Collection is open for research.
General Benjamin Alvord was born in Rutland, Vermont, on August 18, 1813, and died October 16, 1884. He graduated from West Point in 1833, was a scholar and teacher for 21 years, and served on active duty in the Mexican War and a number of Indian Wars. In 1853, he was assigned to Fort Dalles at the eastern edge of the Columbia Gorge. He became Paymaster General of the U.S. Army in 1876 and retired in 1880. He produced research on mathematics, Indian customs, maps, and other topics. The Alvord Desert in Eastern Oregon is named for him.
Benjamin and William Alvord letters, Mss 719, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Collection includes a letter copy book belonging to William C. Alvord, 1 volume, 1911-1912; a manuscript letter to Benjamin Alvord from George E. Pickett, 4 pages, February 13, 1861, regarding the danger of a civil war; and a manuscript letter to Benjamin Alvord from James A. Garfield, 1 page, November 20, 1880, thanking Alvord for his "congratulations."
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