 

 

 

Research Arsenal Spotlight 9: James Webster Carr of the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry

Posted on by Gloria Wickman
CDV of James Webster Carr.

James Webster Carr initially served as Captain of Company C, 2nd New Hampshire Infantry. By the end of his three-year term of service, he would be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment, though his letters indicate that he was acting in that capacity far earlier than his actual promotion. James Webster Carr was born in New Hampshire, but he and his wife were living out west before the outbreak of the war and he returned to New Hampshire to serve.

In the Research Arsenal collection, we have 9 letters written by James Webster Carr and his wife, Jane Dorothy (Goodhue) Carr, all of them sent to a friend of theirs in Illinois, William Penn Canton. Through these letters, they show their opinions on the war as well as details of the battles James Webster Carr fought.

James Webster Carr and the Outbreak of the Civil War

James Webster Carr’s first letter in the Research Arsenal collection was written on March 11, 1861, a full month before the outbreak of the war, though it was clear from his letter that he expected it to begin soon.

Writing about the politics of the time and possibility of southern succession, James Webster Carr said:

“Our annual town meetings come off tomorrow all through the state. I think ‘Old Abe will win.’ As far as secession is concerned, I wish that all the slave states might be set off together so that we might have a free country if t’was not so large. In regard to fighting the South and “whipping them into the truces” as they tell about, I have not much courage for that (not but what they deserve it and I should like to shoot some of them well enough). But it would be fighting to gain just what I want to get rid of, so all I can do is to hope and pray that they will stick to secession and that the border states will join them and that finally a convention of all the states will be called and vote them out of the Union. But I fear that war is inevitable and that we shall see bloody times.”

James Webster Carr also had gloomy prospects about a Union victory should war come:

“In case of a war, I should not be surprised if the South were victorious at first if not in the end, for they will be fighting for what they call liberty and for their homes, while our soldiers will be as the English were in the [American] Revolution, fighting for pay. If war comes, we must not let the regular paid army do the fighting but must arise one and all and strike for real liberty now and forever to all mankind or there is no use in fighting at all.”

James Webster Carr’s next update came in a short and terse letter written several days after the First Battle of Bull Run, in which the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry took heavy losses. He wrote:

“Have had a very hard battle and a harder retreat. But it has pleased the Lord to keep me safe. Have lost from my company 13 men in missing and wounded. The Colonel [Gilman Marston] & one Captain was all the commissioned officers that were wounded in our regiment. About 100 wounded & missing in 2nd New Hampshire Volunteers.”

Recruiting Service for the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry

A group of men from Company G, 2nd New Hampshire Infantry in 1862.

After the First Battle of Bull Run, James Webster Carr returned to New Hampshire to work on recruiting more men for the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry. In a letter  from Bladensburg, Maryland on September 22, 1861, James Webster Carr wrote:

“I have a full company now. I succeeded in getting 215 recruits in New Hampshire and have them all here now and one regiment is in good shape and the brigade is considered one of the best now in the field. We have the best arms. One company with Sharps rifles; the rest [carry] the new Springfield rifle minié ball &c.”

He also revealed the weapon he procured for himself:

“I have bought me a Sharps breach-loading carbine. Paid 42 dollars for it as I came through New York. Mean to sling it on my shoulder the next battle we have and if a few of those rebels do not bite the dust, t’will be because they kill me first.”

Increased Duties in the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry

In the Winter of early 1862, James Webster Carr’s wife, Jane, provide a couple of short updates about her husband’s condition, revealing more of the hardships he was facing than he typically mentioned in his own letters. On January 5, 1862, she wrote:

“James was not very well when he wrote. Had been threatened with a fever and I am somewhat worried about him for fear he will have the typhoid fever. He is such a fever subject and he has lost a number of his men by it within a short time. I do not believe it is a healthy place where they are now.”

In her next letter on February 23, 1862, she added:

“The mud is so deep where they are on the Potomac now, they can only exist and so much damp weather is not very wholesome, but James writes as though they were in good spirits and rejoicing at the good news they hear every day from other quarters of the army. They long for the mud to dry up so they can cross [the Rappahannock] and have one more battle where they can say they did not run. I want it to come so that it may be over but still dread it for fear he may get killed.”

