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Letters sent, registers of letters received, and letters received by Headquarters, Troops in Florida and Headquarters, Department of Florida, 1850-1858.
Amount:
10.00 microfilm reels 35 mm.
Medium Included:
Organization/Arrangement:
Subdivided into 1) Letters sent, arranged chronologically; 2) Registers of letters received, arranged chronologically; and 3) Letters received, arranged chronologically and then alphabetical by surname.
Restrictions:
Terms Governing Use:
Biographical/Historical:
Summary:
The letters sent and received by Headquarters, Troops in Florida, and Headquarters, Department of Florida, detail the incidents of small-unit warfare against the Seminoles. These letters include reports of Indian attacks, military operations, scouts and marches, and attempts to negotiate with the Indians. Also found among the records are reports of the various surveying parties that charted the wilderness of interior Florida by preparing maps of the area in an effort to construct roads and fortifications in the peninsula. Less dramatic are the letters that describe garrison life on military posts located in Florida. These accounts of the conditions under which the soldiers lived emphasize the problems of discipline and desertion and the difficulties of maintaining good health in the disease-ridden swamps. Even the most routine correspondence--requisitions for supplies, monthly reports and returns, and orders for the rotation of troops into and out of the Department and among the many temporary forts--provides valuable insights into military life on the southeastern frontier just before the Civil War. Letters Sent
The seven volumes of letters sent by Headquarters, Troops in Florida, June 1850-April 1856, and the one volume of letters sent by Headquarters, Department of Florida, April 1856-August 1858, contain fair copies of letters and reports dispatched by the commanding officers and their adjutants. One of the volumes of letters sent by Headquarters, Troops in Florida (listed in the table of contents as vol. 8), consists of letters relating to Florida Volunteers, January 29-April 12, 1856. Name indexes are available for Volumes 1-8.
Registers of Letters Received
The registers of letters received are typical of 19th-century recordkeeping practices. Each letter, as it was received, was entered in a register and assigned a file citation number. In addition to this number each register entry includes the date and subject (purport) of the letter, the name or office of the correspondent, the place from which the letter was dispatched, the number of enclosures, and the date received. Some entries also include cross-references to letters sent, endorsements, or special orders.
Letters Received
Letters received by Headquarters, Troops in Florida, and Headquarters, Department of Florida, consist of unbound communications, both registered and unregistered, covering the period June 1850-August 1858.
Finding Aids:
Microfilm listing available.
Additional Physical Form:
Reproduction Note:
Microfilm.
Location of Originals/Duplicates:
Originals held by National Archives, Washington, D.C., from the Records of the U.S. Army Continental Commands, 1921-1920, Record Group 393.
Associated Materials:
Language Notes:
Ownership/Custodial History:
Publication Note:
National Archives Microfilm Publication M1084.
General Note:
Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
Military administration. Seminole War, 3rd, 1855-1858. Seminole Indians Wars
Territorial records. aat
for detailed listing.