Search

The Stearns collection consists of 45 letters written by Ezra Stearns to his sister, Ellen M. Brewer while he served as a private soldier in the 1st Michigan Engineers, plus two letters from his brother, Edwin (a private in the 20th Michigan Infantry), and 10 post-war letters from Stearns' wife, Mary, all written to Ellen. Ezra Stearns' letters document aspects of camp life, particularly his culinary activities as a military cook, including recipes of several dishes.

The Stearns collection consists of 45 letters written by Ezra Stearns to his sister, Ellen M. Brewer while he served as a private soldier in the 1st Michigan Engineers, plus two letters from his brother, Edwin (a private in the 20th Michigan Infantry), and 10 post-war letters from Stearns' wife, Mary, all written to Ellen.

Stearns' letters provide an account of service in an important Engineer regiment in Tennessee. While the letters do not include much insight into the engineering activities of the regiment, they are quite useful at documenting aspects of camp life, particularly the culinary activities and tastes of a talented military cook. Stearns relishes in his descriptions of cooking and he provides recipes for biscuits and pork soup, among other dishes. Other interesting letters include one with a description of a guerrilla attack on a train (1863 October 23), some letters with commentary on the recruiting and service of African-American soldiers, and the series of letters written during the Atlanta Campaign.

Finally, among the post-war correspondence are two excellent letters from Ezra's wife, Mary. The first, written from July 29-August 2, 1868, includes a description of settling into a new life on an isolated farm, becoming a "real Mohawk" in their new life in the woods and battling a fire threatening their new home. The second letter, written on October 11th, 1870, provides an account of the malarial infection afflicting Ezra and their young son, Arthur.

The Francis Brown papers describe Brown's experience as a cook for the 1st New Hampshire Heavy Artillery Regiment stationed outside of Washington, D.C. during the Civil War.

The Francis Brown papers consist of twenty-six letters, twenty-three of which were written by Brown to his wife and son while in the service of the 1st New Hampshire Heavy Artillery in the defenses of Washington. Brown describes his duties as cook, the menu for the troops, and his methods of supplementing the army diet, such as fishing and collecting fifty cents from each man to purchase fruits and vegetables. He also discusses a side line he had developed to earn extra income: selling grease from the cookhouse. In addition to bits of everyday camp life, Brown discusses reforms in system of draft substitution, absentee voting by soldiers, and the problems caused by drunkenness and prostitutes. In writing to Frank, Brown urges him to help his mother and to practice his writing so that he can write to his father.

The collection also contains one letter from Mary to Brown and two from Jonathon Sleeper to Brown. Nearly every letter is accompanied by an envelope pre-printed with Mary's name and address, an oddity for a private soldier.

While a member of Co. H of the nine-months' 26th Connecticut Infantry Regiment, James Lord carefully recorded his experiences in two small pocket diaries, including the assaults on Port Hudson, sharpshooting, and insubordination.

While a member of Co. H of the nine-months' 26th Connecticut Infantry Regiment, James A. Lord carefully recorded his experiences in two small pocket diaries, which together cover the entire period from the date of volunteering to the date he was reunited with his family. Lord was involved in only a single campaign, but a grueling and costly one, Port Hudson.

Having apparently received a strong education, Lord's writing displays a clarity lacking in many Civil War diaries, and is straightforward and engaging, if not quite eloquent. While the entries are usually brief, when the siege heats up, Lord lavishes greater attention and does not stint on the details. His accounts of each of the three major assaults at Port Hudson (May 27, June 13-14) are excellent, the last, when he was wounded, being truly outstanding. Equally worthwhile are his account of sharpshooting amid crawling rebels and heavy fire, afraid to shoot lest he reveal his position (May 31), and his version of defying his colonel's orders and the consequences that resulted is humorous and highly unusual.

Lord's original diaries were transcribed, probably in the 1960s of 1970s, and a penciled notation on the typescript indicates that the location of the originals has since been lost.

The Anschütz papers consists of family papers and letters written by Karl Heinrich Anschütz, a German-American, during his service with the 15th Michigan Infantry. The letters are in a mixture of English and German.

The heart of the Anschütz papers consists of fourteen letters written by Karl Heinrich Anschütz during his enlistment in the 15th Michigan Infantry. Thirteen of these were written in an old-script German containing an interesting mixture of English phrases. The letters seem at times to skate effortlessly back and forth between the languages, almost obliviously. The single letter written in English suggests that Anschütz was highly proficient in both languages.

The Anschütz Papers provide excellent insight into the mind and attitudes of a German American soldier during the Civil War and, perhaps of equal importance, into his activities as a cook. Anschütz holds no punches in his writing, describing incidents of merciless plunder of civilians, defending his actions as the necessary by-product of a soldier's mentality while in hostile territory. The brutality of guerrilla warfare erupts in several letters, and the frustrations of federal troops at dealing with their elusive foe played out in the torching of Chiwalla, Mississippi, in revenge for an attack on federal troops by men who had taken the oath of allegiance, and in the destruction of the property of a man who had supplied information on Union positions to the Confederate army.

The best letter in the collection may be the excellent account of the Battle of Corinth, during which Anschütz served at the side of his general (probably General John M. Oliver), carrying provisions and two canteens, one filled with water, the other with whiskey. Anschütz and his kitchen were on the receiving end of a heavy artillery barrage during the battle, suffering considerably before the assault was driven back. Yet almost all of the letters in the collection are as good as this one, providing excellent descriptions of brushes with guerrillas, cooking, and camp life, and delineating the many sides of Anschütz's personality. Although Anschütz had a stern side, his sense of humor, his rough-edged but easy going attitude, and his appreciation of cooking and an easy berth in the military make him highly likeable and intriguing man.

The collection includes a small number of family documents, including a record of the births of Karl Anschütz's parents and siblings prepared to document German citizenship upon immigration to the U.S., George Anschütz's certificate of naturalization and a codicil to his will, and a homestead certificate for a parcel of land near Saginaw, Michigan. An 1890s reprint of a photograph of an unidentified Civil War soldier was included with the collection, as well. The photograph, signed on the back by Martha Anschütz, appears to be of an enlisted man with hat insignias indicating membership in Co. F, 3rd [Michigan?] Artillery.