Writing February 11, 1863, James Webster Carr detailed his extensive experience in the regiment up to that point.

“I have been in fourteen battles. There [has] never been any part of our regiment engaged either in skirmish or battle but what I have been one of the number. I commanded the line of advance at the 2nd Fair Oaks or Seven Pines, Va. [On the] 23rd June, I was the only captain with our regiment at Malvern Hill [on the] 1st [of July], and there was but one other at Malvern Hill [on the] 2nd when the gallant Jo. Hooker took us up and down the Rebels from the hill a few days before we left Harrison Landing. But some of those captains that took their leaves and traveled during the Seven Days before Richmond managed to get home and get promoted into some of the new regiments then forming and were bold enough to say that they had been in every battle on the Peninsula &c. &c.

I led the regiment out on a 3 day raid to destroy the Rappahannock Railroad Bridge last week. We were successful. Lost only one man. They all respect me and fear me as much as I care to have them. They know I will fight. I used a carbine (Sharps) all the time. I led the company at Fredericksburg. I shot 60 rounds from a Springfield rifle musket while skirmishing on Sunday. I have killed as many of them as I want to if they will lay down their arms. If not, some more of them must die or they must kill me. I do not deem this childs’ play by no means, nor want them handled with gloves on.”

Because of his extensive experience, James Webster Carr expected soon to receive a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel:

“Col. Marston is at Washington D. C. in Congress this winter. We have no Lt. Col. and Major Bailey is now and has been for some time put under arrest for alleged disobedience of orders so I have command [of] the regiment, being the senior captain.

I have been detailed since January 1st to act as Lt. Col. while Major Bailey acted as Colonel. Now I am at the top of the heap in command but not in rank. Col. Marston is a brigadier at any time he chooses to leave the House and take the field. Then I expect my commission as Lt. Col. unless they dismiss Major Bailey or he should resign. Then I expect to be Colonel and shall be or leave the service for I have been all the time on duty and for 8 months have done field officer duty and 6 of the time, taken care of my company too.”

James Webster Carr received his commission as Lieutenant Colonel two months later, on April 13, 1863. He went on to lead his men at the Battle of Gettysburg, where he had his drawn sword shot from out of his hand. He was discharged with his regiment on June 21, 1864 and went on to become a lumber dealer in Grand Rapids, Michigan until his death in 1875.

We’d like to extend a special thanks to William Griffing of Spared & Shared  for his work in transcribing and sharing these letters.

The full collection can be viewed with a Research Arsenal membership.

Check out other spotlight collections like Asa Frank Chester of the 20th Illinois Infantry and David King Perkins of the USS Seminole.

 

 

Research Arsenal Spotlight 8: Asa Frank Chester and the 20th Illinois Infantry

Posted on by Gloria Wickman
CDV of Asa “Frank” Chester.

Asa Franklin “Frank” Chester enlisted as a private in Company G of the 20th Illinois Infantry in June, 1861. By the time he mustered out in July of 1865, he had become adjutant of the regiment. Through a generous donation from one of our subscribers, we have several diaries, letters, and photographs available in the Frank Chester Collection. Frank Chester’s diaries are an amazing resource, as they detail not only his own story, but the history of his regiment as well.

Battle of Fredericktown

The 20th Illinois was stationed in Missouri in the fall of 1861. On October 21, 1861, they participated in the Battle of Fredericktown, which Frank Chester related in great detail in his diary:

