Letters and photograph, 1861.

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Letters and photograph, 1861.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/496121720

Three Civil War letters, with transcriptions, and a photograph pertaining to Brigadier General Rufus King who helped organize and then commanded the Iron Brigade during the Civil War. The letters were written by King and sent to Wisconsin Governor Alexander W. Randall and describe meetings King had with Secretary of State William Seward and Secretary of War Simon Cameron over the organization of Wisconsin militia into federal regiments at the beginning of the war. The first two letters describe how Secretary Cameron first wanted four of the possible six regiments offered by King (June 7, 1861), but later accepted all six provided that they would be sent to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (June 9, 1861). The third letter (June 12, 1861) describes a meeting with Secretary Seward who assured King that six regiments from Wisconsin would be mustered in and that King would be put into command of a brigade. This brigade eventually became known as the Iron Brigade. The letters also describe briefly the strategic military situation of the Federal Army, and mention that Randall would have to send the regiments to Harrisburg quickly to ensure their mustering into federal ranks. Also included in the collection is a photograph taken of sheet music for the song, "Union Volunteers Quickstep" that had been dedicated to King in honor of his service during the war. The letters were transcribed in 2009 by Hannah Bailey, a Wisconsin Veterans Museum student volunteer from the University of Wisconsin-Madison History Department.

Papers : 0.1 linear ft. (2 oversized folder) and.Photographs : 0.1 linear ft. (1 folder) and.Paper prints : 0.1 linear ft. (1 folder)

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 7611125

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center

Related Entities

There are 8 Entities related to this resource.

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