Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

Private Edgar H. Klemroth drew this collection of "Very Rough Sketches" while serving in the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment near Winchester, Virginia, during the winter of 1864-1865. The sketches depict soldiers, horses, army camps and headquarters, equipment, African Americans, and winter scenes.

Private Edgar H. Klemroth drew these "Very Rough Sketches" (45 pages) while serving in the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment during General Philip Henry Sheridan's campaign in Shenandoah from August 1864 to March 1865. Klemroth later presented them to Captain Rudulph Ellis of the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry. The materials include pencil sketches, ink drawings, and wash drawings; a few of the pages contain more than one image. The original black leather binding (15.2 x 24.5 cm) is included in the back of Volume 3. Underneath some of the sketches are faint, hand-written lines of poetry pulled from works of various poets. Klemroth's illustrations show a variety of military scenes, including army camps, winter headquarters near Winchester, and wagons and supply trains in the Virginia countryside. Many sketches highlight the hardships of camp life. Soldiers are shown on horseback and at leisure, sometimes eating, talking, or watching equestrian and mule races. Images 26 and 27 feature soldiers firing during a skirmish, and another (image 10) shows a dog mourning over its dead Confederate owner's body. African Americans, including a young boy and men racing on mules, appear in a few of the drawings. Portraits of General Philip Henry Sheridan, General George Custer, Captain Rudulph Ellis, Brigadier General David Allen Russell, First Lieutenant John Spreadbury, and men in Klemroth's regiment (including scouts) are also present. Some of the items are dated November 1864 or December 1864, and some have descriptions of images written on the back.

The George A.C. Barnett papers consists of a set of letters written to a woman named "Dotty" between November 30, 1864, and December 25, 1864, while Barnett was serving as 1st Lieutenant in the 17th New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry.

The correspondence of George A.C. Barnett consists of a set of 27 letters written to a woman named "Dotty" between the dates of November 30, 1864, and December 25, 1864. The letters were written from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Just as Barnett arrived in Tennessee, the railroad was cut, making it impossible to send or receive mail. As a result, Barnett collected his daily correspondence, numbered each page, and eventually sent the batch of letters as a collected work. The letters, totaling 192 pages, describe Barnett's daily activities, thoughts, and feelings.

A small printed etching of the Three Graces is affixed to the November 30th letter. Pen and ink drawings illustrate the letters of December 18th (a man in tall boots), 19th (a pair of elegant "breeches"), and 20th (a horse).

The George Barrell journal is a bound account entitled "Journal of a Voyage from Boston to Malaga in the Brig Venus and Return in the Schooner Louisiana by George Barrell." Along with Barrell's prose descriptions of life at sea and detailed depictions of Gibraltar and Malaga, the author drew 32 colored illustrations, primarily of landscapes and people he encountered on his journey.

The George Barrell journal is a bound account entitled "Journal of a Voyage from Boston to Malaga in the Brig Venus and Return in the Schooner Louisiana by George Barrell." Along with Barrell's prose descriptions of life at sea and detailed depictions of Gibraltar and Malaga, the author drew 32 colored illustrations, primarily of landscapes and people he encountered on his journey. The account, which commenced on July 13, 1806, first chronicled the travels of the Venus to Gibraltar, Spain, via the Azores. Barrell made daily notations about the weather and often mentioned interesting occurrences; Spanish privateers, whom he detested, boarded the ship on several occasions, though the Venus also encountered friendlier British ships. By mid-August, they had arrived at Gibraltar, which Barrell described in detail on several pages, recording observations about the city and its people, including the weather, the Jewish population, local British officers, and local buildings. Following a quarantine period at Gibraltar, the Venus sailed to Malaga, about which Barrell also noted his observations. On September 28, 1806, he left on the Louisiana for New York City, but rough seas lengthened their journey to several months.

The journal also contains 32 color illustrations created by Barrell during the course of his travels. He often drew ships, landscapes, and various military officers seen along the Spanish shore.