“About 11 hundred of the rebels were concealed in the ravine behind a fence and cornfield to the left of the road. The 17th and 11th [Illinois] filed to the left and the two pieces of Taylors opened firing twice before an answer was returned. The 20th filed to the right and getting most to far countermarched on the top of the rise presenting a fair mark for the enemy’s cannon. They fired 4 shots, 3 went over our heads and one fell short. We marched behind the rise and again come into line near the road. Our two six pounders were answered by 3 sixes and one 12 pounder. The 17th and 11th had opened and kept up a steady discharge of musketry in the cornfield on our left. When we had advanced about ½ way down the hill and were within about 400 yards of the enemy on the hill we were ordered to deploy as skirmishes and commence firing and continued to advance. As we started we gave a yell and the enemy behind the cornfield seeing that they would be exposed to a flanking fire as well as front in a few minutes gave the order to retreat and we turned our whole fire upon them. The enemy’s guns in the meantime had opened upon our reg. with grape and canister. One of our men had his gun cut into with a grape shot while putting on a cap. It knocked him down but did not hurt him. This open field which the enemy had retreated across was covered with the dead and wounded and 40 men were taken prisoners who lay down to avoid the heavy fire. About 80 were found dead upon this open space among whom was Col Lowe who commanded the forces in the ravine. One man was found with his head hanging one side of a fence and his heels the other with 8 musket balls through his body. The whole force of Jeff [Thompson] now made a stampede and the 17th traversed their field from left to right taking one piece of artillery (the 12 pounder) while the 20th moved straight forward and followed up the enemy.”

This engagement was followed by even more confusion later when the 20th Illinois encountered some cavalry forces under Major M. Jeff Thompson:

“About a mile from their first position we overtook some cavalry who were riding from us on a walk. I supposed it to be ours as our cavalry had come out in advance of us but had dropped back while we were marching through the woods. Cos G and B were deployed to the left of the road and K and F on the right and the rest were in the road. A man from the cavalry rode into the field with a white plume in his hat and whom we afterwards learned was Thompson and asked us who we were. The Major answered; ‘The 20th ILL, who are you?’ They answered ‘Missourians’ and fired 3 shots. Let them have it shouted the Major bringing a rifle that he had taken from a prisoner to his shoulder and setting the example. About 20 shots were fired when the Col rode up and shouted stop that firing you are firing on your own men and before it could be explained the cavalry were out of reach. One of them was thrown from his horse and two killed.

Frank Chester and the Battle of Atlanta

Image of Frank Chester’s first diary showing a hole from a musket ball received at the battle of Shiloh.

On July 21 and 22, 1864, the 20th Illinois fought in the Battle of Atlanta where they took heavy casualties, including Frank Chester himself who was wounded in the thigh on July 21:

“About 8 o’clock the lines were advanced. The enemy pickets driven in and their works charged. The battle was fierce and the works holy [wholly] captured, but they were captured. I was wounded through the thigh just after passing an old house. The regt. at the time was not by the left flank. Our regt. afterward charged the works of the rebs and though support on both flanks were driven back by the enemy and they had a fire from their direction to contend against. This little band of 138 men held their own, never giving an inch, after an hour support was brought up but not until one half of their number lay dead and wounded by their sides. The loss in the division was severe, but the 20th lost the most in comparison of numbers. The 20th had 6 killed and 54 wounded.”

Despite being wounded and off the field, Frank Chester recorded the results of the battle on July 22, as well:

“The rebs charged the works of the 17th corps and tried to retake the position. they got a whole corps in the rear and charged from the other side but to no purpose. The boys obstinately held their own. The 20th was charged about 5 o’clock from the front flank and when they fought with their old desperation but were overcome and nearly all captured in their trenches. The Col. Adjt. and about 15 men got away and that is all that remains of the duty list of the proud little 20th. The rebs gained the works only to have to leave them again and they left more dead men in the trenches 2 to one, than there were in the 20th when they started their charge.

General McPherson was killed this afternoon. The hospital was moved twice today on account of the rebs attacking in the rear.”

Frank Chester’s Medical Treatment

Confined to the hospital after the Battle of Atlanta, Frank Chester began a fascinating and detailed account of his medical treatment and his great displeasure with hospital food. On August 4, he wrote:

“I was moved to a room by myself where I can have a full view of old Kennesaw and the town. It is a splendid view and in time of peace and prosperity this must have been a fine country to live in. The room in which I am is about 18 feet square with two large windows. I can hobble about with the use of a bannister post for support which I picked up today. This evening some more of the boys from the hospital in the rear were brought up and six of them put in the room with me.”

