Manuscripts
John White Geary letter to John C. Hays
Image not available
You might also be interested in
Image not available
Daniel Aldrich letter to John C. Hays
Manuscripts
Commander Aldrich reports to Colonel Hays that he and his company of Aldrich Rangers are ready for duty.
mssHM 20172
Image not available
John McDougal letter to John C. Hays
Manuscripts
McDougal requests that Hays recruit a volunteer force of one hundred men to counter aggressive behavior of Indians near San Diego. The Indians have assembled in large numbers, and "have assumed a hostile and menacing attitude." Signature may not be McDougal's.
mssHM 20173
Image not available
Daniel Aldrich letter to John C. Hays
Manuscripts
This is a list of fifty military volunteers pledged to go to San Diego as part of Aldrich's Rangers.
mssHM 4195
Image not available
R.J. Whitely diary, (bulk 1849)
Manuscripts
The diary that Dr. Whitely kept while onboard the Cameo, from February 10 to October 7 when he arrived to San Francisco. The daily entries describe the crew, the passengers, (including ten "young gentlemen" of the Frankling Mining Company), sightings of passing ships, marine wildlife, weather, etc. He also describes Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Talcahuano (Chile), and Concepcion (Chile), commenting on the dress, worship, military, slave systems, buildings, customs, and landscapes of these cities. Also of particular note are Whitely's descriptions of the botanical gardens of the Brazilian emperor near Rio de Janeiro, of a bullfight in nearby Pria Grande, and of a party thrown for him and his companions in Concepcion by a local captain (although not all of these entries are fully readable). He frequently contrasted Brazilian and Chilean people and customs to their American counterparts.
mssHM 68599-68601
Image not available
John C. Palmer diary
Manuscripts
Palmer's diary gives detailed descriptions of the towns in Mexico in which his regiment passed and in which they camped, such as Monclova and Saltillo, Mexico, as well as the people he encountered along the way including some friends he knew before the war. Palmer often complains about marching, the camp conditions, the treatment of the volunteers by the regulars, and his commanding officers. He specifically mentions Captain Albert Pike, Major Solon Borland, Major General Zachary Taylor, Brigadier General John Wool, Colonel Archibald Yell, and General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Palmer gives a detailed description of his experience in the Battle of Buena Vista and of the battlefield the morning after the battle
mssHM 63638
Image not available
John Girdler letter to John Low and Hannah Low
Manuscripts
Captain Girdler wrote this letter to his sister and brother-in-law while on board the ship Vandalia in San Diego harbor. In the letter he describes agriculture, commerce, and the people in California. He also talks about his success at selling hides.
mssHM 68186