Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville: RESOURCES FOR THE CIVIL WAR


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101. Lighton Family.: Papers, 1828-1977; 20 linear feet.

Letters, photographs, literary manuscripts and other family papers pertaining to the William R. Lighton family of Fayetteville (Washington County). The majority of the documents concern the early twentieth-century activities of the Lighton family, but a few pertain to the Civil War service of Sergeant Andrew Campbell McMaken, Company A, First Nebraska Cavalry. McMaken enlisted as a private but was promoted to sergeant in October 1861. In December 1863, he resigned in order to accept a commission as second lieutenant of Company C, Sixty-second United States Colored Infantry. During his tour of duty with the Sixty-second, McMaken survived the sinking of the steamboat Planet on February 1, 1864, on the Mississippi River near St. James Parish, Louisiana. McMaken resigned his commission on July 4, 1864, and returned to Nebraska. There he reenlisted as a private with the First Regiment of Nebraska Veteran Volunteer Cavalry and saw service at Fort Kearney, Nebraska, as a quartermaster sergeant. Other than his notice of resignation from the Sixty-second U. S. Colored Infantry, no letters of McMaken from 1861 to 1865 are in the collection, but there are numerous supply returns from Fort Kearney dated 1864 and a report of equipment lost during the sinking of the Planet. Some of McMaken's letters from the late nineteenth century mention his war exploits, and there are numerous pension documents. The collection also includes one letter, dated November 11, 1864, written from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, by Private H. A. Seiffert, Company M, Second Colorado Cavalry. Seiffert, apparently writing to McMaken, describes in detail his experiences during the battle of Westport, Missouri, October 23, 1864, and his regiment's subsequent pursuit of General Sterling Price's retreat toward Arkansas. Finding aid available online.

102. Abraham Lincoln.: Papers, 1833-1916; 97 rolls.

Abraham Lincoln was sixteenth president of the United States. Mainly letters addressed to Lincoln during his presidency, this collection includes some 1,200 items preserved by John G. Nicolay in his capacity as Lincoln's secretary, two drafts of the Gettysburg Address, and a letter of condolence from Queen Victoria to Mary Todd Lincoln. A printed index of correspondence is included. Microfilm copy of original documents held by the Library of Congress.

103. Louisiana State University.: Plantation records, 1779-1919; 527 sheets.

These seventeen collections all pertain to plantation life in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, covering such topics as slavery, military affairs, and business operations. Some contain personal narratives. The following is a brief description of the collections: Norbert Badin, business and personal papers of a free black planter of Melrose, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, 1829-1900; Mary Bateman, diary of a young girl living with relatives at Argyle Plantation near Greenville, Mississippi, 1856; Priscilla Munnikhuysen Bond, diary, 1858-1865; Louis Amedee Bringier, family papers, 1786-1901; John C. Burruss, family papers, 1825-1882; Eli J. Capell, family papers, 1816-1900; Samuel Adolphus Cartwright, family papers, 1826-1864; Atala Chelette, personal papers of a free black family of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, 1819-1900; Miriam Brannin Hilliard, diary, 1849-1850; John Carmichael Jenkins, family papers, 1840-1900; Moses Liddell, family papers, 1813-1919; Eliza L. Magruder, diary, 1846-1857; William J. Minor, family papers, 1779-1898; James Monette, diary, 1848-1863; Slavery Collection, 1804-1860; Leonidas Pendelton Spyker, papers, 1856-1900; Clarissa Leavitt Town, diary, 1853. Microfiche copies of original manuscript collections held by Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.

104. Robert and Sephronia Clark McCollom.: Papers, 1835-1958; 126 items.

Letters, account statements, photographs, receipts, and other miscellaneous papers pertaining to the Robert McCollom family of Washington County. Robert McCollom was a New Hampshire nurseryman who settled near Fayetteville before the Civil War with his wife, Sephronia, and their three sons, William, Albert, and Ransom. On October 9, 1861, Albert enlisted as a private in Company E, First Arkansas Cavalry. William also enlisted, but probably at a later date, in Company A, Thirty-fourth Arkansas Infantry. The McCollom collection includes twenty-seven letters from Albert, dated from October 31, 1861, to October 2, 1864, from various points in Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Albert was present at the battle of Pea Ridge (Benton County) in March 1862, but he only refers to the battle in describing the Southern retreat afterwards. The First Arkansas Cavalry saw its next service in Mississippi, and most of Albert's letters from the state describe military activities in the Iuka, Corinth, and Vicksburg areas. Albert was captured at the battle of Corinth, October 3-4, 1862, but was then released on parole. He tried to visit home in December 1862 but got no closer than Yell County, Arkansas, due to Federal activity in the Washington County area. By January 1863, Albert was back with his regiment in Mississippi. He remained in the Vicksburg area until July 1863 when he was again captured with the rest of the city's defenders. The last four letters from Albert were written from Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and Little Rock (Pulaski County) where he was held prisoner by the Union forces. He died in prison at Little Rock on November 26, 1864. In addition to Albert's letters, the McCollom papers include wartime letters from family and friends in Kansas, Illinois, and Indiana.

