The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
Delaware 19735
Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: Mann, William Henry,
1835-1863?
Title: Letters of William H. Mann
Dates: 1859, 1863
Call No.: Col. 1008
Acc. No.: 2019x46
Quantity: 9 items
Location: 34 J 6
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
William Henry Mann was from Petersham, Worcester
County, Massachusetts. He was born
September 23, 1835, the son of Sarah Luce (1801-1883) and Samuel Mann
(1797-1853), a farmer. He had several
siblings, but only two lived very long: Samuel, Jr. (1832-1917) and Harriet
Maria (1826-1913). William Henry Mann
was also a farmer, when living in Petersham.
He married Susan Bancroft in 1856, but they had no children. In September 1862, William enlisted in
Company F of the Massachusetts 53d Infantry Regiment, for nine months. Genealogy records differ as to his fate; some
records indicate that he was mustered out of service on April 23, 1863, in New
Iberia, Louisiana, while other records have him dying on April 23, 1865, in the
same place. He was very ill on April 17, 1863.
William’s sister Harriet married Peter W. Chamberlin
in 1851. Peter (1829-1905) was the son
of Elbridge G. Chamberlin (1805-1876) and Mary L. Wheeler. For some reason, in 1862, Peter Chamberlin changed
his name to Frank Wheeler. He and
Harriet had three children, the eldest of whom, Arthur, is mentioned in his
uncle’s letters.
William’s brother Samuel (1832-1917) married Maria
Antoinette Luce. Their daughter Caroline
(born 1858) was mentioned in at least one letter.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
Nine letters written by William Henry Mann to
various family members, including his sister Harriet and brother Samuel. The four earlier letters were written by Mann
as his traveled to and worked in Colorado between May and July 1859. He was lured by the discovery of gold in
Colorado, but even before he arrived there, he had heard of the difficulties of
mining and its meager results. While in
Kansas, he joined a wagon train of other men going to Colorado to seek
gold. He wrote about gathering his
supplies (chiefly food and cooking gear) for the journey; about meeting Cheyanne
Indians; and about the animals, especially the buffalo, they encountered on the
way. From Colorado he wrote about the
futility of his, and indeed of most, mining operations. He planned to return to Massachusetts (which
eventually he did).
A second set of letters was written between January
and April 1863, after Mann had enlisted in the Massachusetts infantry. One letter was written on board ship while
his regiment was sailing for Louisiana, and the others were written from
Louisiana. Shortly after leaving
Fortress Monroe, Virginia, the regiment’s ship ran into a storm, and many were
seasick. Camp life in Louisiana was made
uncomfortable because of rain and because Mann was unwell much of the time. He regretted that he had enlisted, and he
missed the comforts of home. In April,
the regiment was sent west of New Orleans, and the men heard shots and saw some
action over April 11-14 [apparently the Battles of Fort Bisland and Irish
Bend]. After the battle, Mann was
barely able to write that he was very sick and that he thought his case was
“doubtful.”
ORGANIZATION
The letters are in chronological order.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchased
from Eclectibles, Tolland, Connecticut.
ACCESS POINTS
Topics:
United States. Army.
Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 53rd (1862-1863)
Cheyenne Indians.
Soldiers -
United States - Correspondence.
Travel – Equipment and supplies.
Wagon trains.
Colorado – Gold discoveries.
Great Plains – Description and travel.
United States -
History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Personal narratives.
United States -
History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Campaigns - Louisiana.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 34 J 6
All accession numbers begin with 2019x46
Folder 1 of 1:
.1 Mann,
Sumner, Kansas, May 15, 1859, to “Dear Brother” Samuel Mann:
Received his letter; had
gone to Leavenworth, crossing the Delaware Indian reservation on the way; did
not see any of the wild horses which live on the reservation; had some
difficult river fords to make; slept in their wagons on the way; purchased his
“fit-out” in Leavenworth (food items, gunpowder, Colt’s water-proof caps, pots
and pans, etc.); names others in the party (Mr. Merchant, Mr. Hackett, etc.);
will take the Smokey Hill Fork route; many people on their way to Pikes Peak;
writes about 160 acre claims in Kansas; “please keep this out of sight … let no
one see it out of the family.”
