Unpublished Civil War Material
in the Clarke Historical Library
US. Army. Michigan Engineeer Regiment, 1st (1862-1865), Company M
Dove, William. Letter, 1864. 1 item (11 pages). Photocopy and transcript of a letter to Horace O. Bigelow regarding the death of his son Olney. Contains additional information added later by several people. Includes brief service histories.
US. Army. Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, 1st (1861-1864)
Poe, O. M. (Orlando Metcalfe), 1832-1895. Papers, 1853, 1886. 1 box (.5 cubic foot), oversized, maps. Papers, 1853-1886, and undated, including: military correspondence, 1856-1868; military orders, 1861-1864; work reports by Poe, 1860, 1863, and undated; Poe's U.S. Military Academy class standing reports, 1853-1856; papers of a Court of Inquiry Trial (not for Poe), 1855; morning reports of 1st Regiment Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, 1864-1865; muster roll of the United States Army Corps, 23rd, Engineer Battalion, 1863; a miscellaneous note and newspaper clipping about the surrender of Ft. Sumter (North Carolina), 1861; and various maps and sketches. The Papers document his work and that of his engineers and mechanics during the Civil War. Of interest are correspondence and Poe's reports (Nov.-Dec. 1864 and early 1865) detailing the destruction of Atlanta and Savannah (Ga.) which Poe's men razed on Gen. Sherman's orders. Bio: Poe was a breveted Union brigadier general in the Civil War. He was Chief Engineer of the Ohio and served as Gen. William T. Sherman's Chief Engineer. He was an engineer on the Great Lakes after the Civil War. One of the Soo Locks (at Sault Ste. Marie, MI) is named after him. Finding Aid.
US. Army. 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, Company B
Alliton, Silas (1842- ) Papers, 1860-1916, include reunion banner, Company G, 3rd Michigan Cavalry, 3 diaries, 1863-1866, postcards, newspaper clippings, correspondence with Alliton and girlfriend, Dora Knight. Letters describe camp life, skirmishes with Rebels in MS and Ark., discontent and mutiny over delayed discharge after War. Also letters of Henry R. Wallace, a soldier in Company B, 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics to Dora about the Battle of Chattanooga, Ga. skirmishes, political sentiments, and pro-Lincoln ideas. Finding aid.
US. Army. Michigan Engineers and Mechanics Regiment, 1st (1861-1864), Company M
Drake, David A. Correspondence, 1865, 1883. 1 folder. Correspondence includes a Civil War letter from Alonzo D. Holland in Goldsboro (NC) to "Friend Drake" in Wiota (Isabella County, MI), dated March 31, 1865, and a typed transcription. The letter discusses North Carolina, Sherman's Army, and Rebels. There is also a photocopy of Holland's service record is also included. Bio: Holland enlisted in Company M, 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics Regiment on Sept. 22, 1863 at Coe (MI), at age 21. He was mustered on Oct. 7, 1863, promoted to Corporal on Aug. 1, 1865, and mustered out at Nashville (TN) on Sept. 22, 1865.
Woodworth, Ellen. Letterbook of Civil War letters of Samuel and Ellen Woodworth, Sept. 24, 1863-Dec. 27, 1864 (Original and transcripts). Letters are mostly from Ellen about family and home life. Bio: Samuel enlisted in Company M, 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics on Sept. 22, 1863 at Coe at age 31. He was mustered on Oct. 7, 1863. He served as an artificer. He was discharged at Nashville (TN) on May 17, 1865.