105. Benjamin McCulloch.: Letter, 1861; 1 item.

Negative photographic print of an original letter written by Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch from Camp Jackson (Benton County), September 25, 1861, to Arkansas Governor Henry Massey Rector. The letter lists the difficulties encountered by McCulloch in recruiting and arming soldiers to defend the state, mentioning the resistance to his efforts in the various newspapers of the state.

106. McIlroy Family.: Papers, 1846-1968; 2 1/2 linear feet.

Personal and business papers pertaining to three Washington County pioneer merchant families: Powell, Rhea, and McIlroy. Most materials in the collection are from the final decades of the nineteenth century, but with the papers of the Powell and Rhea families is a February 20, 1865, letter written from Dallas, Texas by Joseph D. Powell [Company F, Fourth (Gordon's) Arkansas Cavalry] to his wife Margaret in Washington County. The ledger of William H. Rhea, a miller in the vicinity of Prairie Grove, contains entries made in November and December 1862, which detail the property taken from him by Union troops during the battles of Cane Hill and Prairie Grove. Mentioned in the journal are Colonel William A. Phillips, Third Indian Home Guards, and Lieutenant John W. Rabb, Second Indiana Battery. The McIlroy papers also include financial receipts from the Washington County area dated 1861-1865, and a discharge certificate for Private James T. Williams, Company F, Fifth Indiana Cavalry. Finding aid available online.

107. Isaac C. P. McLendon.: Papers, 1861-1862; 2 items.

Oath of allegiance sworn by Sevier County resident Private Isaac C.P. McLendon, Company E, Third Arkansas Infantry, upon enlistment at Camp Barton, Highland County, Virginia, July 29, 1861. The oath carries an endorsement by Surgeon W. G. Wright. The collection also includes a $260 check drawn on the treasurer of the Confederate States payable to Captain I. C. Hill or "bearer."

108. John S. Marmaduke.: Papers, 1863-1864; 1 roll.

Mainly letters and telegrams received and sent, but including some orders issued, by the headquarters of General John S. Marmaduke. Microfilm copy of original documents held by the National Archives, Record Group 109, Collection of Confederate Records.

109. John S. Marmaduke.: Correspondence with Lucias Marshall Walker, 1863; 8 items.

Correspondence and related material, September 2-5 and October 16, 1863, pertaining to a duel between Confederate generals Marmaduke and Walker. Typescript copy of an original transcript held by the Arkansas History Commission in the Clara Bertha Eno Collection.

110. Elihu G. Martin.: Letter, April 22, 1863; 1 item.

Letter from Private Elihu G. Martin, Company G, Twenty-ninth Iowa Infantry, stationed at Helena (Phillips County), to Thomas S. Beall of Mt. Ayr, Iowa. Martin describes camp conditions, sickness among the troops, payment of the army, and the training of "contrabands" by the Union forces.

111. Martin Family.: Papers, 1847-1945; 1 linear foot.

Diaries, correspondence, legal documents, and photographs created or received by the Benjamin W. Martin family of Warren (Bradley County). Benjamin Martin was a cotton broker doing business in New Orleans as well as Bradley County during the Civil War. Only one letter in this large collection was written during the war, from John Phelps, a business associate in Henderson, Louisiana, to Benjamin, dated December 2, 1863. Phelps discusses local conditions and the lack of news from Arkansas. Finding aid available online.

112. John A. Miller.: Letter, December 3, 1862; 1 item.

Letter from First Sergeant John A. Miller, Company G, Fourth Iowa Infantry, stationed at Helena (Phillips County), to Thomas S. Beall of Mt. Ayr, Iowa. Miller expresses his condolences to Beall over the death of his mother, briefly describes his participation in the White River Expedition, and tells about excitement in camp over an expected attack. Miller also discusses a foray by twenty men from his regiment across the river into Mississippi, and charges to be filed against Second Lieutenant Frederick K. Teal. Miller was killed in action at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on December 29, 1862.

113. Minos Miller.: Papers, 1860-1866; 53 items.

Correspondence exchanged between Minos Miller and members of his family while he was on duty with the United States Army in Arkansas and elsewhere during the Civil War. Minos Miller was born in Indiana on August 1, 1841. He moved to the Eddyville, Iowa, area before the outbreak of the war where he engaged in farming. During the summer of 1862 Miller enlisted as a private in Company D, Thirty-sixth Iowa Infantry and spent his first months in the service at Camp Lincoln near Keokuk, Iowa. By December 1862, the Thirty-sixth Infantry began its journey south to Helena (Phillips County), stopping first at St. Louis, Missouri, and Columbus, Kentucky, where it participated in guarding Southern prisoners of war and in performing picket duties. By January 1863, Miller and his regiment were in Helena where they spent their time on routine garrison chores. Shortly before the battle of Helena on July 4, 1863, the Union army began organizing black refugees into infantry regiments, and Miller resigned from the Thirty-sixth Iowa to accept a commission as a second lieutenant in the Second Arkansas Infantry (African Descent). This regiment later became designated as the Fifty-fourth United States Colored Infantry. Miller saw combat for the first, and apparently only, time during the battle of Helena and finished out the war at various posts at Pine Bluff (Jefferson County), Little Rock (Pulaski County), and Fort Smith (Sebastian County). After the end of hostilities, Miller remained with the army at Little Rock and was mustered out in 1866 with a brevet rank of major. The letters are written with detailed descriptions of Miller's surroundings and circumstances. Of particular interest is his letter to his mother following the fight at Helena which contains an account of what he saw at his post on the battlefield.

