Little is known of Horatio G. Robinson beyond what is given in the collection. Robinson was posted to the USS Powhatan, a sidewheel steam frigate in the United States Navy. From 1866-1869 the Powhatan was the flagship of the South Pacific Squadron, commanded for most of that time by Admiral John A. Dahlgren; in March 1866, during the period of these letters, she was sent to Callao (Peru) and Valparaíso (Chile) to protect U.S. interests during the Spanish-Peruvian War. A collection of letters at Duke University also from Horatio G. Robinson to "Dear Mother," may be the same person; those letters indicate that Robinson was from Boston, and that he served on the USS Osceola during the Civil War.
From the guide to the Horatio G. Robinson Letters, 1866-1867, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)
