Collection of Charles Henry Smith Materials
Scope and Contents
The Smith Collection contains various materials gathered about Charles Henry Smith, including correspondence during and post-Civil War years - primarily documenting his service in the US Army - with both Maine and non-Maine military and political personalities, such as: David M. Gregg, Oliver Otis Howard, Harris Merrill Plaisted, Eugene Hale, John L. Hodsdon, J.A. Milliken, W.E. Miller, E.R. Platt, F.A. Pike, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, E.O.C. Ord, and others, as well as some descriptions from the field written by Smith to various military figures. The collection also contains several personal documents, including diplomas, military and legal appointments, certificates of membership in various associations, and application for the medal of honor. The collection also contains several 1st Maine Cavalry artifacts.
Dates
- Creation: 1856 - 1960
Creator
- Smith, Charles Henry, 1827-1902 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Materials to be used on site during regular Special Collections hours or by appointment. Photocopying or scanning may be possible at discretion of staff for nominal fee. Materials may be protected by copyright.
Biographical / Historical
Charles Henry Smith was born on November 1, 1827 in Hollis, Maine. He graduated from Waterville (Colby) College in 1856, and became the principal of Eastport High School until 1860. After the call for Volunteers to serve in the Civil War, Smith enlisted and was recruited Captain of Company D of the 1st Maine Cavalry in 1861. He was made Major, Lieutenant Colonel, and then Colonel in 1863. He was in command of the 1st Maine Cavalry at Gettysburg. He was mustered out of the 1st Maine Cavalry in August of 1865. After discharge from the Civil War, he was a lawyer in Eastport from 1865-1866, and also served in the Maine Senate in 1866. He reentered the regular army after the Civil War and remained until his retirement in 1891. He commanded forts at Fort Lyon, Colorado; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Fort Brown, Texas; and was in command of all the troops around New Orleans during the Reconstruction riots in 1872. In 1879 he was in command of troops to expel invading Kansas settlers from the Indian Territory. In 1895 he received the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallant and meritorious service in the Battle of St. Mary's Church, June 1864, where he was severely wounded in the thigh. He died in Washington, DC in July of 1902, and is buried in Arlington Cemetery with high military honors.
Extent
0.5 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection contains correspondence, personal documents, manuscripts, artifacts, and clippings on Charles Henry Smith, Colby class of 1856, Colonel of the 1st Maine Cavalry during the Civil War, who was active in campaigns in Virginia and at Gettysburg. He served in the Army until his retirement in 1891, and was also a lawyer and a Maine State Senator (1866).
Arrangement
Materials arranged in six series: Correspondence, Personal Documents, Manuscripts, Printed Materials, Artifacts, and Clippings.
Physical Location
Colbiana alumni sequence, in box. Artifacts in Stack 4.
Provenance and Acquisition Note
Materials acquired via gift from Mary Livermore Dunlap, daughter of Charles Henry Smith (Colby 1856).
Subject
- Ord, Edward Otho Cresap, 1818-1883 (Person)
- Howard, O. O. (Oliver Otis), 1830-1909 (Person)
- Milliken, James Alphonso, 1813-1891 (Person)
- Hall, Edward W. (Edward Winslow), 1840-1910 (Person)
- Gregg, David McMurtrie, 1833-1916 (Person)
- Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914 (Person)
- Platt, E.R. (Person)
- Hale, Eugene, 1836-1918 (Person)
- Plaisted, H. M. (Harris M.) (Person)
- Pike, F. A. (Frederick Augustus), 1817-1886 (Person)
- Meade, George Gordon, 1815-1872 (Person)
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Collection of Charles Henry Smith Materials
- Author
- Colby College Special Collections
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Colby College Archives Repository
