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

The Isaac Oliver Best manuscripts are post-war reminiscences that combine personal experience, anecdotes, and secondary source information in relating the critical campaigns of the Union Army in the spring and summer of 1864.

The Isaac Best manuscripts were prepared in the 1880s or 1890s for the veterans organizations of the 16th and 121st New York Infantry Regiments. These include three extended essays, "Sheridan in the Shenandoah" (F6:1a), "The Siege and Capture of Petersburg" (F6.1b), and "Through the Wilderness with Grant" (F6.1c).

These essays are clearly-written post-war reminiscences in the grand old style of the Grand Army of the Republic, and contain both personal, anecdotal information about the incidents gathered first-hand, and information undoubtedly gathered from secondary sources. They focus on the critical campaigns of the spring and summer of 1864, after the arrival of Ulysses S. Grant both bathed the soldiers in blood and revitalized the hopes of the Army of the Potomac.

"Sheridan in the Shenandoah" includes a rapid, second-hand narrative of the struggle for the Valley in 1862 and 1863, and Best's personal recollections of the fall campaign of 1864. Particularly noteworthy are his accounts of the 3rd Battle of Winchester and Fisher's Hill, and a very detailed account of Cedar Creek. As an aside, Best comments that the importance of "Sheridan's Ride" has been much overplayed, and argues that much of VI Corps was not in flight and had never been broken at all. While he reserves praise for Sheridan, he argues that the emphasis on the importance of the ride robbed Gen. Horatio Wright of his due. Best also offers his analysis on the role of morale in shoring up the efforts of the armies.

"The Siege and Capture of Petersburg" is an attempt at a comprehensive retelling of the major events of the siege of Petersburg from the end of the Battle of Cold Harbor through the end of the war. Best witnessed the long, drawn-out battles in front of Petersburg during the summer of 1864, including the disaster at the Crater, and the several attempts to circumvent the Confederate defenses during the following winter. In 1865, it appears that Best was assigned to Sheridan's command during his final raid into Northern Virginia.

The essay "Through the Wilderness with Grant" includes detailed accounts of the Battle of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna River, and Cold Harbor, nearly all written from Best's recollections, including seeing several close friends killed. The end of the essay includes a generally positive appraisal of Grant's strategy.

This volume contains an anonymous journal of a voyage from Kennebunk, Maine, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio, between December 9, 1852, and January 24, 1853, as well as poetry, short stories, and essays composed by a second unknown writer between May 1857 and February 1887. One poem and one story concern the Civil War, and the author composed biographical essays about prominent individuals, families, and other topics.

This volume contains an anonymous journal of a voyage from Kennebunk, Maine, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio, between December 9, 1852, and January 24, 1853 (21 pages), as well as poetry, short stories, and essays composed by a second unknown writer between May 1857 and February 1887 (117 pages). One poem and one story concern the Civil War, and the author frequently composed biographical essays about prominent individuals, families, and other topics.

The first 21 pages, titled "Journal of a voyage from Kennebunk to New Orleans," are made up of daily diary entries composed during a voyage from Maine to Louisiana and from Louisiana to Ohio. The author embarked from Kennebunk, Maine, onboard the Golden Eagle (commanded by Captain Nathaniel Thompson) on December 9, 1852, and made daily observations about life at sea. As the Golden Eagle approached Florida in late December, he described the scenery in the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, and coastal Louisiana. On one occasion, the ship encountered a boat transporting slaves to New Orleans. The author arrived in New Orleans on December 28, where he wrote about some of his experiences in the city, such as a visit to the cattle market. On January 12, he boarded the steamer Yorktown for a journey up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to Cincinnati. He noted the cities passed along the way, such as Vicksburg and Memphis, and described southern plantations, making note of their use of slave labor. On January 15, he reported that the Yorktown had taken a newly purchased African American family onboard, who entertained the passengers with dancing and music. By the final entry, dated January 24, 1853, the author had just passed Evansville, Indiana.

The volume also contains a commonplace book, in which the writer composed 117 pages of poetry, short stories, and essay. Several poems are translations of German poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Ludwig Uhland, and others appear to be original compositions. Among the latter is "Our Native Land," a patriotic verse written in March 1863, and additional poetry dated June 1869. The author wrote one short story in March 1862. An essay, "the Presentiment," consists of recollections of a war-era soldiers' relief society worker and a story respecting a woman's premonition of her own death. Biographical sketches and essays comprise most of the remaining material and are often annotated with small edits. Persons of interest include Horace Walpole, William Cowper, Nassau family members, Michael Faraday, Sir Philip Sidney, Norman Macleod, Dr. John Brown, and Henry of Navarre. Other essays concern the "Besor brook" in Judaea, the rivers of Babylon, and the telegraph.

A financial account between Charles Thompson and Nathaniel L. Thompson, settled in Kennebunk, Maine, on January 1, 1856, is laid into the volume.