114. Missouri Historical Society.: Selected Arkansas manuscripts, 1794-1864; 1 roll.

This collection includes a letter dated January 20, 1864, from President Abraham Lincoln to Major General Frederick Steele, regarding the holding of an election for governor in Arkansas on March 28, 1864. Microfilm copies of selected documents from the Missouri Historical Society.

115. Money and bonds.: Currency, 1779-1922; 212 items.

Currency, auditors' warrants, bank notes, and bonds issued by the United States of America, the Confederate States of America, the state of Arkansas, and the town of Fayetteville. Examples of many denominations of Confederate money are in this collection, along with several war bonds issued by the Confederate government in Mobile, Alabama, and Richmond, Virginia.

116. James Sayles Moose.: Papers, 1833-1980; 10 linear feet (estimated).

Diaries, letters, receipts, and other family papers pertaining to the life and career of James Sayles Moose, a twentieth-century employee of the U. S. State Department who spent a great deal of his working career in Iran and other locations in the Middle East. Among the early family papers in this collection is a typewritten biographical essay by Melbourne Moose entitled "A Pioneer Merchant." The essay concerns Benjamin Franklin Howard, an early settler of Conway County. He served as sheriff and collector of the county during the years prior to the Civil War and was a successful merchant. When the war broke out, Howard continued to remain in civilian life as a storekeeper, selling goods first to Confederate forces, and after September 1863, he dealt with the Union authorities. Howard died on September 19, 1865. To accompany "A Pioneer Merchant," Melbourne Moose mounted a number of receipts, orders, and ledger pages pertaining to Benjamin Howard. These documents include the following: an oath of allegiance he signed at Lewisburg (Conway County), Arkansas, December 29, 1863; an autographed letter from Major General Frederick J. Steele, Little Rock (Pulaski County), February 18, 1864, which assures Howard of his safeguard from headquarters; a printed safeguard form issued to Howard from Steele's headquarters; and an authorization for Howard to bear arms for personal protection. The Moose papers also include typed transcripts of eight letters written by Private Pompey O. Breeden, Company B, Second Arkansas Mounted Rifles, dating from August 12, 1861, to March 21, 1862. These letters describe Breeden's experiences at the battles of Wilson's Creek, Missouri, and Pea Ridge (Benton County).

117. May Hope Moose.: Papers, 1863-1980; 1 linear foot.

Photocopies of memoirs, genealogies, and correspondence pertaining to the Moose, Huddleston, Cazort, Garner, and McClurkin families of central Arkansas. The collection includes the 1957 memoirs of May Cazort McClurkin, a Lamar (Johnson County) resident of the early twentieth century. Her story repeats many Civil War incidents experienced by her parents. Another series in the Moose papers contains typed transcripts of twenty-two letters written by Lieutenant W. W. Garner, Company E, Newton's Regiment of Arkansas Cavalry. The letters were all written from various points in Arkansas and southeast Missouri between April 15, 1863, and April 2, 1864, to Garner's wife, Henrietta, living in Quitman (Van Buren County). Garner participated in and wrote about the following actions: Marmaduke's raid into Missouri, April 21- May 2, 1863; battle of Helena (Phillips County), July 4, 1863; and battle of Fitzhugh's Woods, April 1, 1864. One other Civil War document can be found in this collection: a photocopy of a parole issued at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on July 9, 1863, to Private J. W. McClurkin, Company F, Thirty-first Alabama Infantry. Finding aid available online.

118. Mary Hannah Johnson Morrow.: Papers, 1862-1876; 14 items.

Diary and school essays written by Dardanelle (Yell County) resident Mary Hannah Johnson. Born in 1847 to Isabella and Samuel Hugh Johnson, Mary grew up on the family farm about three miles south of Dardanelle. On June 1, 1864, Mary began keeping a diary in which she wrote almost daily entries for the next two years, recording the weather, her daily activities, and those of her neighborhood. She reported her own observations and those of her mother on the movements of troops, military activities in the Dardanelle area, the behavior of black soldiers, and, in many cases, she named the officers, both Union and Confederate, who stopped at the Johnson farm. One portion of the diary was kept in a bound ledger book which contains a record of daily sales from March 5 to April 10, 1864, for an unidentified general mercantile business. The collection also includes a selection of school essays written by Mary on a variety of topics during and after the Civil War.

