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The Albert Davis papers contain letters written by Civil War soldier Albert Davis, of the 15th Massachusetts Regiment, Co. G. Davis described his regiment's roles in the battles of Ball’s Bluff, White Oak Swamp, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg.

The Albert Davis papers consist of 97 letters written by Civil War soldier Albert Davis of the 15th Massachusetts Regiment, Co. G, 3 letters written by his friends and family, one allotment receipt, his military discharge papers, and a photo of Albert Davis.

Albert Davis wrote letters while stationed with the Union army in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, between August 1861 and June 1864. Of the letters, Davis sent 83 to his widowed mother and 14 to his teenage sister, Angeline, both living in Upton, Massachusetts. The collection also holds one letter from Albert's mother to his sister (June 30, 1864), a letter from R. W. Ellis to Angeline Leland Davis (March 5, 1864), and a letter from W. I. Scandlin to Albert Davis (July 2, 1874).

Albert's letters document his participation as a soldier in the 15th Massachusetts Regiment from the beginning of the regiment’s formation in July 1861, until its dissolution after the battle of Petersburg (June 22, 1864), when all but eight men and one officer were killed or captured. In the early letters, Davis described his initial training near Worcester, Massachusetts. At first, he enjoyed soldiering, and sent home souvenirs: a piece of wood from the Harper's Ferry Bridge (October 6, 1861), and a piece of cotton from the breastworks at Yorktown (May 24, 1862). He wrote of snowballing a barge while on picket duty (January 4, 1862), and of picking wild blackberries during the fighting at Malvern Hills (August 2, 1862). Upon seeing the Monitor anchored among other boats at Hampton, Virginia, he wrote "it dont look as though it could take a Canal boat" (April 2, 1862). Many of his letters mentioned food, either what he was eating or what he would like to receive from home (cheese, tea, molasses, catsup, preserves, baked goods, chocolate, and checkerberry extract). On August 2, 1862, he sent a recipe for pudding made from hardtack. By December 1863, his feelings about soldiering had changed and he became determined not to reenlist. He was irritated by the "bounty men" who fought for money rather than patriotism (March 9, 1863; August 6, 1863). He witnessed several military executions (September 4, 1863; April 26, 1864). Davis also described his six months spent in hospitals and convalescent camps, and his part in the battles of Antietam, Cold Harbor, Gettysburg, and Bristoe Station.

His letters describing the Battle of Gettysburg are of particular interest not just for their accounts of the battle (July 4, 17, and 27, 1863), but also for his corrections of inaccuracies in the newspaper coverage of the battle (August 13 and 21, 1863). On May 14, 1864, Davis wrote from "mud hole near Spotsylvania Court House" and stated that the battle was "the hardest fight of the War." A few weeks later, on June 6, 1864, he wrote from the battlefield at Cold Harbor that "we are about sick of making Charges [--] we are not successful in one half of them and the loss on the retreat is great...there is some wounded men that are a lying between the lines that have laid there for three days and have not had a bit of care perhaps not a drop of water."

• October 22, 1861
• October 29, 1861
• November 6, 1861
• November 16, 1861
• November 17, 1861
• November 26, 1861
• May 6, 1862
• November 2, [1862]

Photograph collection of a soldier with the 310th U.S. Engineers, serving near Archangel, Russia in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1919, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

Photograph album containing about 240 photos of member of the 310th Engineers, construction projects, fortification, scenery, Russian people, soldiers of various countries, and ships. The collection also contains a DVD video slideshow of the photos, with some additional content.

The Andrew Knox papers are comprised of 6 letters from Andrew Knox, a lieutenant in the 1st Connecticut Volunteer Heavy Artillery, to his wife Sarah in Danbury, Connecticut.

The Andrew Knox papers are comprised of six letters from Knox to his wife Sarah, written between July 31, 1862, and October 2, 1864. The letters convey rare and perceptive details about his locations and equipment, as well as deep affection for his wife and infant. In his letter of July 31, 1862, Knox described his pride in his regiment’s accomplishments after receiving accolades from Gen. George McClellan. In the next letter in the collection, dated August 3, 1864, and written from Union Headquarters in City Point, Virginia, Knox mentioned a nearby prison with 600 Confederate soldiers and a ride on a tugboat, on which he had “a pleasant little sail.”

Knox seemingly took a great interest in his equipment and wrote a detailed description of it for his wife: “The 13 inch mortar I have charge of is on a car made especially for it to be fired from. The mortar is a big thing. I weighs 17,185 # without the bed, and throws a shell when loaded weighing 230 #” (August 5, 1854).

Knox also speculated about strategy and future movements, as in his September 19, 1864, letter: “In regard to the expected battle down here, I do not think there will be any serious one for a long time unless the enemy makes the attack… My own observations lead me to think we will hold these lines for a long time. Many forts of a permanent nature are being made along the whole front. And the front lines are being retired in the rear of the forts in many places” (September 19, 1864).

