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

This volume contains the author's reminiscences about his service with the 319th Field Artillery Regiment, Battery C (part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade), in Vietnam from June 1968-June 1969. He listed the fire support bases where he was stationed and recalled anecdotes about combat, his relationships with other soldiers and officers, and other aspects of military life.

This volume (31 pages) contains the author's reminiscences about his service with the 319th Field Artillery Regiment (part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade) in Vietnam from June 1968-June 1969. The first 7 pages consist of a numbered list of the locations where his unit was stationed during his time in Vietnam, including several identified as fire support bases, the city of Bảo Lộc, and Cambodia, along with brief notes.

The bulk of the volume (24 pages) consists of notes written on December 13, 1983. The author reminisced about many aspects of his military service, including his participation in artillery support for infantry troops ("grunts") and the clearing and construction of landing zones and bunkers. He named some of his friends and discussed their activities, including frequent drinking and, on one occasion, the use of "coke." He sometimes interacted with local residents, who often sold goods to the soldiers, and frequently mentioned eating rations and local foods such as cucumbers and green lemons. On a few occasions, he recounted interactions with superior officers, and he once bragged about his ability to calculate data faster than a field computer. The memoir contains some descriptions of the scenery near the army's fire support bases and bombed-out villages. The memoir is written in a spiral-bound notebook with an image of an Asian woman on the front.

An anonymous United States Army sergeant wrote these 3 letters (18 pages) to his mother while serving at Camp Hancock, Georgia, between August and December 1917. "Herb," a member of Company D, 103rd Engineer Regiment, reported on his regiment's work laying pipes and about several aspects of military life.

An anonymous United States Army sergeant wrote these 3 letters (18 pages) to his mother while serving at Camp Hancock, Georgia, between August and December 1917. "Herb," a member of Company D, 103rd Engineer Regiment, reported on his regiment's work laying pipes and on several aspects of military life.

In each of his letters, "Herb" encouraged his mother not to worry about him, and he took pride in his work with the military and in his continuing advancement through the ranks; he was expecting a commission as lieutenant. He also mentioned some of his regiment's duties, which included laying pipes for newly constructed buildings at Camp Hancock and building temporary bridges for other units on bivouac assignments. Herb described other aspects of camp life, such as the comings and goings of other soldiers and his leisure activities, which included trips to nearby Augusta and football games. In two of his letters, he discussed the reorganization of the army's cavalry and artillery units, and in one letter, he mentioned English and French guest officers' instruction in trench warfare (November 11, 1917).

This collection consists of three letters 1st Lieutenant Jean C. Barnes wrote to his mother during his service in France during the First World War.

This collection consists of three letters 1st Lieutenant Jean C. Barnes wrote to his mother during his service in France during the First World War. In his first letter, dated September 8, 1918, he mentioned that he enjoyed the scenery, and alluded to his boredom and a recent illness. By October 26, he had just left the hospital and had revised his opinion of France, writing of the miserable weather and adding, "This is one hell of a place." In his final letter, written on December 20, Barnes anticipated his imminent return to the United States, and recorded high local prices for several food items. He also reflected briefly on his wartime experiences, which included the loss of most of his belongings on the battlefield and his participation in the Saint-Mihiel offensive and the Meuse-Argonne campaign. Though short, his letters provide his perspective on the war in France, which he survived: "I don't know how I came out but I did somehow" (December 20, 1918).

This collection is a series of four letters written by Louis Bevens during his time at Camp MacArthur in Waco, Texas, in November 1918. He addressed them to family members in Kansas City, Missouri, including his mother, brother, and sister-in-law. Bevens wrote about rheumatic pain in his leg, making it home for Christmas dinner, and need for employment. The letters have colored, printed "Knights of Columbus War Activities" letterheads.

The Louis E. Bevens letters are a series of four letters written by Bevens during his time at Camp MacArthur in Waco, Texas, in November 1918. He addressed them to family members in Kansas City, Missouri, including his mother, brother, and sister-in-law. Bevens wrote about rheumatic pain in his leg, making it home for Christmas dinner, and need for employment. The letters have colored, printed "Knights of Columbus War Activities" letterheads.

This collection contains 5 letters and 1 printed item related to Warren Callahan's Korean War service with the 32nd United States Infantry Regiment. Callahan wrote to his parents about his time at the front lines and around the 38th parallel, daily life in the military, and, to a lesser extent, military actions on the peninsula.

This collection contains 5 letters and 1 printed item related to Warren Callahan's Korean War service with the 32nd United States Infantry Regiment. Callahan wrote these letters to his parents in Vinton, Virginia, between April 11 and July 25, 1951. He discussed his time at the front lines and around the 38th parallel, daily life in the military, and, to a lesser extent, military actions on the peninsula.