119. William O. Munson.: Letters, 1861-1863; 27 items.

Correspondence exchanged between Private William O. Munson, Company E, Third Ohio Infantry, and members of his family from Zanesville, Ohio. Three members of the Munson family served in the Union army: William, his brother Sergeant G. D. "Gib" Munson, Company B, Fifteenth Ohio Infantry, and their father, Captain H. D. Munson of the Seventy-eighth Ohio Infantry. All but three of the letters in this collection are addressed to William from his father, his brother "Gib," and the rest of his family back home. William's three letters home are dated July 8, 1861, Upshaw County, Virginia; September 2, 1862, Bowling Green, Kentucky; January 20, 1863, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The earliest letter describes a small skirmish and subsequent rescue of a scouting party, and the last, written from a hospital bed, describes William's wounding in the battle of Stone's River, Tennessee, on January 3, 1863. "Gib" Munson wrote three of the letters in the collection from his post at Camp Nevin, Hardin County, Kentucky. H. D. Munson entered the service after his sons. He wrote to William from Fort Donelson, Tennessee, on February 22, 1862, and described conditions there after the post's capitulation to Union forces.

120. Muster Out Rolls.: Records, 1865; 3 items.

Official Union army muster out rolls for three soldiers, dated May 1865. Pay accounts, clothing allowances, original enlistment locations, and other information are itemized for: Private Madison A. Randolph, Company B, Second Arkansas Cavalry; Corporal Thomas A. Campbell, Company F, Second Arkansas Infantry; and Private Thomas B. Smith, Company C, Second Arkansas Infantry.

121. Anton Neis.: Oath, December 19, 1862; 1 item.

Oath of allegiance issued to Anton Neis, a resident of Sebastian County, by Captain C. O. Judson, assistant provost marshal, Fort Smith (Sebastian County), on December 19, 1862.

122. Molsie A. R. Osborne.: Papers, 1855-1890s; 17 items.

Autograph books, letters, and photographs pertaining to the Sledge, Ammons, and Riddick families of El Dorado (Union County) and Conway (Faulkner County). This small collection contains six Civil War letters. Five of the letters, dated from August 1, 1861, to June 1, 1862, were written from various locations in Virginia, Tennessee, and Mississippi by Sergeant Collins M. Sledge, Company A, First Arkansas Infantry, to his relatives in Union County. Sledge was an eyewitness to the first battle of Bull Run but neglected to describe the event in any great detail. He also participated in a skirmish near Corinth, Mississippi, on May 9, 1862, and in his letter home the next day he related his experiences, including the shooting of a Union soldier who refused to surrender. The Osborne collection also includes one letter from Private Henry L. Chandler, Company G, Third Arkansas Infantry, dated February 9, 1862, Winchester, Virginia. Chandler's letter describes a fight near Bath, Virginia, and the burning of a bridge spanning the Potomac River.

123. Myrtle McCormick Parks Family.: Papers, 1864-1945; 1 linear foot and 3 volumes.

Papers and photographs pertaining to the McCormick and Parks families of Prairie Grove (Washington County). Most of the materials in this collection concern the McCormick and Parks families after they moved to Arkansas in 1875, but one of the three volumes in the collection is a United States Army ledger with diary entries written by Private James W. McCormick, Company B, Thirty-fifth Battalion, Virginia Cavalry. McCormick's entries, which begin on December 10, 1864, recount his experiences journeying with other captured Confederate soldiers to a prisoner-of-war camp in West Virginia. The diary entries end on August 11, 1866. Finding aid available online.

124. Nicholas Bartlett Pearce.: Memoir, 1892; 1 roll.

This reminiscence was handwritten by Nicholas Bartlett Pearce in Gainesville, Texas, during the final months of his life. The narrative covers his pre-war activities in Benton County and military exploits leading up to and including the battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri. Pearce was a brigadier general commanding the first division of the Army of Arkansas, established by the legislature during the second session of the secession convention. A West Point graduate and resident of Benton County, Pearce began training recruits at Camp Walker, located in the extreme northwest corner of Arkansas. He was caught up in the quarrel between generals McCulloch and Price following the battle of Wilson's Creek and resigned from the state service to accept a commission in the regular Confederate army as a subsistance officer in Texas where he remained for the duration of the war. Microfilm copy of an original manuscript held by the Arkansas History Commission.

125. John Wilson Peel.: Papers, 1862-1875; 13 items.

Letters and genealogy notes pertaining to the John Wilson Peel family of Benton County. John Wilson Peel was a pioneer resident of Benton County. Two of his sons joined the Confederate army: James Wilson Peel, Company K, First Arkansas Mounted Rifles, and Richard M. Peel, Company E, Sixteenth Arkansas Infantry. Three of the five Civil War letters in the collection are from James written in the early months of 1862 while he was at various camps at Clarksville (Johnson County), Boston Mountain, and Memphis, Tennessee. One letter is from Richard, written on July 16, 1862, from Priceville, Mississippi. Another member of the Sixteenth Arkansas, Captain James A. Walden, Company K, wrote the final Civil War letter in the collection to Margaret Peel on August 20, 1862, informing her of the death of her brother James. Richard also lost his life before the war was over. Finding aid available online.

126. Phillip Pennywit.: Telegram, 1861; 1 item.

Telegram, dated March 19, 1861, from merchant Phillip Pennywit of Van Buren (Crawford County) to Jesse Turner and "Thomasson" [Hugh F. Thomason] at Little Rock (Pulaski County), approving the initial action of the Arkansas state convention in voting down the ordinance of secession.

