DAVID FRENCH BOYD PAPERS
William T. Sherman Letters
(Mss. 890, 893, 3362)
Inventory
Luana Henderson
Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections
Special Collections, Hill Memorial Library
Louisiana State University Libraries
Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University
Reformatted 2006
CONTENTS OF INVENTORY
Use of manuscript materials. If you wish to examine items in the manuscript group, please fill out a call slip specifying the materials you wish to see. Consult the Container List for location information needed on the call slip.
Photocopying. Should you wish to request photocopies, please consult a staff member. The existing order and arrangement of unbound materials must be maintained.
Publication. Readers assume full responsibility for compliance with laws regarding copyright, literary property rights, and libel.
Permission to examine archival materials does not constitute permission to publish. Any publication of such materials beyond the limits of fair use requires specific prior written permission. Requests for permission to publish should be addressed in writing to the Head, Public Services, Special Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803-3300. When permission to publish is granted, two copies of the publication will be requested for the LLMVC.
Proper acknowledgement of LLMVC materials must be made in any resulting writing or publications. The correct form of citation for this manuscript group is given on the summary page. Copies of scholarly publications based on research in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections are welcomed.
SUMMARY
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Size. |
0.3 linear ft. |
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Geographic locations. |
Baton Rouge, La.; Washington, D. C.; St. Louis, Mo.; San Francisco, Calif.; Cairo, Egypt. |
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Inclusive dates. |
1859-1891 |
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Language. |
English |
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Summary. |
Letters concern higher education, politics and personal affairs. |
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Organization. |
Arranged chronologically |
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Restrictions on access. |
Available in part on microfilm. Originals housed in the vault are restricted. Copies must be made from microfilm when available. |
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Related collections. |
William T. Sherman Letters, Mss. 1688; William T. Sherman Letter, Mss. 1954; William T. Sherman Letter, Mss. 2009; William T. Sherman Letter, Mss. 2164; William T. Sherman Letter, Mss. 2285; William T. Sherman Note, Mss. 2290; William T. Sherman Letters, Mss. 2378; William T. Sherman Letter, Mss. 2486; William T. Sherman Letter, Mss. 2846; William T. Sherman Letter, Mss. 3029; William T. Sherman Letters, Mss. 3044; William T. Sherman Letters, Mss. 3253; William T. Sherman Letter, Mss. 3303; William T. Sherman Letter, Mss. 3446; Walter L. Fleming, Collection, Mss. 890, 893. |
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Copyright. |
Copyright of the original materials is retained by descendants of the creators in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
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Citation. |
David French Boyd Papers, William T. Sherman Letters, Mss. 890, 893, 3362. Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, La. |
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Stack locations |
Mss.Mf.:B, U:179; Vault:26 |
BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE
General William T. Sherman was a colleague and close friend of David French Boyd, a Confederate Army officer and prominent Louisiana educator. As members of the original five- member faculty, both men taught at Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, at the time Sherman served as superintendent (1859-1861). He resigned his post upon Louisiana’s secession from the Union and joined the Union army at the onset of the Civil War. After the war, he remained in the army as a lieutenant general. When Ulysses Grant was elected president, he was promoted to general and given command of the entire U. S. Army, retiring in 1884. Sherman adamantly rejected any idea of seeking political office. One of his most important contributions after the war was the establishment of School of Application for Cavalry and Infantry, which evolved into the U. S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. He settled in New York City in 1886, where he died on February 14, 1891. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis.
David Boyd served as a colonel in the Confederate Army. After the war, Boyd accepted the position of superintendent of the Seminary of Learning and Military Academy at Alexandria, La., when it re-opened in 1865. In 1869, the school was destroyed by fire and the institution was relocated to Baton Rouge. Boyd helped preserve the seminary after the war during its financial difficulties, and he was instrumental in its development into Louisiana State University. In the mid-1870s, David Boyd used his own personal finances to support school. The financial situation improved in 1877 when it merged with the Agricultural and Mechanical College located in New Orleans and received more adequate funding from the State. It was renamed Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
Letters consist of William T. Sherman original letters (1861, 1867-1886, 1890), typescripts (1861-1886, 1890-1891), and transcriptions of Sherman’s letters handwritten by David F. Boyd (1859-1864, 1875). Letters prior to the Civil War (Boyd transcriptions, no originals) pertain to Sherman's role as superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary and Military Academy and his views the political conflict between the North and South (1859-1861). Letters by Gen. William T. Sherman to David F. Boyd, written primarily during Reconstruction, pertain to voting fraud in Louisiana, African American civil rights and suffrage, activities of the Ku Klux Klan, the election of 1876, the jetty system in New Orleans, Louisiana State University, and local, state and national political issues. Letters offer advice to Boyd, reminisce about past events and reflect Sherman's efforts to secure a post for Boyd at the Military Academy at Cairo, Egypt.