.2 Mann, 125 miles west of Fort Riley,
[Kansas], June 7, 1859, to “Dear friends,” P.W. Chamberlain & wife:
Now in a company of
about 20 wagons and 45 men from a number of states; names their various
professions; now in buffalo territory – the prairie is black with them; also
seeing antelope and wolves; am meeting people returning from Pikes Peak – they
report it “is a great humbug”; have to take turns watching their cattle at
night
.3 Mann,
Station 14, June 14, 1859, to “Dear friends”:
Am waiting for one of
his party to fix a wagon wheel, and adding this to earlier letter [see above];
am in the territory of the ShyAns [i.e. Cheyenne Indians]; several of them
traveled with his group yesterday and traded for food stuffs; visited their
camp [not described]; “they are very filthy in their habits”; [exhibits some
evidence of homesickness]; direct letters to Denver City, Kansas Territory;
[letter written in pencil]
.4 Mann, near the Gregory diggings on a
branch of Clear Creek, Nebraska Territory, July 17, 1859, to “Dear friends,” Peter
W. Chamberlain, Harriet M. Chamberlain; with addition written July 22, to P.W.C.,
H.M.C.:
Is about 150 miles from
Pikes Peak and about 45 from Denver City; has been prospecting around the area;
few people are finding gold; many are working just for their board and no
wages; prospecting with a group, but not having any luck; “don’t come to Pikes
Peak if you can get a living at home”;
July 22 addition: thinks his group
will run out of funds before they find gold; might start back in another week,
going the Platte route;
.5 Mann, near Key West, off the coast of
Florida, Jan. 24, 1863, to “Dear friends”; [as there is no signature, and the
letter ends abruptly, it is assumed a second sheet is missing]:
Will write about voyage
from Fortress Monroe; quickly encountered rough seas and most were seasick;
then were hit by a storm, causing more seasickness and a foul atmosphere below
decks; it was two days before seas calm enough to enable the soldiers to clean
the mess; wasn’t seasick but is “feverish by spells”; misses food and comforts
of home [here the letter ends];
Mann mentions that the
soldiers were “between the decks of the Continental,” that being the name of
the ship
.6 Mann, Camp Mansfield, Carrolton, La.,
near New Orleans, Feb. 9, 1863, to “Dear Brother, Sister and friends”:
Has been too ill with
fever and earache to write; six in his tent, the others being Augustus Wheeler,
H. H. Lindsey, Lewis Robinson (who is also sick), C.E. Ball, and George H.
Edwards; the country is low and unhealthy and many are ill; he has not been
able for duty since they left New York [apparently they were in a camp on Long
Island]; “there is but little comfort to be taken in this kind of life compared
to what there is in farming”; found some fence rails to use as a floor in the
tent so they could stay out of the water covering the ground; writes about
daily rations, but he hasn’t been very hungry while he has been ill;
.7 Mann, Camp Kearney, La., Feb. 25, 1863,
to Dear Friends:
Has fever and chills;
have been paid from September 15; hopes his time is up 9 months from that date
[i.e. in June]; has been prescribed quinine for the fever and chills; “am
almost sorry that I was so foolish as to enlist”; often thinks of the good food
at home, and is looking forward to returning after enlistment is up; resolves
to manage his affairs better in future;
.8 Mann, New Orleans, March 20, 22, and 23,
1863, to Dear Brother & Sister, F. & H.M. Wheeler:
Am still weak from
fever; longs for a Massachusetts winter, with its pleasant evenings; misses
reading The Cultivator on Saturday
nights; hopes Frank will not be conscripted; not much for society and was
always content to stay home, although wife was not; knows that army life would
not be good for Frank; hopes that their son Arthur will not have to go to war;
.9 Mann, opposite Brasher City, Berwicks
Bay, by R.R. eighty miles west of New Orleans, April 11-14, and 17, 1863, to
“Dear Friends one and all”:
Left New Orleans by
railroad on April 9 and came to this place; did not bring knapsacks, just
blanket and shelter tent; most of regiment is ailing, and he continues to be
weak; has not received many letters;
April 12: marched 7
hours yesterday; “I look forward to another existence with pleasure at times”;
April 13: “expect to go
into an engagement soon”;
April 14: in “very sharp
skirmishing” all afternoon yesterday: bullets whizzed by and cannonballs flew
overhead, while they lay in ditches or sheltered behind stumps; am now in
pursuit of retreating rebels;
April 17: “I am very
sick … I think my case is very doubtful.”
[letter
written in pencil]