Manuscripts

John C. Palmer diary

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Description: 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
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Production date: 1846-1847.
Call number: mssHM 63638
Creator

Jacob Medtart Smith diary

Manuscripts

Smith's diary, which begins in August 1846, gives brief descriptions of the towns in Mexico in which his regiment passed and in which they camped, such as Monclova and Saltillo, Mexico. He gives detailed information regarding his regiment's marches and the miles they covered and the death of several of his fellow soldiers. Smith mentions Major Solon Borland, Major General Zachary Taylor, Brigadier General John Wool, Colonel Archibald Yell, and General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Smith gives a brief description of his experience in the Battle of Buena Vista and ends his diary with his regiment's march back to the United States to be mustered out of the army in July 1847

mssHM 63639

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Fred H. Tobey diary

Manuscripts

Tobey gives great detail regarding army life in his diary including his regiment's marches, encampments, and skirmishes with Indians. He also describes the landscape around him and the Indians with which his regiment came into contact and/or battled: the Sioux, the Cheyenne, the Nez Perce, and the Crow. He often complains about the weather, the lack of supplies (some of the regiment, including Tobey, resorted to eating the horses) and the actions of his officers. He discusses, in detail, the Battle of Canyon Creek and the history of the 7th Cavalry Regiment including General George Custer, Comanche the Horse, and the Battle of Little Bighorn. Tobey also mentions Chief Joseph, Sitting Bull, Colonel Nelson Miles, Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis, Brigadier General Alfred Terry, Lieutenant Elwood Otis, and Major Marcus Reno; and the Crow Agency (Mont.), Glendive (Mont.), the Tongue River Valley (Wyo. and Mont.), Fort Abraham Lincoln (N.D.), Fort Buford (N.D.), Standing Rock Indian Reservation (N.D. and S.D.), and the Yellowstone River Valley

mssHM 63327

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John R. Robinson diary

Manuscripts

This diary, which is a bound typed transcript, was kept by John R. Robinson while traveling from New York City to Batopilas, Chihuahua, Mexico in 1861; it also includes his return trip through California and across the Midwest to his home in Ohio. Robinson was going to Mexico for Belden & Stearns, a corporation in New York who was interested in buying several mines in Batopilas. While on the journey he passed through several cities including Austin, TX; Cusihuiríachic, El Fuerte, Mazatlán, and San Blas, Mexico; San Francisco and Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; and Omaha, NE. The diary gives a day-by-day account of his trip. Robinson details the people, scenery and hardships he and his group encountered on their trek. He also gives details regarding the process of surveying and purchasing mines, including the costs involved. The last twenty-eight pages of the diary were written on a journey from Mexico to New York City in 1873, while Robinson was returning to the United States with a load of silver.

mssHM 62476

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Walter William Palmer letter to Charles Gerard Havens

Manuscripts

An autograph letter from W.W. Palmer to C. G. Havens, which describes Palmer's journey on horseback from Matamoros to Vallecillo, Nueva Leon, Mexico. He traveled to the Jesus Maria Mine, a silver mining property located in an isolated part of Mexico; Palmer describes the countryside through which he passed and commented on fears that travelers and settlers had of "Robbers," Indians, and "a thirsty wilderness." The letter bears no Mexican postal markings indicating it was privately carried to Brownsville, Texas, where it received a circular Brownsville postmark.

mssHM 84110

Autobiography and diary of John Clark Dowdle, [microform] : c.1852-1894

Manuscripts

Microfilm of the diary and autobiography of John Clark Dowdle. The volume recounts his childhood and conversion to Mormonism, gives a detailed account of his journey across the plains to Utah in 1852-1853, and recounts his daily life in Utah. Some specific events he writes about include finding the body of Bailey Lake, who had apparently been killed by Bannock Indians, in 1858; his 1862 trip to St. George; his journey to Las Vegas in the mid-1860s; his involvement in Utah schools; and spending 1873 looking for work before settling in Willard City. The last entries were made in about 1894. The first few pages of the volume include a summary of each chapter.

MSS MFilm 00067

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Columbus C. Chambers reminiscences

Manuscripts

This handwritten reminiscences covers Chambers military service from his enlistment in the 11th Mississippi Infantry Regiment up to his wounding at the Wilderness and his time at a field hospital recovering. In it, he details his company's movements; his life in camp; watching his friends die; and their experiences in the following battles: Williamsburg, Seven Pines (Fair Oaks), Mechanicsville (Beaver Dam Creek), Malvern Hill, Sharpsburg (Antietam), Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness. Chambers gives a nice, detailed narrative of the fight in the Wilderness including his getting shot in the shoulder, his time in a field hospital, and his furlough home to Mississippi. In his manuscript, Chambers often talks about the following officers: Robert E. Lee, Henry Heth, Joseph R. Davis, Joseph E. Johnston, John Bell Hood, William H. C. Whiting, and Stonewall Jackson (his death). The manuscript also includes handwritten copies of two orders received by Chambers and one newspaper clipping (in pages 94-95) regarding orders by General Lee, General Heth and General A. P. Hill .

mssHM 74857

John C. Palmer diary

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Jacob Medtart Smith diary

Fred H. Tobey diary

John R. Robinson diary

Walter William Palmer letter to Charles Gerard Havens

Autobiography and diary of John Clark Dowdle, [microform] : c.1852-1894

Columbus C. Chambers reminiscences