127. Peters Family.: Papers, 1854-1972; 2 linear feet and 2 volumes.

Family papers and business records pertaining primarily to Arthur Nelson Peters (1873-1953), a Little Rock (Pulaski County) civil engineer. Included are the original and a typed transcript copy of a letter written on April 23, 1862, at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, by Corporal Henry N. Peters, Company K, Fourth Illinois Cavalry. Peters describes briefly his experiences at the battle for Fort Donelson and in more detail, his experiences at the battle of Shiloh, including the reaction of Ohio troops after the initial Confederate success on April 7. Peters was present during the subsequent pursuit of the retreating Southerners and describes his unit's encounter with cavalry commanded by Nathan Bedford Forest. In addition to Peter's letter, the collection also includes his discharge papers dated June 19, 1862, pension forms issued to his widow in the late nineteenth century, and several examples of 1860s poetry.

128. Franklin Pierce.: Papers, 1820-1869; 7 rolls.

Franklin Pierce was fourteenth president of the United States. He was in office when the debate over slavery materialized into open warfare in Kansas Territory. The papers have been organized into five series, and a printed index of correspondents is included. Microfilm copy of original documents held by the Library of Congress.

129. Albert Pike.: Letters, 1849-1882; 1 roll.

This small collection of letters includes only one dating from the Civil War. Addressed to Jefferson Davis, Albert Pike wrote the letter on July 3, 1862, from Fort McCulloch, Indian Territory, and told the Southern president about his dissatisfaction with his Arkansas-based commanding officers. Microfilm copies of fifteen original letters held by the Arkansas History Commission.

130. Albert Pike.: Papers, 1866-1889; 12 items.

Letters and printed items pertaining to the life and work of Albert Pike. The collection includes a lengthy epistle from Pike to James Harlan, secretary of the interior, dated Memphis, May 2, 1866. The letter details Pike's experiences in the Indian Territory during the Civil War. An undated letter, probably written in 1866, requests money from the friends of William Minor Quesenbury for his use to return home after the war.

131. Samuel Pinckney Pittman.: Memoir, circa 1896; 1 item.

Typewritten eyewitness account pertaining to the disposition of the dead and wounded following the battle of Prairie Grove (Washington County), December 7, 1862, by First Sergeant Samuel Pinckney Pittman, Company K, Thirty-fourth Arkansas Infantry. It was published in the December 5, 1896, issue of the Mountain City Gazette, a Fayetteville (Washington County) newspaper.

132. Richard Howell Purdue.: Papers, 1823-1973; 2 linear feet.

Correspondence, family records, literary manuscripts, military documents, and other published and unpublished material, principally in photocopy and transcript, collected by historians Richard Howell Purdue and Elizabeth Purdue in the course of their research for Pat Cleburne, Confederate General: A Definitive Biography (Hillsboro, Texas: Hill Junior College Press, 1973).

133. William Minor Quesenbury.: Papers 1864-1865; 2 items.

Handwritten copy of a receipt, dated December 6, 1864, Bonham, Texas, given to Brigadier General Douglas H. Cooper, and a personal letter to Charles B. Johnson, dated February 26, 1865, Bonham, Texas, by Major William Minor Quesenbury (1822-1886), former quartermaster for the Indian Territory under the command of Brigadier General Albert Pike. Quesenbury, a former newspaperman and teacher in Washington County, received $910 from Cooper in Confederate money to settle a debt incurred by a third party. Quesenbury's letter to Johnson is primarily a personal note announcing the birth of his son.

134. Lorraine Blore Ragland Family.: Papers, 1860-1981; 2 1/2 linear feet.

Journals, letters, literary manuscripts, and photographs pertaining to the Cowgill-Smithee-Blore-Ragland families of Arkansas, Colorado, and California. The collection consists of the papers of Annie Eliza Cowgill Smithee (1846- 1903), James Newton Smithee (1838-1902), and their descendants. Annie Eliza Cowgill was the daughter of Addison J. H. Cowgill and, through his lineage, a descendent of Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Smithee was a newspaperman from Sharp County, who established a newspaper in Brownsville (Prairie County) in 1860. He enlisted in the Confederate service in 1861, eventually becoming a second lieutenant in Woodruff's Arkansas Battery. (The name of this unit underwent many changes; names that Smithee used most often were Blocher's or Marshall's Battalion.) During the war Annie remained in Little Rock (Pulaski County) and was an eyewitness to the city's capture by the Federal army September 10, 1863. In 1865, Smithee surrendered with the rest of his unit and returned to Arkansas, resuming work as a newspaperman. The Ragland collection includes letters, journals, literary manuscripts, and photographs from three generations of the Smithee family, as well as many letters written by Annie and Smithee during the Civil War years. Among the latter are those written by Smithee just before and after the battle of Helena (Phillips County), in July 1863, and one letter to Annie from David O. Dodd. Annie's Civil War diary is of particular interest as it contains a near day-to-day record of the first weeks of Little Rock's occupation by the Union army and extensive mention of David O. Dodd, who was a personal friend of Annie before his execution for espionage in January 1864. Essays written by James Newton Smithee concerning his military experiences, as well as poetry written by Annie Cowgill and her admirers during the Civil War, also exist in the collection.

