TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary of the Collection
Scope and Content of the Collection
Series 1: Carlos Colby, 1862-1922
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Inventory of the Carlos W. Colby Papers, 1821-1937, bulk 1861-1865
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Lisa Janssen, 2004. ©2004. |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
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| Creator | Colby, Carlos W. |
| Title | Carlos W. Colby Papers |
| Dates | 1821-1937, |
| Dates | bulk 1861-1865 |
| Extent | 1 cubic ft. (2 boxes) |
| Abstract | Abstract: Primarily correspondence (129 letters) of Illinois farmer and Civil War soldier Carlos W. Colby, written between 1862 and 1865, to his sisters, brother, brother-in-law and niece, plus a dozen Civil War letters written by Colby's future brother-in-law James Rowe. Also includes Colby's reminiscences of his boyhood and his service in the 97th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, some family correspondence, genealogical material and a few photos. |
| Language | Materials are in English. |
| Repository | Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
| Collection Call Number | Case MS 10014 |
| Collection Stack Location | Vault |
Administrative Information
Cite As
Carlos W. Colby Papers, Midwest Manuscript Collection, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Provenance
Gift of John S. Painter, 1989.
Processed by
Virginia H. Smith, 2001.
Access
The Carlos W. Colby Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 5 folders at a time maximum (Priority II).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Carlos W. Colby Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
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Biography of Carlos W. Colby
Illinois farmer and Civil War soldier.
Carlos W. Colby moved with his family from New Hampshire to a farm near Alton, Illinois, in 1850. In September of 1862, Colby enlisted in Company G of the 97th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was mustered in as a second corporal at Camp Butler in Springfield, Illinois. The Illinois 97th was assigned to participate in the Vicksburg Campaign, and as the Union Army moved south, Colby recorded his military experiences in regular letters to his family.
Reaching Memphis, the regiment became part of Major General Ulysses S. Grant's organization of forces for a two-pronged assault on the strategically-placed city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Arriving in December, 1962, the 97th stayed in the Vicksburg area, took part in the continual assaults upon and the final surrender of Vicksburg in early July, 1863, and thence was moved south to New Orleans. The regiment stayed in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, joining in several expeditions and campaigns, until April, 1865, when Colby was wounded in the leg at the charge of Fort Blakely in Alabama. After several months in hospital, he was mustered out in August, 1865. From the tenor of much of his correspondence, he felt it a miracle that he had survived the years in combat.
After the war, Carlos Colby returned to his farm, married Anne E. Rowe, who was the sister of a company friend, and settled down to farming and raising a family. He received a Congressional Medal of Honor in 1896 "...for most distinguished gallantry in action at the battle of Vicksburg, Miss." Colby died, aged 85, in 1922.
Excerpts of many of Colby's letters pertaining to the Vicksburg Campaign were edited and annotated by his great-grandson, John S. Painter, and published under the title "Bullets, Hardtack and Mud: A Soldier's View of the Vicksburg Campaign," in the Journal of the West, Vol. IV, No. 2, April 1965.
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Scope and Content of the Collection
The bulk of the collection consists of Civil War letters; also, some material relating to the 97th Illinois Volunteer Regiment; reminiscences of Colby's boyhood and military career and copies of his obituaries; a small group of family letters; genealogical writings; and photographs of Colby and his family.
Narrative descriptions of the subject matter, types of material, and arrangement of each series are available through the Organization section of the finding aid.
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Organization
Papers are organized in the following series:
- Series 1: Carlos Colby, 1862-1922. Box(es) 1-2
- Series 2: James Rowe, [Oct. 1862]-July 4, 1865. Box(es) 2
- Series 3: Colby Family, 1821-1937. Box(es) 2
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Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Newberry Library's public catalog. Researchers desiring additional materials on a particular topic should search the catalog using these headings.
Names
- Colby family
- Colby, Carlos W.
- Daily Citizen (Vicksburg, Miss.)
- Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885
- Rowe, James
Subjects
- Correspondence - Southern states - 1862-1865
- Fort Blakely (Ala.) - History - Civil War , 1861-1865
- Jackson (Miss.), Battle of, 1863
- Manuscripts, American
- Military hospitals, American - History - 19th century - Sources
- Photographs - Illinois - 1862-1920
- Racism - United States - History 19th century - Sources
- Soldiers - Illinois - Correspondence
- Transportation, Military - United States - History - 19th century - Sources
- United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Campaigns - Sources
- United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Hospitals, charities, etc. - Sources
- United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Personal narratives
- United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 97th (1862-1865)
- United States. Army. Military life - History - 19th century - Sources
- Vicksburg (Miss.) - History - Siege, 1863
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Container List
Series 1: Carlos Colby, 1862-1922 |
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| Consists of 129 Civil War letters of Carlos W. Colby of the Illinois 97th Volunteer Infantry Regiment written between 1862 and 1865 to his sisters, brother, brother-in-law and niece. These letters describe in detail all aspects of Colby's daily camp life as a common soldier including such topics as accommodations, food, clothing, health, weather, scenery, transportation and weaponry, as well as reflecting social and racial attitudes, moral and mental states, observations of the military leaders and strategies, and patriotic sentiments. Colby includes graphic descriptions of particular battles and skirmishes, including the Siege of Vicksburg, the Siege of Fort Blakely, Alabama, and the Battle of Jackson, Mississippi. Also, a few writings of Colby including his reminiscences of his boyhood and his military service; and some miscellaneous material relating to his Congressional Medal of Honor, the published history of the Illinois 97th Infantry Regiment, and copies of obituaries. | |||||||||||
| Letters arranged chronologically; writings and miscellaneous material arranged alphabetically by type of material or title. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 1-114 | Civil War Letters, Aug., 1862-Dec. 25, 1864 | |||||||||
| (114 letters) | |||||||||||
| 2 | 115-129 | Civil War Letters, Jan. 12, 1865-July 16, 1865 | |||||||||
| (15 letters) | |||||||||||
| 2 | 130 | Civil War Letters - Miscellaneous Envelopes | |||||||||
| 2 | 131 | Writings: "Battles 97th or days under fire", n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 132 | Writings: Chronological Table, Civil War Campaigns of Carlos W. Colby, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 133 | Writings: Memoirs of Military Service, original mss., June 10, 1910 | |||||||||
| 2 | 134 | Writings: Memoirs of Military Service, Xerox copies, Mar. 16 and July 21, 1910 | |||||||||
| 2 | 135 | Writings: Reminiscences of childhood Unfinished original mss. and Xerox copy, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 136 | Writings: Reminiscences of childhood, version 2, Mar. 8, 1911. Xerox copy only | |||||||||
| 2 | 137 | Writings: "Story of my 4th of July experience", Feb. 23, 1915. Xerox copy only | |||||||||
| 2 | 138 | Miscellaneous: Official army documents. Xerox copies only | |||||||||
| 2 | 139 | Miscellaneous: History of the 97th Infantry Regiment and company rosters. Neg. photostat | |||||||||
| 2 | 140 | Miscellaneous: Obituaries. Xeroxes only | |||||||||
| 2 | 140 | Miscellaneous: Obituaries. Xeroxes only | |||||||||
Series 2: James Rowe, [Oct. 1862]-July 4, 1865 |
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| Twelve letters Civil War letters written by James Rowe, friend in the 97th Illinois Infantry Regiment and future brother-in-law of Carlos Colby, to Rowe's sister, brother and mother between October, 1862 and July 4, 1865. Mustered in as an infantryman, Rowe was officially appointed as hospital steward of the 97th Regiment in Jan., 1864. Although they contain some descriptions of his battle experiences and hospital duties, the letters also dwell on Rowe's homesickness and family concerns. | |||||||||||
| Arranged chronologically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 2 | 141-152 | Civil War Letters, [Oct., 1862] - July 4, 1865 | |||||||||
Series 3: Colby Family, 1821-1937 |
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| Correspondence among miscellaneous family members, ranging from an 1821 letter written by Carlos Colby's mother, to a 1934 letter by Ida Colby, Carlos Colby's daughter-in-law. Several letters contain genealogical information. Family writings include a detailed genealogical report and a copy of a fragment of a memoir by James Rowe. Miscellaneous material includes a picture of the Colby family crest and a fragile copy of the Vicksburg Daily Citizen of July 2, 1863, the last issue of that paper to be printed on wallpaper. Also, a group of photographs of Carlos Colby and his family. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and photographs arranged chronologically; other material arranged alphabetically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 2 | 153-165 | Family Correspondence, 1821-1937 | |||||||||
| 2 | 166-168 | Family Writings, n.d.-1911 | |||||||||
| 2 | 169-170 | Miscellaneous printed items | |||||||||
| 2 | 171-176 | Photographs, ca. 1862-1920 | |||||||||