Electus Backus manuscript and letters | Collections | The Huntington

Electus Backus manuscript and letters | Collections | The Huntington

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Electus Backus diaries and letters
Manuscripts
The 31-page diary by Electus Backus covers his time traveling from San Antonio to El Paso, Texas in 1850 and 1851. In the diary he talks about Bishop John Lamy, Lorenzo Sitgreaves, Dr. S. W. Woodhouse, members of the Sitgreaves Expedition, as well as the bad weather and the landscape and inhabitants of Texas. He also discusses his journey from El Paso to Albuquerque. There is one diary page by Backus in June 1848 while he was taking part in the Mexican War in Puebla, Mexico, the site where Santa Ana executed Mexia; he mentions meeting General Stephen Kearny. There is also one page of a diary by Backus from 1860 while he was living in El Paso. There are also several letters and statements regarding Backus' protest against and disagreement with a letter by the Secretary of War, Charles Conrad, stating that he was commissioned to Major of the 3rd U.S. Infantry on October 10, 1850; Backus believed it was June 10 instead. This material includes letters by Backus to Adjutant General Roger Jones and Senator Jefferson Davis, who was on the Committee of Military Affairs, along with a statement of facts by Backus. There is also a copy of a letter by Backus to Colonel Samuel Cooper in August 1860 about his commission date. Also included is a 5-page manuscript by Hugh Brady about his brother, Samuel Brady, Indian fighter of western Pennsylvania (the draft is in Backus' handwriting - Hugh Brady was Backus' father-in-law). There is also one letter by Electus Backus, Sr., to his brother Andrew in New York. This letter was written while he was with the US Army in New Orleans in 1809.
mssHM 71476-71481
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Electus Backus diary
Manuscripts
The diary (48 pages), which covers November 23, 1851-April 18, 1852, details Backus's experience as commander of Fort Defiance, Arizona, and particularly the army's interactions with the Navajo, the Hopi, and the Apache Indians, including the Indians coming to the fort to trade and buy supplies, Backus's relationships with various Navajo chiefs, and failed treaty negotiations with the Navajo by Edwin Sumner and Territorial Governor James S. Calhoun. Backus also describes his frustration with late supply shipments, his fear that his troops will starve, and the various problems brought on with the winter weather including the death of cattle and horses. Backus also mentions gold and "jewel" mines in the area
mssHM 66248
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Richard C. Backus travel diary
Manuscripts
The travel diary documents Richard C. Backus' road trip from New York to Los Angeles with typewritten notes and labeled photographs. The diary includes details regarding their trip and the various people and places they visited along the way through Illinois, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The typewritten notes include details about miles driven, car trouble and repairs (the group traveled in three vehicles), and road and weather conditions. The diary also includes a hand-drawn map of the group's driving route.
mssHM 84014
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Zachary Taylor letters
Manuscripts
This collection consists of letters sent by Zachary Taylor while serving in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848, primarily to his brother-in-law, U.S. Army surgeon Robert Crooke Wood (1800?-1869). Letters concern war logistics and strategies; army life; troops movements and health; supplies; General Winfield Scott; the progress of and future projections of the war; and some reportage of battles, especially of the battle of Monterrey in September 1846. Letters also discuss Taylor's presidential prospects and potential nomination in the 1848 race; politics; health; and family, particularly his daughter Ann and her children. All items are autograph letters signed unless noted otherwise.
mssTaylorz
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Descripcion de Monterrey
Manuscripts
This unattributed manuscript describes the New Spanish colony of Monterrey, as well as the Indians in the area. In Spanish.
mssHM 542
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Letter written from camp near Monterrey, Mexico, to Robert Crooke Wood, New Orleans, Louisiana
Manuscripts
This collection consists of letters sent by Zachary Taylor while serving in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848, primarily to his brother-in-law, U.S. Army surgeon Robert Crooke Wood (1800?-1869). Letters concern war logistics and strategies; army life; troops movements and health; supplies; General Winfield Scott; the progress of and future projections of the war; and some reportage of battles, especially of the battle of Monterrey in September 1846. Letters also discuss Taylor's presidential prospects and potential nomination in the 1848 race; politics; health; and family, particularly his daughter Ann and her children. All items are autograph letters signed unless noted otherwise.
HM 4149