Collections : [Central Michigan University Clarke Historical Library]

The papers consists personal and family biographical materials, correspondence, Civil War diaries, photographs, clippings, and publications.

The collection includes correspondence between Charles and his wife and their friends. Charles’ diary and four Civil War era letters describe the weather, military drills, skirmishes with the enemy, the failures of Gen. A. E. Burnside, heavy federal losses, many prisoners being taken, Negro troops, fighting, and marches to Bardston, Lebanon, Jamestown, and Memphis, Tennessee.

Also included is a 2003 CMU student term paper (74 pages) by Kathryn S. Anderson entitled “The 1863 Civil War Journal of Charles Horace Hodskin, 1836-1905,” which is a transcription of his diary.

Papers of a U.S. Civil War Paymaster, consisting mostly of account books, correspondence, vouchers, disbursement accounts, returns, pay records for numerous Michigan, U.S., and U.S. Colored regiments.

The collection is organized alphabetically by format and size, and then chronologically, 1861-1865. It consists of Hunt’s Pay Master records, a wide variety, for a large number of troops including Michigan, U.S. Colored Troops, and non-Michigan troops. Michigan units documented in the collection include: Michigan Engineers and Mechanics Regiment, 1st , Michigan Infantry Regiment, 7th, Michigan Infantry Regiment, 13th, 1863-1865, Michigan Infantry Regiment, 21st, Michigan Infantry Regiment, 22nd, 1864-1865. U.S. Colored Troops including: 1st U.S. Infantry, U.S. Colored Infantry, 14th Regiment; U.S. Colored Infantry, 18th Regiment; and the U.S. Colored Infantry, 44th Regiment are documented in the collection. Non-Michigan units documented in the collection include some from Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Iowa, New York (state), Wisconsin, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Connecticut. Materials for different units are sorted by year, not by month and day.