135. Nathaniel Madison Ragland.: Papers, 1860-1946; 101 items.

Sermons, correspondence, clippings, essays, and other materials pertaining to the ministry and other activities of the Rev. Nathaniel M. Ragland of Fayetteville (Washington County). Among the wide variety of materials in this collection are clippings dealing with the activities of the Southern Memorial Association, a biographical sketch of Fayetteville attorney Jonas March Tebbetts, and a ledger from an unidentified Fayetteville business which lists purchases made by many prominent citizens during the years 1860-1861.

136. William Stephen Ray.: Memoir, circa 1915; 1 item.

Typewritten reminiscence, prepared from an original manuscript by David W. Ogden, descendent of Corporal William Stephen Ray, Company I, 154th Tennessee Infantry. Ray enlisted in the Confederate army at McNary County, Tennessee, while sixteen years old. He fought at Belmont, Missouri, Shiloh, Tennessee, Corinth, Mississippi, and Atlanta, Georgia. Midway through the war, Ray was temporarily assigned to the Fifteenth Tennessee Cavalry, but he rejoined the infantry before the close of hostilities. Ray's reminiscence holds little new information on military movements, but a few interesting personal incidents are included. Most of the reminiscence describes Ray's post-war residence in Arkansas and Oklahoma, as well as his efforts on behalf of the United Confederate Veterans. Finding aid available online.

137. William Remmel.: Papers, 1862-1924; 205 items.

Letters and documents from or pertaining to Sergeant William Remmel, Company I, 121st New York Infantry. Born on February 22, 1843, in Hermicke, Germany, William Remmel emigrated to America with the rest of his family when still a small child. The Remmels eventually settled in Devereaux, Herkimer County, New York, and William attended classes at the Fairfield Seminary, Fairfield, New York, until he entered the military during the Civil War. William enlisted in the service sometime between July 6 and August 31, 1862. He was present at both Antietam and Fredericksburg, but was not personally involved with any fighting. On April 20, 1863, William was promoted to sergeant, and by May 3, he had "seen the elephant" at Salem Chapel, Virginia. Wounded on May 10, 1864, William spent the following months in Washington, D.C., hospitals. He rejoined his regiment in August 1864 and remained at the front for the duration of his military service. On October 19, 1864, during the battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia, Remmel was captured by the enemy and sent to Andersonville prison, where he probably died a short time later. All efforts by Remmel's parents in the years following the war to determine his fate met with failure. The Remmel papers include: letters written by William to his parents, brothers, and sisters; letters written by his parents after the war attempting to find out what happened to him; military documents pertaining to the 121st Infantry; and pension claims. Finding aid available online.

138. Alphes Reynard.: Letters, 1862; 5 items.

Typescript copy of five original letters, four of which are from Private Alphes Reynard, Company E, Tenth Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry, written to his family while he was on duty with the Army of the Potomac in 1862. Reynard's first letter, dated April 29, 1862, describes the battlefield at Manassas Junction, Virginia, which he was able to inspect at some leisure. His next letters, written on June 18 and 19, 1862, describe his experiences while serving during McClellan's Peninsula Campaign in Virginia. His last letter, dated August 23, 1862, was sent from Washington, D.C., where Reynard's regiment was engaged in preparing defensive works. An additional letter, written by Private James C. Temple, also probably of Company E, Tenth Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry, is dated June 25, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia. Temple's letter describes an attack made on a Federal observation balloon and friendly exchanges with enemy pickets. Alphes Reynard was killed in action at Antietam on September 17, 1862.

139. Daniel Harris Reynolds.: Papers, 1861-1892; 132 items.

Correspondence, diary, biographical sketch, battle reports, and other military documents pertaining to Brigadier General Daniel Harris Reynolds (1832-1902). Reynolds was from Chicot County, entered the Confederate service as a captain of Company A (Chicot Rangers), First Arkansas Mounted Rifles on June 14, 1861, and remained in the army until the end of the war. He fought at Wilson's Creek, Missouri, August 10, 1861, and Pea Ridge (Benton County) on March 7 and 8, 1862, and was subsequently transferred east of the Mississippi where he and his regiment saw the balance of their war service. He was promoted to major, lieutenant colonel, and finally colonel of the First Arkansas before receiving his commission as brigadier general on March 12, 1864. Among the battles he fought east of the Mississippi were: Farmington and Jackson, Mississippi; Chickamauga, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, and Atlanta, Georgia; Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee; and Bentonville, North Carolina. Following the war Reynolds returned to Arkansas where he practiced law and served as a state senator from Chicot County. The Reynolds collection includes a typescript copy of a diary kept by the general during the entire course of the war, letters written and received by him, and commissions, reports, and other military documents.

140. Rock Hotel Hospital.: Letters, orders, and patient register, 1862-1863; 1 roll.

The Rock Hotel Hospital was operated by the Confederate army in Little Rock (Pulaski County) prior to the capture of the city in September 1863. The records include letters and orders sent and received, receipts for effects of deceased soldiers, and a register of patients. Microfilm copy of original documents held by the National Archives, Record Group 109, Collection of Confederate Records.

