MATTHEW MARVIN:
An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Marvin, Matthew, 1838-1903, creator. | |
| Title: | Matthew Marvin papers. | |
| Dates: | 1861-1895. | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Diaries and letters by Marvin, a member of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, Company K, 1861-1865; and correspondence (1872-1895) dealing mainly with Marvin's efforts to obtain government pensions for men who served in the regiment. Includes a diary (1862) kept by Randolph Wright, also with Company K, who was killed at Gettysburg. | |
| Quantity: | 0.65 cubic feet (2 boxes, including 4 volumes). | |
| Location: | P2355: See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Marvin was born in Madison, New York (1838) the son of Seth and Content Marvin; settled in Winona, Minnesota (1859), where he clerked in the leather goods store of J.J. Randall; enlisted in Company K, First Minnesota Regiment (April 29, 1861); wounded at battles of Bull Run, Harrison's Landing, and Gettysburg; released from the regiment (June 1864); lived in Illinois (1864-1870); returned to Winona (1871), where he entered the harness trade, and superintendent of Woodlawn Cemetery (1873-circa 1898), and was active in many civic and community organizations, including the Grand Army of the Republic. He married Angie A. Towle (August 29, 1867) in St. Charles, Illinois. He died in Winona, July 27, 1903.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The collection includes biographical information; correspondence and miscellaneous papers; and diaries kept by both Matthew Marvin and Randolph Wright. A considerable portion of the letters and diaries are difficult to read and are, in some cases, illegible.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Matthew Marvin Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 2261; 3000
Processing Information:
Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, October 1999.
Catalog ID number: 990017333470104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| P2355 | 1 | Biographical information, 1860-1939. | |||||||||
| Includes the following items: photocopy of Marvin's obituary from the Winona Herald (July 27, 1903); Marvin's Civil War record taken from Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars, roster of Company K (typewritten); photocopied biography of Marvin from History of Winona County, Minnesota, by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge (1913); Wright’s service record, Company K, First Minnesota Regiment taken from Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars along with information taken from Minnesota state census records for Rollingstone, Winona County (1860) listing Wright and his family with a photocopied biography of Wright's father, James, from History of Winona County, Minnesota, by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge (1913). | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, undated and 1861-1898. 12 folders. | |||||||||||
| Items of interest include: list of names of members of the members of the First Minnesota found on the Gettysburg Monument; list of Civil War generals and battles; and a table of pension rates (printed). Some of the items in the undated folder are fading and illegible. | |||||||||||
| 1861: Most of the 1861 correspondence (February 21-December 27) consists of letters written by Marvin to his brother in St. Charles, Illinois, from Camp Stone, Maryland and Edward's Ferry. There is general information on the war, including an account of his wound at Bull Run (August 26); picket duty; prices paid for food items; description of the regiment's skirmishes at Fort Hatteras, Poleville, and Harper's Ferry; army routine; news of family; slave sales (October 2); and a Christmas celebration (December 27). | |||||||||||
| 1862: Letters written by Marvin to his brother (no name given), similar in content to the 1861 letters, and relate to the Army of the Potomac's Peninsular campaign. The letters detail the regiment's activities in Camp Stone (January-February); Charlestown, Bolivar Heights, Virginia (March, May); Fair Oaks and Richmond (May-June); Harrison's Landing where Marvin was wounded (July-August); the hospital on Carney Island, Virginia (August-October); and Alexandria, Warrenton, Falmouth, and Fredericksburg (October-December). | |||||||||||
| The letters, some of which are partially illegible, contain information on prices of food; the weather; drills; picket duty; general comments on the progress of the war; and a Christmas eve celebration. There are no letters detailing Marvin's wound at Harrison's Landing. A letter (February 10) detailing Marvin's request to his family for food, clothing and other supplies illustrate the practical needs of a soldier. Other letters offer criticism of congressional interference in the conduct of the war and the maneuvering of political parties (January 19 and December 24) and a brief mention of the role of Britain, France and Spain (February 10). | |||||||||||
| 1863: Contains only short letters from Marvin to his brother written from Falmouth, Virginia (January-May); Fredericksburg (June); and from a hospital in Philadelphia (July). There is a gap in the correspondence from June 7 to July 24. The letters are general in nature, giving details on camp life; the weather; drills; troop movements; some skirmishes; and related subjects. The last letter (July 25) from the Philadelphia hospital gives details on his wound received at Gettysburg, but no details on the battle itself. | |||||||||||
| From August through December, there is correspondence to Marvin relating to his furlough to St. Charles, Illinois; a medical certificate stating his unfitness for further military service; and letters from former comrades from Company K, Alfred P. Carpenter, William H. Kinyon, and Charles North, containing general news, of life in Virginia camps; news of other comrades; troop movements; the weather, and other topics of interest. A letter (November 23) from Alfred Carpenter describing his training of troops of the Second Regiment, U.S. Colored Infantry. The last Civil War letter (June 9, 1864) tells of Marvin's release from the army. | |||||||||||
