Thomas William Sweeny papers

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Thomas William Sweeny, including his personal and official correspondence, military records, and diaries, and the correspondence of William Montgomery Sweeny. Also included photographs, some pencil and ink drawings, and ephemera.

Personal correspondence of Thomas William Sweeny, chiefly his letters to the family and friends written from 1846 to 1892.

Military correspondence and documents - letters, orders, communications, reports, ordnance receipts, commissions, recruiting records, etc. -- accumulated by Sweeny during his service in the Mexican War, the tours in California and Nebraska Territory, and the Civil War, chiefly those received by him or his staff. There are some retained copies of outgoing communications and reports, including official reports on the battles of Shiloh and Corinth, and the march on the Holly Springs, some with by hand-drawn maps. Also included are the speech that Sweeny delivered on the first anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh, and his farewell address to the troops (July 1864).

A large part of Sweeny's correspondence that he kept after his retirement from the army consists of letters from veterans and veteran organizations, including the associations of the veterans of the Mexican War, the 52nd Illinois Infantry, Army of the Tennessee, officers of the Irish Brigade, Associated Pioneers of the Territorial Days of California, Military Service Institution, the Grand Army of the Republic, Hibernian Benevolent Society, and others.

Also included is the diary that Thomas William Sweeny kept during his service at Fort Yuma in 1851-1853. Another diary, titled "Life in the American Desert" (1851, June-July) consists of clippings of the articles published in installments by the New York Atlas in 1856-1857, with author's annotations.

Correspondence and papers of William Montgomery Sweeny, chiefly letters addressed to him and related to his biographical and genealogical studies, including some genealogical data.

Materials created by US presidents include: Ulysses S. Grant letter to Thomas Sidney Jesup, 1847 January 31 (SW 181); James K. Polk commission to Thomas W. Sweeny, 1848 April 21 (SW 358); Millard Fillmore commission to Thomas W. Sweeny, 1852 July 3 (SW 154); all items are in box 1.

Note: This collection doesn't contain any materials dealing with the Fenian invasion.

Persons represented by 5 or more items consist of: Sarah A (Sweeny) Barnard (7 pieces); Emile H. Brie (7 pieces); Charles Brower (9 pieces); Francis D. Clark (10 pieces); James Edward Kelly (5 pieces); W. H. Lane (6 pieces); C. Osgood Morse (7 pieces); Samuel Vincent Niles (7 pieces); James Rowan O'Beirne (6 pieces); Grenville Mellen Dodge (5 pieces); Mary P. Kilby (7 pieces); Fitz John Porter (7 pieces); Franz Sigel (11 pieces); Edward B Spalding Spalding (8 pieces); Charles Baxter Sweeny (15 pieces); Eugenia O. (Reagan) Sweeny (5 pieces); Frances Ellen Sweeny (11 pieces); Sarah Bernard Sweeny (5 pieces); Sarah Bernard Sweeny (5 pieces); and Thomas William Sweeny (335 (approx.) pieces)

Some notable items include:

The letterbook containing Civil War correspondence (SW 862) has been disbound for conservation purposes and the individual letters foldered sequentially in 4 boxes.