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

This typescript contains John Henry Otto's detailed recollections about his service in the 21st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, Company D, during the Civil War.

This typescript (646 pages) contains John Henry Otto's detailed recollections about his service in the 21st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, Company D, during the Civil War. The narrative is divided into an introduction and 52 chapters, with outlines provided at the beginning of each chapter. Otto made two longhand copies of his reminiscences around 1902 and presented them to his sons August and George; Vincent R. R. Carboneau, Otto's grandson, created another longhand copy in early 1943. This typescript, completed by Carboneau's daughter, Phyllis McGrath, in 1977, is a typed version of Carboneau's manuscript, with original spelling, grammar, and punctuation intact.

The typescript, based on Otto's original war diaries, concerns the entirety of his Civil War service, from his initial enlistment in August 1862 to his final discharge in June 1865. An early chapter contains brief notes about his previous military experiences in the Prussian army, with which he served in wars against Denmark (1848) and Austria (1850-1851), and he occasionally referred to his wife and children in Wisconsin. He discussed Wisconsin residents' response to the war and the renewed call to arms in late 1862 and shared stories of his interactions with civilians and military personnel throughout his time in the South, including other German-American soldiers and both Union and Confederate sympathizers. Otto encountered runaway slaves and freedmen and occasionally referred to the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1864, he expressed his negative opinion of George McClellan and McClellan's nomination for the presidency.

Most of Otto's reminiscences concern his daily experiences, and some parts of the narrative are structured like a diary. Otto described camp life, winter quarters, drilling, equipment, and the areas he passed through and visited in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. In September and October 1864, he visited Wisconsin on furlough. The typescript includes his detailed recollections of the Tullahoma Campaign, the Atlanta Campaign, Sherman's March to the Sea, and the Carolinas Campaign; numerous skirmishes; and major engagements such as the Battle of Perryville, Battle of Stones River, Battle of Hoover's Gap, Battle of Chickamauga, Battle of Resaca, Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Battle of Peachtree Creek, Siege of Atlanta, and the Battle of Averasboro. He recounted in-battle movements, the experience of coming under fire, and deaths. Otto witnessed a few executions, including that of at least one deserter, and wrote about the capture of Confederate prisoners and equipment. While in the Carolinas near the end of the war, he befriended a young mulatto boy, "Joe Hooker," who returned with him to Wisconsin in 1865. After the 21st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment participated in the Grand Review of the Armies in May 1865, Otto remained in Washington, D.C., where he did some sightseeing. The final pages of the typescript include a copy of Sherman's farewell address to the army.

The Cuba photograph album contains 40 photographs of buildings, monuments, and other sights in Havana, Cuba, taken by an unidentified American tourist around 1901.

The Cuba photograph album contains 40 photographs of buildings, monuments, and other sights in Havana, Cuba, taken by an unidentified American tourist around 1901.

The album (14 x 18 cm) has grey cloth covers and is in fragile condition, with some early pages possibly missing. All 40 photographs are in good condition and include detailed inscribed captions. Most images are of major buildings and monuments such as the Cathedral Havana, Tacon Market, and Morro Castle.

• The wall where Spanish soldiers executed eight medical students falsely accused of desecrating a cemetery in 1871.
• Hotel Inglaterra (still in operation) with the empty pedestal in front where a statue of Queen Isabella II of Spain stood until 1899.
• The remains of the USS Maine, sunk in Havana Harbor in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.
• Tourists looking through the fence at General Fitzhugh Lee’s Marianao headquarters where he served as a commander of occupation forces from January 1899 until November 1900. Gen. Lee was a popular consul general in Havana from 1895 until the Spanish-American War broke out in April 1898, and he was the last American to leave Cuba. During the war, he trained a group of volunteer soldiers in Jacksonville, Florida, but never saw combat. He was appointed commander of occupation forces in the Havana District and returned to Cuba on January 1st, 1899, the day the Spanish evacuated the island

The Latin America and Caribbean travel photograph album (17.25 x 21 cm) contains 36 captioned views of Jamaica, Panama, Peru, and Chile taken by an unidentified photographer. The majority of the photographs are of landscapes but local people are also depicted.

The Latin America and Caribbean travel photograph album (17.25 x 21 cm) contains 36 captioned views of Jamaica, Panama, Peru, and Chile taken by an unidentified photographer. The majority of the photographs are of landscapes but local people are also depicted. A photograph of the S.S. Limari is present in the album. Of note are a series of photographs documenting a trip on the Peruvian Central Railway, including a view of Infiernillo Bridge.

The Itinerant photographer's albums contain approximately 850 photoprints of industrial settings, cities, and rural environments throughout the Middle West and Eastern United States.