141. John Calvin Rooks.: Papers, 1976; 2 items.

Typewritten manuscript and photocopied clippings of a published article appearing in the Kansas Rooks County Record, June 24 and July 15, 1976, relative to Private John Calvin Rooks, Company I, Eleventh Kansas Infantry, and his exploits in the battles of Cane Hill and Prairie Grove (Washington County).

142. Roots Family.: Papers, 1842-1907; 3 linear feet.

Positive photocopies of correspondence, diaries, certificates, and military and business papers created or collected by Logan Holt Roots (1841-1893) and Philander Keep Roots (1838-1921). Originally from Illinois, the Roots brothers both served the Union cause during the Civil War and later moved to Arkansas. Logan Holt Roots graduated from the Illinois Normal University in 1862 and then enlisted as a quartermaster lieutenant in the Eighty-first Illinois Infantry. He served on General William T. Sherman's staff in Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi, and at the end of the war, at a post in Little Rock (Pulaski County) where he received a brevet rank of lieutenant colonel. Logan began purchasing land in Arkansas and Prairie counties in the late 1860s and was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1868. Philander Keep Roots served the Union army as a civilian engineer during the war, being stationed for the most part in Nashville, Tennessee. After the war he joined his brother in Arkansas where he entered the banking profession. The wartime correspondence consists primarily of letters from family members in Illinois to the Roots brothers and contain no information on military movements. Occasionally Philander would add a few lines to a letter before sending it on to Logan, but his comments are almost entirely personal. Only one letter, dated June 14, 1863, and written by Logan in a camp near Vicksburg, mentions any military activity in detail. Of particular interest for the Reconstruction period in Arkansas is the constituent correspondence to Logan Holt Roots during his tenure as U. S. congressman (1868-1871). Letters in the collection from these dates pertain to Ku Klux Klan activities in northeast Arkansas, the Republican party, and the disenfranchisement of ex-Confederate officers.

143. Uriah Milton Rose.: Papers, 1881-1910; 35 items.

Letters, telegrams, and a manuscript created or collected by Uriah Milton Rose (1834-1913), an Arkansas lawyer, jurist, and diplomat. All the correspondence in this collection pertains to Rose's post-war career, but included in the papers is a positive photocopy of a typewritten reminiscence, "An Episode During the Civil War." This reminiscence by Rose relates his experiences during a journey to Richmond, Virginia, from Washington (Hempstead County) during the summer of 1864. Rose had accepted a commission by the Confederate government to copy documents in the archives at Richmond pertaining to Arkansas troops. He travelled to the Confederate capitol and discharged his duty with the help of several civilian employees and then shipped the copies as far as Jackson, Mississippi, during his return trip. Prevented by military circumstances from crossing the Mississippi River with the documents, Rose was forced to leave them at Jackson where they were burned by Federal troops. His narrative serves as an account of conditions in the Confederate states shortly before the end of the war.

144. Ira Russell.: Papers, 1862-1863; 5 items.

Four manuscript letters and a report written by Dr. Ira Russell and his son, Fred Russell. Dr. Ira Russell (1815-1888) was a Union army physician stationed in Fayetteville (Washington County) in late 1862 and early 1863. A New Hampshire native, Russell received his education at Dartmouth and the University of New York, graduating with an M.D. from the latter in 1844. In 1861 Russell was commissioned surgeon of the Eleventh Massachusetts Infantry but was eventually assigned duty west of the Mississippi, first at St. Louis, and later, in December 1862, at Fayetteville, where he assumed the directorship of the hospitals of the Army of the Frontier following the battle of Prairie Grove (Washington County). Russell's two sons, Fred and Erwin, accompanied him to Arkansas, and Fred acted as a clerk for his father. Only one letter is actually from Ira to his wife, Rowena. The other three letters are from Fred. The report, which details the conditions of all military hospitals in Fayetteville, was composed by Ira but handwritten by Fred. The papers contain a wealth of information on the disposition of the wounded following the battle of Prairie Grove and on the social conditions at Fayetteville during the war. William L. Shea edited the papers for publication in the Arkansas Historical Quarterly 47 (Winter 1988): 345-361, in an article entitled "The Aftermath of Prairie Grove: Union Letters from Fayetteville." Finding aid available online.

145. Joseph Robinson Rutherford.: Papers, 1839-1914; 324 items.

Correspondence, legal documents, military forms, receipts, promissory notes, and other items pertaining to Joseph Robinson Rutherford (1826-1904) of Benton County. Rutherford was born in Hiawassee Purchase, Tennessee, and served in the United States Army during the Mexican War. After moving to Arkansas in 1851, he engaged in farming and was involved in the settlement of a Seth Thomas clock business. Rutherford lost his first wife after the outbreak of hostilities in 1861 and subsequently enlisted in the Federal army. Commissioned as captain of Company A, Arkansas Home Guard Militia, Rutherford established an agricultural colony for destitute Unionist families on Excelsior Farm, a large tract of land near Prairie Grove (Washington County), which was owned by William Wilson, a Southern sympathizer. Captain Rutherford renamed the farm "Union Valley" and administered the colony until July 1865, when William Wilson engaged Fayetteville (Washington County) attorney Lafayette Gregg to sue for repossession of his property. After the war Rutherford became actively involved with the Reconstruction efforts in northwest Arkansas and with the policies of the Republican Party. The collection includes correspondence, military orders, and requisition forms dealing with the administration of the Union Valley farm, including exchanges with military authorities stationed at Fayetteville in 1864 and 1865. The earliest Civil War letter, dated September 4-6, 1862, is from George Gardier Bosworth, serving on the Union gunboat Mound City at Helena (Phillips County). Apparently unrelated to Rutherford, Bosworth wrote to an unidentified northwest Arkansas resident and detailed his escape from the area to Union lines near St. Louis and operations with his gunboat on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers near Vicksburg.