Asa Grant wrote 20 letters to his parents while serving with a New York Militia regiment during the War of 1812. From September 1812-February 1813, Grant was stationed at Sacketts Harbor, New York, where he described recent battles, troop health, and other aspects of military life.

This collection (21 items) contains 20 letters that Asa Grant wrote to his parents while serving with a New York Militia regiment during the War of 1812. From September 1812-February 1813, he was stationed at Sacketts Harbor, New York, where he described recent battles, troop health, and other aspects of military life. The collection also contains a fragment from a report of prisoners at Sackets Harbor.

Grant first wrote to his family while traveling from Delaware County, New York, to Sacketts Harbor, which he reached around September 23, 1812. There, he mentioned the presence of other troops and commented on the strength of the American naval force and the presumed strength of British forces. He also discussed recent battles, including naval warfare, and other developments in the war; on December 13, 1812, Grant mentioned having attended an officer's funeral. Grant reported news of officers and other members of his regiment, and frequently referred to the effects of illnesses among the soldiers and local civilians. Other soldiers deserted, were discharged, or hired substitutes.

The collection also includes a fragment from a morning report of prisoners at Sackets Harbor, enclosed with a document about the strength of the United States' naval forces on Lake Ontario and the British military.

Soldier from Grand Rapids, Mich., member of 337th Ambulance Company who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes diaries and reminiscences of his service in Russia and training at Fort Custer, Michigan; also his diaries of life in Grand Rapids, photographs, motion pictures, and miscellaneous.

The collection includes diaries and a reminiscence of his service in Russia, at Obozerskaya and Archangel, and his training at Fort Custer, Mich.; also clippings and miscellanea. The collection also includes views of Fort Custer, Mich., and photos taken in Russia (both U. S. Signal Corps photos and snapshots) of American and allied soldiers, cities and towns, Russian people, battle scenes, and means of transportation; also a motion picture (16 mm original with DVD and streaming file use copies) containing miscellaneous scenes of American troops in Archangel. Also included Smith's diaries dated 1910 and 1914-1916.

University of Michigan faculty member and administrator, Educational Director of the Y.M.C.A. at Camp Custer, Michigan during World War I, and principal at Ann Arbor High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Album of photographs taken at Camp Custer, showing classroom scenes and other aspects of camp life; also portraits of family members.

Album of photographs taken at Camp Custer, showing classroom scenes and other aspects of camp life, panoramic views of grounds and structures, and portraits and photographs of soldiers; also portraits of members of the Springer and Lazelle families.

The Forty-First Regiment United States Infantry orderly book contains orders kept at Harlem Heights, Fort Lewis, and Fort Greene in New York, for Captain John L. Clark's Company of the 41st Regiment United States Infantry. Entries consist of brigade, regimental, and garrison orders, as well as a variety of provision returns, court martial records, and a list of officers of the 41st Regiment.

The 41st Regiment United States Infantry orderly book (165 pages) contains orders kept at Fort Lewis, Fort Greene, and Harlem Heights, in New York, for Captain John L. Clark's company of the 41st Regiment, United States Infantry. Entries span from November 1, 1814, to May 31, 1815, and consist of brigade, regimental, division, and garrison orders, as well as a variety of provision returns, court martial records, and a list of officers of the 41st Regiment.

The first 112 pages contain 116 orders and 14 court martial records. The orders document the activities of the regiment, often mentioning the responsibilities of specific soldiers. The court martial records document various crimes committed by the officers and soldiers in the 41st regiment. Offenses included desertion, drunkenness, failure to request a countersign while on sentinel duty, violence toward fellow soldiers, threatening a superior officer, being absent without leave, and neglect of duties. Punishments included demotion, hard labor, pay and whiskey allowance reductions, and execution. Of note is the trial of a ten-year-old African American servant, named Prime, who was accused of impersonating, and therefore disrespecting, an officer (pages 20-21). In another case, a soldier was punished for “striking and abusing” a corporal’s wife, and was “Drummed Round the Garrison With a Woman’s petticoat on” (page 27). Also of interest are charges of four soldiers for starting a “riot” in a house inhabited by two Brooklyn women (page 53). These entries offer insights into the daily activities of New York soldiers, and provide evidence of women at the forts.

The back of the book (pages 1a-53a) contains absentee records, provision returns for men and women (February-April 1815), clothing returns, ordinance reports, and inventories for Harlem Heights concerning artillery, bedding, construction equipment, fuel, and other sundries. Also present are troop roll calls and a list of officers for the regiment, and a copy of a discharge letter.

