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Date Posted: 12:40:16 03/04/02 Mon
Author: John Schwarz
Subject: Peter Wellington Alexander papers, 15th TX research

Boys,

I know that it's very likely that there will be materials relating to the 15th TX Inf during their service in the Fort Smith area and Indian Territory during the winter of 1862-63. Mike Banasik, whose combed this collection extensively for his book, EMBATTLED ARKANSAS, sent me ordanace returns and other misc info on the 20th Texas Cavalry, one of my pet units and a member of the same brigade as the 15th at this time, a few years back. I think between this collection for early, the James/Guy Harrison collection at Baylor for late, and the Birge papers for the LA period, you guys should be able to document everything you could ever desire--lucky boys... If any of you have access to a University Library, which I understand anyone with a Texas Public Library card can use, you can get this stuff at no cost via Inter-Library Loan...Good luck!

Peter Wellington Alexander
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Has anyone taken a look into the Peter Wellington Alexander collection? I ma courious if it is wealth of info for the TMD under Hindman.

Rich

John Schwarz
Registered User
(11/28/01 2:13:40 pm)
Reply Well
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Robert Serio and Mike Banasik are the two I know who have digged into them in any detail. The University of AR has copies of all of the rolls. My friend who is writing a book on Howell's Texas Battery and who exchanges research with me, got the rolls on Inter-Library Loan from Columbia or maybe U of AR and he said all of the good stuff that we wanted to see was on a poorly-recorded roll of microfilm and he couldn't make out much of it. I'll ask him which was the place with the bad copies, so you won't waste your time there (there was a six month wait!). Robert had said something about Broadfoot possibly publishing them in the future. However, if you want to look at the microfilm, let me find out if it is Columbia or U of AR who has the good copies (Columbia has the original manuscripts) and then I can tell you what rolls are what (they are generally broken down according to catagory, so most of the QM stuff is together, the telegraphs received and telegraphs sent are together, etc. I have a key to this written down in my files...)....

The question of whether this is an important source on Hindman's army is unarguable. A rough outline of how the issue system worked and where he got his supplies is already understood by what we have established: he was getting supplies from everywhere because he had nothing and needed everything quick. Example--5,000 rifles from the Richmond armory, ammo from same (see dug examples of Prichard bullet on the battlefield when they dug out the "outdoor theater" on a key part of the battlefield--state park idiots!), much artillery ammo from the Atlanta Arsenal (see Daryl Black's thesis on the Atlanta Arsenal, papers now in the hands of pard Lee White),imported uniform cloth pirated from LA--destined for the cis-MS, but Hindman snagged it--sent it to Little Rock with all of the tailors in the army detailed, ditto on cloth from Huntsville Penitenary, supplies from home (I have a lot of primary sources for this with Bradfute's Texas Brigade, right at the begining of the campaign), and "clothing and clothing materials" from Columbus, GA (see compiled service record of Lt. H.L. Dearing of the 19th AR Inf for extra payment he received for escorting a wagon train from there from Dec 1-31, '62...Ultimately, it looks like they got more than they needed. See the Shivley Brothers letters (22nd AR Inf), published in the Washington County Historical Society's excellent publication, "The Flashback"--talk about drawing 2 and 3 pairs of pants, two blankets, extra cloths--sending it home, etc. Also, officers were drawing stuff from the Depot (see the published diary from last year of Capt Ethan Allan Pinnell of the 8th MO Inf Reg't). However, it appears that they did not get this abundence of supplies until AFTER the battle of Prairie Grove and they returned to Little Rock....At least, this is the situation as I have constructed it from the sources we have so far...there are many more out there and the picture is far from complete,but I think the Alexander papers could fill in the details and provide more examples...Banasik did note that the stuff was issued out on a "pro rata" basis (i.e. as needed) and there were not neccesarily blanket issues. This means that 10 men in a company may have needed new shoes, so they drew them. The rest of the company would look undoubtedly different...partial uniformity. Also, evidentally the 34th AR Inf got some unforms from the ladies of Ft.Smith, AR in the fall of 1862...some of this was still in use because Major Fountaine Earle's cap, now in the Univ of AR Libraries Special Collections, was evidentally from that source. But, we noted that the regiment drew uniforms at three different times in late Nov and early Dec, 1862, usually about 10 at a time for each item, as posted on this board early on, so there is potential for partial uniformity from several sources...I've only looked at the 34th AR Inf...perhaps we shouuld loook at some others...I know Capt Pinnel said his men were in pretty rough shape and the Texans were the only brigade not to draw at least something in the way of uniforms and gear out of the whole army--this is from a letter from Gen Shoup found in the Alexander papers, as quoted in Banasik's book...Those guys were wearing all civilian stuff, still toting shotguns and sporting rifles...having been dismounted only weeks before...this is backed up by primary sources as well as ordanence returns Banasik sent me a few years ago. If you are into arms, Banasik is evidentallly an ordanence freak and can tell you what every unit had...

Some questions I have: Where did the Enfields come from that were used to arm the 34th AR Inf in the fall of 1862? Were these pirated import things destined for the east like the uniform cloth discussed in Banasik/Alexander papers? Or, were they from the East like the Richmond rifle muskets and the battlefield pick-ups from 2nd Manassas sent to Hindman's army?
We've looked at the 34th AR in detail. I've looked at the Texans ditto because I'm a 20th Texas freak. Pinnell diary is very insightful for the Missourians. What about other units? I am particularly interested in the other new regiments conscripted that summer...all these new AR regiments like the 34th. How can their situation be compared to the 34th? What about the Yankees?! Keith, any suggestions here? Furtak had some good insight into Orme's regiment, 20th Iowa and 20th WI, and the 19th Iowa...what about the Blunt's Division units? I think they've been totally ignored! Anyone in Kansas care, or do they want Herron's Division to get all the credit?



John Schwarz
Registered User
(12/9/01 4:06:58 pm)
Reply Break it down!
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Rich,

Michael Banasik published the description of the Alexander papers in the short-lived quarterly newsletter published by the Camp Pope Bookshop, "The Trans-Mississippi News," Vol. 2, No. 3, Spring, 1997, pp. 9-10.

He says, that the inventory is fourteen single-spaced typed pages long. It constitutes what he calls, "The lost records of the upper-Trans-Mississippi" for the period May 1862 to March 1863:

1. 8 letter books on general orders, special orders, letters, and telegrams; 1,382 legal size pages.

2. Assorted correspondence from: James Blunt, Elias Boudinot, John Q. Burbridge, Chas. Carroll, John B. Clark Jr., and Sr., Douglas Cooper, Jas Fagan, Daniel Frost, Francis Herron, T.H. Holmes, Dandridge McRae, John S. Marmaduke, Mosby Monroe Parsons, Albert Pike, John Roane, Francis Shoup, Stand Watie, and many others...

3. Correspondence of the QM, Ord., and Commisary officers from the Indian Terr. and Hindman's District.

4. A collection of uncataloged telegrams from Pine Bluff, Ft. Smith, Des Arc, and Helena; 1,355 items...

5. Strength reports from AR and the Indian Terr.

6. Misc papers of general and special orders, courts martial, resignations, and reports on prisoners, medical and supplies...

Non TMD materials include: 4 letter books from PGT Beauregard's command, 1861-1863 and personal pieces pertaining to Alexander's life.

The info is available on ILL from Columbia University at the following address: Rare Book and Mansucript Library, Butler Library, 535 W. 114th St., NY, N.Y., 10027. As noted above, the University of AR also has copies of the microfilm. However, Broadfoot is intending to publish 1-5 and most of 6 and the Beauregard stuff in their Supplement to the Official Records....

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