On the 7th Frank Chester was moved to a hospital in Rome, Georgia:

“Got a cold breakfast and our wounds dressed early this morning preparatory to moving. We are bound for Imperial Rome, Ga. where I expect we will stay several days. Got aboard cars about three o’clock AM. Had beds to lay down on. Started about 10 o’clock. Got dinner on the car about 3 o’clock PM. Had cranberries, beef, tea and soda crackers. Arrived at Rome about 6 o’clock PM. We were taken about 1 ½ miles from town and taken into tents. These tents are very much crowded with the wounded and it will not be a wonder if there is considerable sickness. The ball in my leg has formed a cavity and worked loose within the last 2 days and every time I move the rolling of the ball causes extreme pain.”

August 8-9 saw Frank Chester in more pain:

“8 The Dr. came around today & looked at my leg and proped [probed] it a little and told me that he would be around in the afternoon and take the ball out, but he didn’t come and the pain brought on fever which last till about dark.

9 Woke up sick to my stomach and the bad taste of the fever in my mouth. Didn’t eat any breakfast as they brought around nothing but coffee and bread at dinner. I eat a little beef soup, but didn’t feel like eating much. The Dr. came around about 3 o’clock and aid he would try and see that the ball was taken from my hip soon. Took some [rhubarb?] quinine etc feel quite easy tonight.”

After Frank Chester developed a fever on August 11, the surgery to remove the ball in his thigh was finally set for the next day:

“11 A fever came on about nine o’clock and remained all day. The surgeon came around tonight and prescribed quinine. He gave me the largest dose I ever saw. I divided it into two making very large ones and took them about 3 hours apart. I wrote a line to the surgeon in charge telling him how the thing had been managed. He sent back word that he would take it out himself the next day. I took my quinine and a dose of morphine but got not a moments sleep all night—although I was in no pain whatever.

12 The Dr. came around about 3 o’clock in the afternoon and after probing a little gave me cloriform [chloroform] and when I came to myself again they handed me the ball, an enfield rifle ball not very much bruised. The Dr. told me that I would have a very sore leg as the muscle was badly bruised in getting it out. He said he has to work a long while after had found it. About 7 o’clock in the evening it commenced paining me and it pained me without ceasing all night. Twas the most miserable night I ever passed in my life.”

On the 13th, Frank Chester used a flaxseed poultice to help relieve some of his considerable pain:

“The pain continued. I sent for the wound dresser and got him to go to the dispersers and get some flaxseed. He done so and I made a poultice and put it on and it relieved the pain in twenty minutes but I have to be very careful about moving. In fact this forenoon it was impossible to move at all without causing pain which sometimes lasted several minutes. Afterward along towards night I got so I could move a little and commenced a letter to my wife.”

As Frank Chester’s leg healed, he turned his attention to the food, writing on August 16, “We get every day for dinner beef soup, bean soup and tomato soup, either of which would make a hog give up trying to live in disgust.”

The next day, he had more to say about the soup, “Dinner came with the same course of soups and I could eat nothing but a small piece of bread. I wish the soups were all in the Atlantic Ocean or that the Drs. were compelled to live on such fare, just one week.”

And the day after, “Soup as usual for dinner, the smell of them is enough to sicken one. The Dr. sent me some soda water for a sour stomach.”

On August 31, Frank Chester finally had some relief for both his leg and his taste buds:

“We’ve mustered today and the rest of the ward were moved. Had a dinner of toasted bread, ham, pickles mush potato soup, bread pudding & tea. Filled up and took a smoke to top off with. My leg has quit running and the wound is healing over. It is not very sore if I don’t stir too much. I will soon be able to be pegging around on sticks & can take my furlough.”

Frank Chester survived the war and went on to live to the age of 74, passing away in 1914. His diaries kept during the war offer amazing insight into the 20th Illinois Infantry and his experience with Civil War era medicine, with incidents too numerous to be included in a single article.

The full diaries can be read with a Research Arsenal membership.