• July 25, 1814: A resignation letter from members of the Committee of the Albany Republican Artillery to John L. Clark
• Undated: A resignation letter from John L. Clark to the Albany Artillery
• Undated: A “Descriptive Roll” for five men in the 8th Company, 41st Regiment, United States Infantry
• September 27, 1824: A letter from Job Clark to John L. Clark of Elizabeth Town concerning plans to travel on the Mississippi River

Note: this volume was formerly cataloged as "War of 1812 Orderly Book."

Papers of a soldier in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

The album contains ca. 350 photographs, including scenes of ports, camps in England and France, the countryside of Russia, Murmansk, men on patrol and in camp, battle casualties, battle damage and construction on the railroad, Russian people, village scenes, fortifications, allied soldiers, airplanes, repair of railroad cars, and the voyage home. These photographs are described in a printed list distributed by John E. Wilson.

[See North Russia pictures/taken by John E. Wilson for Wilson list]

Photograph collection of a soldier with the 168th Co., United States Army Transportation Corps, serving near Murmansk, Russia in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1919, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

This collection contains digital records; the original papers and/or photographs are owned by the donor. The digital items in this collection were digitized from originals by the individual donors before being received by the Bentley Historical Library. Preservation copies of these files with their original file names and CD-ROM file structures intact have been submitted to Deep Blue. Access copies of these digital files can be viewed by clicking on the links next to the individual folders in the Content List below.

In this finding aid, the files have been arranged into one series, Photographs. Within each series, files are listed numerically according to the file arrangement they were given by the donor. The porginal files in this collection are in TIF format. Access copies were made in jpeg format.

Files include digitized photographs of ports, camps in England and France the Russian countryside, Murmansk soldiers on patrol and in camp, battle casualties, battle damage and construction on Russian railroads, airplanes, and other subjects, ca. 1918-1919. Many of these photographs are described in a printed list distributed by John E. Wilson, which can be found online in the "Finding Aid for the North Russia pictures, taken by John E. Wilson."

The Geiger family papers are primarily made up of correspondence written or received by Henry and Mildred Palmer Geiger, who lived in Galena, Illinois, and Sheldon, Iowa, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection includes letters that the couple wrote to each other during their courtship and letters that Henry received from his wife, siblings, parents, and children while he served with the Illinois National Guard during the Spanish-American War and with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.

The Geiger family papers are primarily made up of correspondence written or received by Henry and Mildred Palmer Geiger, who lived in Galena, Illinois, and Sheldon, Iowa, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection includes letters that the couple wrote to each other during their courtship and letters that Henry received from his wife, siblings, parents, and children while he served with the Illinois National Guard during the Spanish-American War and with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.

The Correspondence series comprises the bulk of the collection. Henry Geiger wrote over 100 letters to Mildred Palmer between 1890 and 1894, during their courtship. Though he lived in Galena, Illinois, he frequently spent time in Chicago and Scales Mound, Illinois, while serving with the 6th Illinois National Guard. His letters, often lighthearted, provide details about their relationship and social lives and, to a lesser extent, describe his military service, which included duty in Chicago during the 1894 Pullman Strike. During the summer of 1893, he discussed his experiences at the World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. He visited national pavilions, rode the Ferris wheel, and went on other excursions. The collection holds only a few of Mildred's responses before their marriage.

Henry Geiger received around 30 letters while serving in Company M of the 6th Illinois National Guard Regiment during the Spanish-American War. His siblings, parents, and other family members provided news from Galena, Illinois, and occasionally commented on the progress of the conflict. Henry served at Camp Alger and in Puerto Rico in the summer of 1898, and he wrote 1 letter during his service (August 21, 1898). His sister "Eda" enclosed a small woven United States flag in her letter of August 13, 1898. Henry also received around 35 letters from his wife and children when he was serving in various units during World War I; they discussed family news, the war, education, and their separation. Henry's brothers occasionally wrote about their careers.

In addition to Henry and Mildred's family letters, the collection contains 6 letters addressed to Effie Fowler, a schoolteacher who lived in Slater, Missouri, from 1905-1906 , including one letter of recommendation and other personal correspondence.

The Travel Manuscripts series is comprised of two sets of travel notes made while the unidentified authors visited Ceylon, Sumatra, Java, and Japan (6 index cards) and Israel (2 copies, 2 pages each).

The Financial records are receipts, accounts, and a check related to the financial affairs of the Geiger family and to Mrs. Lucy C. Wing of Marshall, Missouri. A small account book holding 2 pages of Wing's partially printed accounts is also included.

The Printed Items series consists of 4 newspaper clippings and an advertisement. Among the clippings are a recipe and an obituary for Mary Katherine Weinsheimer, Henry Geiger's mother. The advertisement in German announces Anna Heise's performance in Die Verfolgte Unschuld on May 3, 1930, in Philadelphia.