The Itinerant photographer's albums (15 x 22 cm) contain approximately 850 photoprints of industrial settings, cities, and rural environments throughout the Middle West and Eastern United States. In addition to showing street scenes, many images focus on the public utilities available in communities, with several photographs of electric generators, electric lines (including those for streetcars), and railroad tracks. One album focuses on the clothing industry, with numerous photographs of working environments, tailors, and seamstresses. Several albums contain domestic scenes and images of the same house, presumably the photographer's home, although the location is not identified.

The albums have black pebbled leather covers with cord bindings, some with gilt title "Photographs" on cover.

The Haverhill, Mass. photograph album (15 x 19 cm) contains 92 amateur photoprints (cyanotypes and gelatin silver prints) mainly consisting of photos taken at a home on North Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts as well as family photos, pet pictures and winter scenes taken around Haverhill, Captain's Pond in Salem, New Hampshire, and other locations around southern New Hampshire.

The Haverhill, Mass. photograph album (15 x 19 cm) contains 92 amateur photoprints (cyanotypes and gelatin silver prints), including photos taken at a home on North Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts, "camp" at Captain's Pond in Salem, New Hampshire, and scenes from several other locations in southern New Hampshire. There are numerous photographs of exterior and interior views of houses, pets and farm animals (cats, dogs, geese, cows and horses) as well as a number of winter scenes, candid shots of women swimming and family groups, including images of a women's outdoor tea party and a child with a dog.

The album has a pebbled black leather cover and is housed in a light grey wrapper with a blue cloth spine.

The Lewis J. Cox photograph album contains 47 photographs of Lewis J. Cox's family and home in Terre Haute, Indiana, taken between approximately 1900 and 1910.

The Lewis J. Cox photograph album contains 47 photographs of Lewis J. Cox's family and home in Terre Haute, Indiana, taken between approximately 1900 and 1910. The exterior of album (14 x 11.5 cm) is in fragile condition.

The Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad photograph album consists of 43 photographs taken in various locations in Massachusetts most likely along the Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad line.

The Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad photograph album consists of 43 photographs taken in various locations in Massachusetts most likely along the Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad line. The album (39 x 29 cm) is hardbound with a green cover. Images include views of urban street scenes in several Massachusetts towns, including Lynn; railroad passenger stations; a trolley car; street car tracks; the Bay State House in Worcester, Massachusetts; various storefronts; a locomotive with a plow attachment; numerous horse-drawn carriages; a sign stating "Railroad crossing. Look out for the engine while the bell rings."; a woman identified by a handwritten caption as "Louise" posing outside of a carriage stable; and what appears to be either two horse cars or two electric automobiles parked on a street.

The Edward Missling photograph album contains 88 photographs, primarily individual and group portraits, views of homes, and natural scenes presumed to be near Haverhill Mass.

The Edward Missling photograph album (15 x 18 cm) contains 88 total photographs with various developing-out and printing-out paper prints, including a few cyanotypes. Several have artful vignettes with a butterfly design. "Edward Missling" is inscribed in white ink on lavender paper inside the front cover. The album contains individual and group portraits, views of homes, and natural scenes presumed to be near Haverhill Mass. Of note are several images of women dressed in men's clothing, a woman in a bonnet holding a large chicken, a bee-keeper at a hive, and a post-mortem portrait of a man taken in a home showing the body under a mosquito net.

The album has a red leather cover with stamped gilt title "Photographs" and his housed in a gray wrapper with a brown cloth spine and white printed label.

The Eastern shore photograph album (13 x 17 cm) contains 48 amateur photoprints showing scenes from Atlantic City, N.J. and what appears to be downtown Baltimore, Maryland.

The Eastern shore photograph album (13 x 17 cm) contains 48 amateur photoprints showing scenes from Atlantic City, N.J. and what appears to be downtown Baltimore, Maryland. There are numerous images featuring horses and carriages, including a photograph at a racetrack. There are several photographs of boats including an image of the New York Ocean Going Excursion Steamboat "Columbia." A number of images show bathers on the beach and boardwalks at Atlantic City, N.J., including two views of the Heinz Ocean Pier. Other interesting photographs include a self-portrait and three images of a dressed up skeleton, perhaps for Halloween.

The album is covered in plastic, has a black cloth binding and is housed in a light blue box.

This album contains photographs taken during a hiking trip in the Grand Canyon at about the turn of the century. The pictures show hikers, canyon scenes, burros, and scenes from the hikers' railroad trip on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe to the canyon.

This album (12cm x 14cm) contains 32 photographs taken during a trip to the Grand Canyon around the 19th century, as well as one photograph of George T. Chaffee riding a horse named "General." A few items show railroad tracks belonging to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad near the Missouri River and the railroad car "Dorchester." The remaining photographs are scenes from a small group's hiking trip along the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon, including pictures of the hikers in former cave-dwellers' homes, beside the Colorado River, and at the canyon's rim. Views of the canyon and other scenery are also included. The title "Photographs" is stamped in gold on the album's leather cover.