Check out some of our other collection spotlights like David King Perkins, a Master’s Mate on the USS Seminole or James A. Durrett of the 18th Alabama Infantry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research Arsenal Spotlight 7: David King Perkins of the USS Seminole

Posted on by Gloria Wickman

David King Perkins was born in 1843 to Clement T. Perkins and Lucinda (Fairfield) Perkins of Kennebunkport, Maine. On January 30, 1863, he enlisted in the US Navy as a Master’s Mate onboard the USS Seminole. In this collection of eight letters at the Research Arsenal, he writes to his sister, Caroline Amelia Perkins, about his experiences at sea.

David King Perkins and the U.S.S. Seminole

Drawing of USS Seminole by Alfred R. Waud via Wikimedia.

The USS Seminole was commissioned on April 30, 1861 with Edward R. Thomson as commander. The Seminole was a steam sloop-of-war and while David King Perkins was serving was mainly stationed as part of the Western Gulf Blockading Squadron.

David King Perkins’ first letter in the Research Arsenal collection is dated November 26, 1863, about 11 months after he first started serving on the ship. In it he described  the boredom that the blockade duty had brought to the crew:

“Everything is about the same here in the Blockade. We have no hopes of getting relieved. I expect we shall have to lay here all winter or until the place is taken. I hope that will be soon for I am most tired of laying here. Since our two new officers came, we have it very easy. Stand four hours watch and then have twenty hours off so I am sure I cannot grumble about having hard times. I improve my spare time by study. We have a very nice old man for an Acting Master. He takes great interest in teaching us young Masters Mates navigation. I shall be an experienced navigator by the time I leave the Navy.”

By April 15, 1864, the USS Seminole was off the coast of Mobile Bay, Alabama, and David King’s Perkins’ spirits seem to have raised somewhat:

“We lay in sight of “Fort Morgan.” When we are in our night stations, we are about three miles from land and five from “Fort Morgan.” There is quite a fleet of vessels here. I think there is twelve in all but twelve does not seem to be enough to stop blockade runners for since we arrived there has been two run the blockade and one a large steamer named the “Auslin.” I feel in hopes we shall be lucky to catch one soon. We have been quite fortunate so far in catching prizes.”

David King Perkins’ Hopes of Promotion

While serving as a Master’s Mate on the USS Seminole, David King Perkins dreamed of advancing his station. In a letter written March 9, 1864, he wrote to his sister that he had taken the examination to be promoted to ensign and was anxiously awaiting the results:

“I have been very busy about my application. I have sent it in to the Commodore but have not heard anything from it yet. However, I hope to soon for I want to know the worst of it. If I pass my examination, it is well and good. If not, I shall not care to stop in the Navy. I cannot make a cent to serve in the capacity as Master’s Mate. If I do not get my promotion as Ensign, I think the Merchant services would be better for me.”

A week later, David King Perkins wrote in a new letter that he still hadn’t received any word on his application:

“When we first arrived here, I applied to the Admiral for permission to be examined for the position of Ensign. I have not heard anything from my application yet and am afraid I shall not. I shall wait a little longer. Then if I do not hear from it, I will forward my recommendation. I think it would be much better if I pass my examination, then I shall not be under obligations to anyone. However, if I do not hear from the Admiral soon, I will forward the recommendation to Father and let him give it to Mr. Moody.”

By the end of the war, David King Perkins served as the Acting Ensign on the USS Seminole.

The USS Seminole Off the Coast of Texas

Trimmed CDV of David King Perkins.

The USS Seminole participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, though David King Perkins had nothing to say about it to his sister. After undergoing repairs at Pensacola, Florida, the USS Seminole was then sent to Galveston, Texas in September of 1864 and remained along the Texas coast until the end of the war.

On November 3, 1864, David King Perkins’ wrote to his sister about events along the coast:

“Since I wrote to father and Tenie we have had quite an exciting chase. On the night of the 30th, signals were made that a steamer was running out. We immediately slipped our chain and stood off to sea in the direction we supposed the steamer would take. In the meantime, the weather had come in very thick. Quite early in the morning I discovered a suspicious looking steamer. I having charge of the deck at the time, we changed course at once and stood for the stranger. He also changed his course and stood away from us with the hopes of making his escape. We made all sail in chases fired a gun at him, which he did not seem inclined to notice. We were gaining very fast and had him most under our guns when the weather came in very thick and we lost sight of the steamer.