| 1872-1898: Most of the letters, written in the 1880s, relate to the attempts by Marvin to obtain pensions for wounded veterans of the First Minnesota. The letters briefly describe the battles in which they fought and the resultant diseases and disabilities. The letter writers are from Minnesota, Dakota Territory, Illinois and Arizona. Also included are references to reunions of the First Minnesota Volunteers Association. Items of particular interest, in this section include a letter from William Lochren with a list of members of Company E, First Minnesota, listing their present address, marital status, and those who have died (April 10, 1872); letter from Alfred Sully (June 8, 1872) and Stephen Miller (June 16, 1872) declining an invitation to the regimental reunion; a printed program for the 17th annual reunion of the First Regiment Minnesota Volunteers Association (July 22, 1884); a list of Company K with addresses and other information (undated, 1889); a letter from R.J. Mars, Nashville, Tennessee containing comments on life in the South, mentioning the work of the Masonic Widows and Orphans Home; the actions of wealthier citizens in enrolling their children in private schools, leaving other children in public schools; the necessity and lack of interest in Black educational resources; and descriptions of Confederate veterans organizations dissemination of information on Southern battles in the war and in retaining the concepts of state’s rights (August 4, 1889). | |||||||||||
| Original muster roll, Company K, April, 20, 1861. | |||||||||||
| Diaries | |||||||||||
| There are two sets of Marvin diaries in the collection: unbound and bound. Marvin's bound diaries for 1862 and 1863 are very similar in content to the unbound diaries. It is not clear whether the entries in both sets were made at the same time, or if the unbound entries were made later as they seem more complete than the entries made in the bound volumes. | |||||||||||
| Matthew Marvin diaries, unbound, June 27, 1861-1863. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| 1861: Brief entries written from Camp Stone, with information on the weather, picket duty, and routine camp life. | |||||||||||
| 1862: Describes life at Camp Stone, including descriptions of a New Year's celebration; food; his readings of Shakespeare, Byron and Burns; drills; the weather; Colonel Dana's promotion to Brigadier General and his remarks to the troops; and descriptions of the fighting and skirmishes at Fortress Monroe (March 31); Yorktown (May); Richmond, Fair Oaks; Savage Station; White Oak; Malvern Hill; Harrison's Landing; Alexandria; Fredericksburg; and Falmouth, where they were stationed for the winter. | |||||||||||
| On August 10, Marvin was taken to a hospital at Carney Island, after being wounded at Harrison's Landing, and where he remained until October 12. Entries of interest include a visit to Washington D.C., House of Representatives and a brief mention of bills debated (March); Lincoln's visit to the troops (July 5); description of bounty soldiers and their attempts to obtain discharges and deserters (September 18); and objections to the recent: publication of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (September 24). | |||||||||||
| 1863: Similar in content to the 1862 diary, with information on camp life; drills; the weather; and related data. Entries starting in May describe marches to Fredericksburg, Stafford Court House, Bull Run, and Thoroughfare, which were preliminary to the Battle of Gettysburg. Entries dated July 1-6 give some information on Gettysburg, including his being wounded (July 2); descriptions of shelling (July 3); the aftermath of the battle, including information on men killed from Company K, including Randolph Wright (July 4), and a description of the battlefield (July 5-6). | |||||||||||
| The rest of the entries (July 12-December 31) relates his convalescence at a Baltimore hospital, and his transfer to the United States General Marine Hospital in Chicago, which was close to his family in St. Charles. There is information on meetings with family and friends; his recovery from the wound; the weather; Thanksgiving celebration; and his attempts to organize a library at the hospital (December 15). | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| P2355 | 2 | Matthew Marvin diaries, bound volumes, 1862-December 1, 1864. 3 folders containing 3 volumes. | |||||||||
| Volume 1. 1862: Brief entries, some in pencil and fading in part, and containing moisture marks. At the end of the volume are monthly recapitulations of weather, including inches of rain and snow; and cash accounts. | |||||||||||
| Volume 2. 1863: Some entries in pencil and some in ink, with information similar to that found in the unbound diary. At the end of the volume are monthly cash accounts; number of miles travelled; number of times drilled; and number of inches of rain and snow. | |||||||||||
| Volume 3. 1864: The entries describe Marvin's final days before discharge from the army (October, 1864); Brief entries, some in pencil, describe life in the hospital in Chicago; food; weather; and his trips to visit family and friends in St. Charles, Naperville, Batavia and Geneva, Illinois. | |||||||||||
| From June 17 to September 14, the entries tell of Marvin's visit to Winona, via Dubuque and Galena, with information on his employment at a store in Winona; social life; weather; and visits to Pleasant Grove, Olmsted County and Chatfield, Fillmore County. Marvin returned to Chicago arriving there around September 16. At the end of the diary are monthly recapitulations of miles travelled, cash accounts, and weather. | |||||||||||
| Randolph Wright diary, January 1-July 8, 1862. 1 folder containing 1 volume. | |||||||||||
| Wright was a member of Company K, First Minnesota, who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. Although Wright dates the first page of his diary as 1863, the calendar at the beginning of the diary is dated 1862. A comparison of the entries in the diary with a published history of the First Minnesota Regiment, indicates that the diary was kept in 1862. There is no information on how the diary came into Marvin's possession. | |||||||||||
| The entries are brief, some in fading pencil, and with gaps in dates (January 31-February 24; April 1-June 19; and June 20-December 27). From February through June the entries describes the regiment's participation in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, from Camp Stone, then to Charlestown, Berryville, Bolivar Heights, Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Savage Station, Glendale, Malvern Hill, and Harrison's Landing. At the end of the diary is a penciled notation for January 5, 1863, describing a review of the troops by General Sedgewick. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Military pensions -- United States.
- Persons:
- Colvill, William, 1830-1905.
- Lochren, William, 1832-1912.
- Miller, Stephen, 1816-1881.
- Sully, Alfred, 1821-1879.
- Wright, Randolph, approximately 1841-1863.
- Organizations:
- United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 1st (1861-1864). Company K.
- United States. Army -- Pay, allowances, etc.
- Places:
- Minnesota -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
- Document Types:
- Diaries.
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