146. Joseph B. Sanders.: Diary, 1856-1880; 1 roll.

The diary is actually a series of reminiscences written several months or years after the fact. For example, Joseph B. Sanders began describing his March 1862 experiences in Arkansas on February 23, 1863, while living in Kansas. The diary also includes a synopsis of the Sanders family's trip from Indiana to Arkansas which describes the city of St. Louis and the political climate of Missouri in the late 1850s. Sanders (1813-1890) was a farmer and Baptist church elder who lived in Washington County during the first year of the Civil War. Born in Kentucky, he moved with his family to Indiana when he was two years old. There he engaged in farming and local politics until 1856 when he decided to move his own family to northwest Arkansas. The Sanders family eventually settled in the Brush Creek township of Washington County. Although not an eyewitness to the battle of Pea Ridge, Sanders and his neighbors were vitally interested in the outcome of the fight and interviewed anyone passing through their neighborhood for information. On March 11, 1862, Sanders travelled to the battlefield himself to get permission from the Union authorities to move his family north. He was held prisoner briefly but was released after proving his status as a non-combatant. Sanders returned home and moved his family north to Kansas on March 23, 1862. Negative microfilm copy of a manuscript diary held by Whitman College.

147. William Tecumseh Sherman.: Papers, 1810-1896; 51 rolls.

Correspondence, telegrams, orders, memoranda, and other papers created, received, or collected by Lieutenant General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891). Microfilm copy of original documents held by the Library of Congress.

148. William Henry Harrison Shibley.: Papers, 1862-1863; 47 items.

Correspondence written by Lieutenant William Henry Harrison Shibley (1840-1932) and Private John Samuel Shibley, both of Company G, Twenty-second Arkansas Infantry, to their parents living in Van Buren (Crawford County). The Shibley brothers enlisted together in June 1862 and remained with the Confederate army until the end of the war. They participated in the battles of Prairie Grove (Washington County), Helena (Phillips County), and Jenkins' Ferry (Grant County), and were stationed at various points in Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana before surrendering at Fort Smith (Sebastian County) in May 1865. The letters in this collection were written between August 21, 1862, and August 19, 1863, and document the Shibley brothers' experiences in the weeks prior to the fight at Prairie Grove, at a military camp near Little Rock (Pulaski County), and the movements prior to the battle of Helena. Probably due to their subsequent visit to their parent's home, no letter details the battle of Prairie Grove, but the Shibley brothers did describe at some length their combat activities at the battle of Helena. All of the letters in this collection have been published by Ruie Ann Smith Park in "Dear Parents": The Civil War Letters of the Shibley Brothers of Van Buren, Arkansas (Fayetteville: Washington County Historical Society, 1963).

149. Shreve Family.: Papers, 1810-1975; 2 linear feet.

Correspondence, documents, and photographs pertaining to three Washington County pioneer families: Shreve, Robertson, and Wilson. Wilson Shreve (1803-1891) was a Missouri native who settled near Farmington in 1850. During the Civil War, he raised a regiment of home guard troops which became known as Company G, Arkansas Enrolled Militia. Most of the papers concern Shreve descendants in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but included with Wilson Shreve's papers are his commission as captain signed by Governor Isaac Murphy, April 18, 1865, and an Ordnance Property Return form dated May 18, 1866. There are also property records pertaining to the estate of Samuel Wilson, another Washington County resident, showing monetary value for his slave. Finding aid available online.

150. Emma Eugene Ramsaur Shuford.: Papers, 1850-1900; 21 items.

Autograph book, letters, and miscellaneous papers pertaining to Emma Shuford (1846-1905) of Ashley County. Emma was the only daughter of John Franklin Ramsaur (1819-1904), a Hamburg planter originally from North Carolina, and his first wife, Sarah. In 1860, Emma travelled to Newton, North Carolina, to live with relatives and attend school. She graduated from Converse College, Spartansburg, South Carolina, about 1864 and married Wallace Pinckney Shuford in 1866. The couple finally settled in Fort Smith (Sebastian County) in the late nineteenth century. In addition to Emma's autograph album, kept during her school days in the Carolinas, this collection also includes seven letters written by her to her parents between July 6, 1861, and May 20, 1863, from Newton, North Carolina, and Spartansburg, South Carolina. Emma's letters describe conditions on the Confederate home front as well as her school experiences and news she received from relatives serving in the Southern army.

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