This is a collection of similar content assembled by the Archives. The bulk of this collection is photocopied and microfilmed letters, diaries and other records from Civil War soldiers, 1861-1865. Correspondence, mostly regarding service-related pensions, and miscellaneous extends up to 1918.
The collection is divided into six series:
Series I: Jacob Richert Diary, 1 folder, 1861-1862
Series II: Armand Pallissard Letters, 1 folder, 1862
Series III: Unknown Soldier's Letters, 3 items, 1864-1865
Series IV: Hezekiah C. Clock Papers, 1 microfilm reel, 1861-1918
Series V: Gates Family Letters, 1 microfilm reel, 1861-1865
Series VI: Henry Rayner Papers, 1 microfilm reel, 1864-1865
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana-Missoula.
[Name of document or photograph number], Collection of Civil War Diaries and Letters, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Most materials appear to have been handed down within families but no clear provenance information is available.
The donor and date of donation of copy of Jacob Richert's diary are unknown. Arthur Deschamps donated the copy of Armand Pallissard's letters, 1964. The donor and date of donation for the copy of the unknown soldier's three letters to his brother, Clark, are unknown. Hezekiah C. Clock's papers were loaned to the Archives for microfilming by Mrs. Peter Stickney, 1972. The Gates Family letters were loaned for microfilming by Mrs. Gordon Humes, 1972. Henry Rayner's diary and correspondence were loaned for microfilming by Mary Waters, 1968.
Jacob Richert's diary was originally processed as SC 20. Armand Pallissard's letters were original processed as SC 24. The unknown soldier's letters to his brother, Clark, were originally processed as SC 335. Hezekiah C. Clock's papers were originally processed as SC 143. The Gates Family letters were originally processed as SC 146. The Henry Rayner papers were originally processed as SC 50.
The above six collections were processed as a single artificial collection in 2011.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library holds two letters written by Hezekiah C. Clock and a typewritten copy of Jacob Richert's diary. The Merrrill Burlingame Special Collections at Montana State University holds Collection 777, the Henry N.M. Rayner Papers.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The photocopy of Jacob Richert's diary, a typed translation of his original German, records his experience in the Union Army from 1861-1862.
The photocopies of Armand Pallissard's letters, written in French to his father, relate his experiences as a soldier in 1862. He joined the Union Army before he became a citizen.
The photocopies of three letters by an unknown soldier to his brother, Clark, were written near Washington, D.C. in 1864-1865.
The microfilm of Hezekiah C. Clock's papers includes correspondence during the war and later, often regarding pensions sought by men who had been wounded while serving under Clock; equipment records and muster rolls accumulated during his service; a few legal documents; and miscellaneous, 1861-1918. Clock joined the Union Army in 1861 as a sergeant. He served on the Western Front and was often in charge of payroll and equipment records for his company. In May, 1864, Clock who had been promoted to captain was wounded and spent the next six months at the Officers Hospital, Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.
The microfilm of the Gates Family letters dated 1861-1865 includes correspondence among the six Gates brothers and their father Jacob Merrick Gates (1803-1888) of Ohio. Jacob M. Gates and his first wife Catherine Hogan (1808-1850) had six children: Junius (1835-1870), David (b. 1836), Charles (1840-1926), Stephen (1842-1863), John (b. circa 1844), James (1848-1911). The five eldest brothers served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Three of the brothers served in the 33rd Infantry, which was part of the Army of the Cumberland and participated in Sherman’s March to the Sea.
According to the Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio, Junius Gates enlisted on August 25, 1861, as a 1st Lieutenant and served in F Company, Ohio 33rd Infantry. He was captured and later imprisoned and in Georgia and Virginia, but he survived and was mustered out as a captain on July 12, 1865. David Gates enlisted on October 29, 1861, as a Private in K Company, Ohio 56th Infantry. He too was captured during the war and imprisoned in Louisiana. He was released as part of a prisoner exchange and was later mustered out on April 25, 1866. Charles Gates enlisted on September 20, 1861, as a Private and served in F Company, Ohio 33rd Infantry. Charles was mustered out on October 10, 1864. Stephen Gates enlisted on August 25, 1861, as a Private in Company F, 33rd Infantry. He was captured and died of disease as a prisoner of war in Virginia on December 22, 1863. Stephen is buried in the Danville National Cemetery. John Gates enlisted on September 24,1864 as a Private into A Company, Ohio 82nd Infantry. He served in the Army of the Potomac and was mustered out on June 10, 1865.
The microfilm copy of Henry Rayner's papers include his diary during his service in the Union Army, along with some later western travels and some correspondence, 1864-1865.