Felton papers, 1839-1920 (inclusive), 1839-1889, 1916-1920 (bulk).
Title:
Felton papers, 1839-1920 (inclusive), 1839-1889, 1916-1920 (bulk).
The Felton papers consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, etc. of Samuel Morse Felton and his son Samuel Morse Felton, both civil engineers who became prominent railroad executives. Samuel Morse Felton, Sr. was appointed president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad in 1851, and his letterpress book, 1857-1859, concerns his management of the railroad. The P. W. & B. was an important transportation route during the Civil War, and Felton's loose papers relate primarily to the foiling of an assassination plot against Lincoln in February, 1861, the transportation of Union troops and supplies (much of this material consists of cipher dispatches and telegrams), and the construction of the Hoosac Tunnel in Massachusetts, for which Felton served as commissioner, 1862-1865. After the War, Felton became president of Pennsylvania Steel, but his interest in railroading remained strong. A letterpress book, 1868-1874, contains his letters as president of the Delaware Railroad and other positions he continued to hold in the industry. Felton's correspondents include Craig Biddle, John B. Brooks, Simon Cameron, Samuel F. du Pont, John M. Forbes, Alexander Holmes, Benjamin H. Latrobe, Jr., Benson J. Lossing, Allan Pinkerton, Fitz John Porter, Enoch Pratt, E. S. Sanford, Nathaniel Thayer, David Yulee, P. H. Hare, John Bingham, George McClellan, George Stearns, Thomas Blackwell, Robert Beale, and George E. Bent. Samuel Morse Felton, Jr. also served as president and chariman of several railroad companies and industry associations. These papers relate in part to Felton's position as advisor to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1916 and illustrate preparations made by the Corps for war with Mexico. The majority of the material concerns Felton's activities as Director General of Military Railroads, 1917-1918. Correspondents include Wallace Atterbury, Maj. Gen. William Black, Col. W. C. Langrift, William G. McAdoo, and William B. Parsons. There is also a typescript of an official report compiled by Felton, History of Director General of Military Railways.
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