Callahan wrote his earliest letters from the front lines, mentioning enemy prisoners and nearby artillery fire, and providing updates on the state of the war. On June 7, 1951, he told his parents of an area where Chinese soldiers suffered heavy casualties, reportedly at the hands of the United States Air Force. He later noted the army's construction of "a defense line at the 38° in case they desire to bring this war to a close" (June 24, 1951). He described the recent theft of a camera, and the explosion that killed one of his buddies. Callahan's letter of June 7, 1951, is written on two identical pages, with a portion of a printed 1946 map of Japan on the back.

The collection also contains a "safe conduct pass" with a printed note and signature from Douglas MacArthur to members of the UN forces, promising "good treatment to any enemy soldier desiring to cease fighting." The reverse side of the pass bears printed images of good treatment given to prisoners of war, including medical care, food, and recreation (basketball).

This collection contains a diary chronicling Hiram W. Coppernall's service in the 24th New York Cavalry Regiment throughout 1864, as well as a photograph. Coppernall recorded his daily movements and activities with the regiment, which saw action at the Battle of Petersburg.

The Hiram W. Coppernall collection pertains to his service in the 24th New York Cavalry Regiment, Company H, during the Civil War. Throughout 1864, he kept a diary (120 pages), which concerns his military training, his unit's marches through Virginia, his participation in the Battle of Petersburg, and his affliction with severe sunstroke. He began writing shortly after his enlistment, and a woman named "Eliza" contributed some early entries in which she apologized for intruding and encouraged Coppernall to remember and write to her. After training and performing police duty in Washington, D.C., the regiment left for Virginia in late April. On May 7, they constructed a breastwork, and on May 18-19 they traveled to Spotsylvania Court House. Coppernall occasionally reported on military engagements that often ended in Union defeats. On June 18, he participated in an assault on Petersburg, Virginia, and on July 30 he mentioned a tunnel explosion and the resulting Battle of the Crater. He wrote less frequently after August 6, when he suffered from severe sunstroke, and he spent much of the rest of the year recuperating and on furlough in New York. He rejoined his regiment in December. In addition to Coppernall's diary entries, the volume has a list of men in his regiment and financial accounts, which include a list of the clothing he received from the United States government for his military service. The diary is accompanied by a carte-de-visite photograph of Coppernall and a framed photograph of two Union cavalry officers, with the message "Same here" (1864).

The Hargreaves letters consists of eight letters written by Harry Hargreaves from Nogales, Arizona while Hargreaves served as part of the border patrol during the 1916 Mexican Expedition.

The collection consists of eight letters written by Harry A. Hargreaves between June and August 1916 while serving with Pershing's Punitive Expedition (also called the Mexican Expedition and the Pancho Villa Expedition). The letters are to his mother and stepfather in Germantown, PA. Seven of the letters are to his mother Mary Dean. One letter is to his step-father Norman R. Dean. There is a single empty envelope addressed to his half-sister Georgiana Dean at the same address in Germantown, PA. Two newspaper clippings from Hartford, CT, area newspapers are enclosed in letters to his mother. They were probably sent to Harry by his wife, and then sent by Harry to his mother.

The letters give a well-written descriptive view of a middle aged man seeing the Southwest for the first time, as his Connecticut Infantry Company is sent to reinforce the Border area during Pershing's Punitive Expedition to Mexico in 1916. He tries to share this new part of the country and his experiences there with his family. He writes of vaccinations in some detail, saying that the men were being revaccinated every seven days until it takes. "There is some terrible looking arms . . . The new way of vaccinating is two small slits in the upper arm and touch with the vaccine paint" [July 8]. He gives good descriptions of Fort Huachua [Aug. 25] and Camp Steven Little, Arizona [July 4], including the boundary posts and neutral zone 50 feet on either side [July 17]. He tells of fellow soldiers sending home specimens of the exotic fauna (tarantulas, centipedes, and rattlesnakes), and how Company D became known as "the hard luck company" after they were flooded out, suffered wind damage to their tents, developed "shirt monkeys" [lice], and had a gun go off accidentally during practice, causing a man to lose a finger [Aug. 1]. He comments on the prejudice of Texans against Mexican laborers [July 2]. Mention is made of the hanging of four of Pancho Villa's raiders in Deming, New Mexico, several weeks earlier [July 4].

This collection contains a diary and a volume of reminiscences by Gilbert Edwin Dunbar, who served with the 13th Michigan Infantry Regiment from 1862 to 1865. The diary relates to his service as assistant quartermaster in Chattanooga, Tennessee, between January and August 1864. The reminiscences cover his experiences between late 1861 and March 1862, including copied diary entries originally made between February 13, 1862, and March 6, 1862.