The weather did not clear up until about 2 o’clock. The chase commenced at about 6 o’clock in the morning and we losing sight of the steamer at about 9 a. m. When it had got well cleared up, we again saw the steamer from the masthead but she was a long way off, having steered a different course from us while it held thick. We continued to chase until night came on when we were compelled to give it up, being most out of coal. Had we captured the steamer, it would have probably put three or four thousand dollars in my pocket. But I am afraid there is no such good luck in store for me.

The same night the steamer run out, there are six schooners also run, all of which were loaded with cotton. I believe only one was captured.”

In another letter written about three weeks later, David King Perkins revealed the meagre share of prize money he had accumulated so far:

“It is hardly worthwhile for me to caution you to be prudent and saving. I do not lay up but little money although I am saving, yet my expenses are great. If I was on board a small vessel, I could save much more than I do. This ship has not been very lucky in capturing prizes. My share of the “blockade runner Charleston” amounts to $46.31 which is only a very small sum. Should the steamer “Sir William Peel” be condemned, I shall probably get something quite handsome.”

David King Perkins continued serving on the USS Seminole past the end of the war until November, 1865. He died in California in 1893.

We’d like to extend a special thanks to William Griffing of Spared & Shared for transcribing and sharing these letters.

To read the full collection of David King Perkins letters and thousands of others, sign up for a membership at the Research Arsenal.

Check out some of our other spotlight collections like James A. Durrett of the 18th Alabama Infantry or Albert Henry Bancroft of the 85th New York Infantry.

 

 

Research Arsenal Spotlight 6: James A. Durrett of the 18th Alabama Infantry

Posted on by Gloria Wickman

 

James A. Durrett was born around 1840 to John Andrew Jackson Durrett and Anne (Beauchamp) Durrett. James A. Durrett, along with his brother Thomas Jefferson Durrett and cousin Henry Durrett, enlisted in Company E of the 18th Alabama Infantry in the fall of 1861. Even more amazingly, their mother, Anne Beauchamp Durrett also appears on the muster records of the 18th Alabama Infantry as the “matron” of the regiment. Her records indicated that she received pay through November 30, 1861.

Muster record for Anne (Beauchamp) Durrett listing her as Matron of the regiment.

While Anne (Beachamp) Durrett seems to have stopped serving with the regiment sometime in 1861 or 1862, her sons stayed on for the duration of the war and she is the recipient of some of James A. Durrett’s letters home. Our collection spans nine letters written from 1863 to 1865 as well as photos of some of the Durrett family.

James A. Durrett and the Battle of Missionary Ridge

The Battle of Missionary Ridge took place on November 25, 1863 and with it the Union army seized control of Tennessee and held Chattanooga which would soon become a major logistical hub for their armys. The Confederate forces under General Braxton Bragg were forced to withdraw and a large number were taken prisoner, including James A. Durrett’s brother, Thomas.

In a letter  to his sister written on December 2, 1863, James A. Durrett detailed what he had learned about Thomas’s capture.

“I suppose you have heard the sad news of Tom’s capture before now. I know that a wise Providence has and will direct all things to be as they are, but I sometimes wish that I had been permitted to have shared his fate. I know that if alive, a long and tedious captivity and exile from home and all that is dear to him awaits him, but he can feel that he has done his duty, and that will sustain him in captivity — or death if need be. I will tell you all I have been able to learn about him.

When our Brigade went into battle it went into an ambush the Yankees had prepared and the first notice they gave of themselves was to pour a deadly fire into our Brigade from three directions. This threw us into confusion and a great many — seeing that they were flanked and nearly surrounded — started to run but being rallied by the officers, stopped and fought until the officers — also seeing the danger of being cut off — gave the command to retreat. Tom with eleven others of our company either not hearing or not wishing to obey such an order, stood their ground and while the rest made their escape, were surrounded. The rest is left to conjecture whether they continued to fight and were killed at their post (which I do not think probable), or, seeing they were surrounded and no chance of escape, surrendered.”