This collection contains a diary and a volume of reminiscences by Gilbert Edwin Dunbar, who served with the 13th Michigan Infantry Regiment from 1862 to 1865.

The Diary (about 86 pages) commences on January 1, 1864, and chronicles Dunbar's time as an assistant quartermaster at Chattanooga, Tennessee. In brief daily entries, he wrote about loading and unloading supply ships and trains that stopped in the city, and mentioned other regiments passing through Chattanooga. He also commented on his social life, which included a visit from his father and social calls with local women. After April, he occasionally mentioned news of the war, including developments around Atlanta and related battles; he also shared his favorable opinion of General Ulysses S. Grant. Dunbar mentioned seeing a parade of African American troops on May 1, and on June 30 described a dispute with Colonel Easton, who had charged Dunbar with disobedience and neglect of duty. The final entry is dated August 31, 1864.

The Reminiscences (49 pages), written after the war, begin with a brief introduction indicating Dunbar's intent to publish his memoirs, followed by "Chapter II," which recounts the 13th Michigan Infantry Regiment's training at Camp Douglas in Kalamazoo. Dunbar described his experiences in camp and included a list of the regiment's officers (pp.5-8); after mentioning the unit's departure for Tennessee (p. 12), he copied entries from his diary, commencing on February 13, 1862, as the unit boarded railroad cars bound south through Indiana. Dunbar wrote about the rainy weather and its effect on the soldiers' marches and described the scenery in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. He sought out a battlefield near Munfordville, Kentucky, where he saw the bodies of horses that had been shot during the action (p. 26). The regiment stayed in Bowling Green, Kentucky, between March 2 and 11 (pp. 29-34), and arrived in Nashville on March 13 (p. 37). The volume concludes with an entry dated April 6, 1862, as Dunbar's regiment headed toward Savannah, Tennessee.

This collection consists of three letters written by Carl B. Bauder of the 135th Field Artillery Regiment to his friend, Lieutenant Ralph F. Henn, during his service in France with the American Expeditionary Forces in the First World War.

This collection consists of three letters written by Carl B. Bauder of the 135th Field Artillery Regiment to his friend, Lieutenant Ralph F. Henn, during his service in France with the American Expeditionary Forces in the First World War. In his first letter, Bauder discussed his duties, which included operating a machine gun against enemy airplanes; as he wrote to his friend, "we… have about completed our overseas training whence we hope we will get our crack at the Hun in the very near future" (September 8, 1918). He also attached a copy of The Endeavor Weekly, a newsletter published by Cleveland's Euclid Avenue Christian Church "for our boys in service," which encourages its readers to send a letter or card to Carl, one of five soldiers selected to receive mail. In his second letter, written on September 29, he briefly related his unit's general movements, but still felt "a long way from cleaning up the hun with our little gun." His third and longest letter (8 pages), dated November 24, 1918, recounts his military experiences in greater detail, including his specific movements since June 1918, copied from his diary. In addition to expressing his relief at the happy outcome of Ralph's recent bout of influenza, the soldier reflected at length upon his military experiences: "Though our period in active service has been comparatively short, I think I have experienced most of the things which an artilleryman ordinarily would," he wrote, and mentioned field combat, watching aerial battles, and being attacked by a submarine en route to Europe. Two of the letters are composed on YMCA stationery.

This collection consists of 17 letters Marinus Heyboer wrote to his brother Harry while training with the United States Army's 308th Field Artillery Regiment and 310th Field Hospital at Camp Dix, New Jersey, between February and April 1918. Heyboer discussed his training exercises, food, and other aspects of military life, in addition to responding to news of Harry's wife and young child.

This collection consists of 17 letters Marinus Heyboer wrote to his brother Harry while training with the United States Army's 308th Field Artillery Regiment and 310th Field Hospital at Camp Dix, New Jersey, between February and April 1918. Heyboer discussed his training exercises, food, and other aspects of military life, in addition to responding to news of Harry's wife and young child.

Marinus composed 7 dated letters at Camp Dix between February 23, 1918, and late April 1918, as well as 10 undated letters covering the period between his arrival at Camp Dix and his departure for Europe. After initially joining Battery B of the 308th Field Artillery Regiment, Heyboer began medical training with the 310th Field Hospital. He told Harry about several training exercises, such as drilling, attending lectures, practicing with field guns, and experiencing gas in the "gas chambers." He also commented on his experiences with horses, which included cleaning up after the animals and witnessing a fatal accident. Heyboer frequently responded to news of his parents and inquired about Harry's wife and baby, Marie and Harry Jr. In one letter, he described two African American regiments that were also training at Camp Dix (March 16, 1918).