Although he was not directly involved in the battle, James A. Durrett had a close call of his own:

“I was not in the battle. I was detailed to hold the Colonel’s horse. Because I had no gun, my business does not require me to keep a gun, and as we were not expecting a battle even in the morning of the day it came off. I had no chance to get a gun, but I think I will be prepared for the next one. I came very near being captured — so near that I was obliged to throw away my knapsack and haversack and run about five miles. But I suppose I had better not tell that part of it as it is not military to throw away baggage on a retreat. I will close for tonight.”

Near Capture at Egypt Station

There is a gap in James A. Durrett’s letters lasting through much of 1864, though he is known to have been hospitalized at Jackson, Mississippi for much of the winter of 1864 and early 1865. On February 18, 1865, James A. Durrett wrote to a friend, Mrs. Marian Abigail (Fitch) Searcy, a former schoolteacher. He first detailed the much reduced state of his regiment saying:

“On returning to my regiment from the Hospital, I found it much decreased in number. In fact, but very few who went into Tennessee returned. Of my company, but two escaped capture — though strange to say, none were killed or even wounded — all captured [and] doomed to waste away their lives in Yankee prisons. Slowly and wearily the time will drag along with them, but then it is a soldier’s fortune and, as such, they will take it nor grumble at the hardship, but be thankful that life is spared to them.”

James A. Durrett then went on to recount his own close call with capture:

“I came very near being captured by a raiding party of Yankees after I left home the last time. I had got to Okolona, Mississippi, on my way to my regiment when the railroad was torn up thirteen miles above there by the raid. I joined a company and went back to Egypt Station, seven miles below Okolona. At daylight next morning, and while we were asleep, the enemy surrounded us. As soon as this was known, the company to which I belonged was ordered to get on the cars as an attempt was going to be made to run the train out and save it from capture. We ran out almost through the enemy’s lines, they firing at us all the way, and we returning it with interest. After making so bad an out in my first attempt to reach my regiment, I concluded to wait for a quieter time and remained in West Point, Mississippi, until my regiment passed on its way here.”

Death of James A. Durrett

A terse letter  written on April 3, 1865, by James A. Durrett’s cousin, Henry, revealed James A. Durrett’s grim fate during the Battle of Spanish Fort:

“Dear Cousin,

It is with painful regret that I inform you that Jimmy was this evening mortally wounded, being shot directly through the brain. He was wounded about four o’clock this evening. While standing in the ditches, he imprudently raised his head to look over at the enemy which was firing at our line. He is now at the field hospital and will be sent to Mobile tonight. As he had written the letter enclosed with this [dateline 22 March 1865], I concluded to send it to you with a lock of his hair.

I am, dear cousin, yours with great sympathy, — Henry Durrett”

The letter written March 22 was a happy one from James A. Durrett, sharing the news that many of his brigade had been exchanged and he hoped that his brother Thomas, already a prisoner for two years, would be among them.

One April 7, 1865, Anne (Beauchamp) Durrett received a more detailed account of her son’s death:

“I very much regret to have to inform you that your son James is dead. He died about dark on Monday evening the 3rd of this month from a gun shot received that evening near Spanish Fort, about fifteen miles below Mobile. The ball penetrated his forehead just below the edge of his hair and came out near the top of his head. The blow seemed to produce insensibility and he never spoke afterward, but continued to sink until death. Henry Durrett, who accompanied him to the field hospital, was present at his death…”

Thomas Jefferson Durrett later in life.

James A. Durrett was buried in Mobile, Alabama. His brother, Thomas, survived the war and was finally exchanged on May 23, 1865. Thomas passed away in 1924 at the age of 82. To read the full collection, sign up for a Research Arsenal membership.

We’d like to extend a special thank you to William Griffing at Spared & Shared  for transcribing and sharing these letters.

For more spotlights on our collection, check out our articles on Albert Henry Bancroft of the 85th New York Infantry  and Colonel Clark Swett Edwards of the 5th Maine Infantry.

 

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