DESCRIPTION
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Date |
Contents |
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1859-1864, 1875 |
William T. Sherman’s letters to Gen. G. Mason Graham, John Sherman, David F. Boyd, and faculty of Louisiana State Seminary and Military Academy. They pertain to Sherman’s role as superintendent of and the political conflict between the North and the South. |
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1861, 1864-1869 |
Letters written to David French Boyd concern Boyd’s experience as a Confederate prisoner of war relative to his status and comfort. One Letter by Sherman (1864) requesting courtesies for Boyd, a prisoner of war, is penciled on the back of an intercepted order from General Johnston to General Pemberton. Sherman also discusses topics relative to Boyd’s operation of Louisiana State Seminary and the fire that burned it down. He reminiscences about earlier times and expresses his own opinions regarding politics, conditions in the South during Reconstruction, and he speaks of planned visits to see Boyd. A Letter to the Command Officer of Baton Rouge requests that he receive Boyd after the fire that burned down Louisiana State Seminary. 19 items. |
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1870-1871 |
Letters from Sherman to Boyd concern the hiring of new faculty, the acquisition of arms for the Seminary and his financial difficulties due to his reduction in pay. Sherman provides Letters of recommendation to Boyd, discusses civil strife and other difficulties in the South. He also tells of his planned trip to Europe. 10 items. |
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1872-1874 |
Letters pertain to Sherman’s planned trip to Egypt and the Nile River region. They also relate Sherman’s thoughts on the South and Southern politics, particularly Louisiana. He refers to Boyd’s search for funding and professors for the University and expresses admiration for Boyd’s work. He discusses efforts to aid Louisiana during the Mississippi River flood, cutbacks in the army, publications concerning martial law. He also mentions family matters. 14 items |
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1875-1877 |
Letters show Sherman’s interest in seeing Boyd take a position at the University of California and Louisiana politics, particularly the Wheeler Compromise. He sympathizes with Boyd’s poor financial situation, informing him of a lucrative job as supervisor of the military university in Cairo, but also relates possible problems relative to offer in Cairo. Sherman again reminiscences of the Civil War and the political events and opinions regarding it. Another Letter mentions a speech given by Boyd, and Sherman offers advice on the operation of the University and voices his concerns for its future. 28 items. |
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1878 |
Letters refer to Boyd’s attempt to secure Lt. William Taylor Mumford as a professor of military sciences, the acquisition of arms for Louisiana University and criminal proceedings against Governor Nicholls. He continues his discussion on Louisiana politics and the future of the state, and he laments the effect the U. S. Congress has on his own salary. Sherman mentions his children’s endeavors and the outbreak of yellow fever in Louisiana. Also included are telegrams concerning Louisiana politics and the judicial proceedings against a Mr. Anderson. 10 items. |
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1879 |
Letters relate to planned trips to Florida and New Orleans, La., national politics and requests for favors by former soldiers, cadets and employees of Sherman and Boyd. Sherman also discusses a plan by Democrats in Congress for the use of troops to keep the peace at election polls. Other topics include factual errors in a book, Destruction and Reconstruction, recommendations to Boyd on applicants to fill positions at the University, dishonesty in Louisiana politics and finances, and the death of General Hood. He also talks of Hood’s war papers, military recruitment, and the Congressional requirement of small number of new cadets to military institutions. A Letter to General G. Mason Graham forwarded to Boyd expresses views on Mumford and Lt. Michael F. Jamar. 12 items. |
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1880-1883 |
Sherman relates his opinion on military college administrators and problems regarding Michael F. Jamar, the first professor of military science. He attempts to convince Boyd to seek greater opportunity outside of Louisiana, particularly in West Virginia. He discusses his travels in America and his plans to visit the South and select areas of the West. He does more reminiscing of earlier times, and he relates his present duties and describes his plans for retirement. 10 items. |
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1885-1891 |
Sherman shares his thoughts on states’ rights versus federalism. He recalls personal attacks directed towards him by Jefferson Davis and recalls events of the war and friends who passed away. He comments on family visits, family news, his own future travels, and he mentions reactions he has seen amongst southerners on various trips in the South. Letters are accompanied by an extract from an article relating David Boyd’s experiences with William T. Sherman preceding the Civil War until Sherman’s death, written on the occasion of Sherman’s funeral. 7 items. |
INDEX TERMS
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African Americans--Suffrage. |
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Boyd, David French, 1834-1899. |
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Civil rights--United States. |
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Education, Higher--Louisiana. |
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Jetties--Mississippi River. |
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Ku-Klux Klan (1866-1869) |
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Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy. |
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Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, La.) |
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Louisiana--Politics and government--1865-1950. |
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Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891. |
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United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons. |
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United States--Politics and government--1865-1900. |
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Voting--Louisiana. |
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State rights. |
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Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877). |
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United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons. |
CONTAINER LIST
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Stack
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Box |
Folders |
Contents |
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U:179 |
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1-11 |
Typescripts (1861-1891). |
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12-14 |
David F. Boyd transcription (1859-1864, 1875). |
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Mss.Mf.:B |
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Reel 11 |
Microfilm of original Sherman letters accompanied by typescripts (1864-1891). Note: April 4, 1861 letter not on microfilm. |
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Vault:26 |
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1-9 |
Original letters (1861, 1864-1891) are restricted. Use microfilm. |
APPENDIX
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Microfilm [location-Mss. Mf.:B] |
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Typed transcripts-no original letter |
Original letter-no typescript |
Not on microfilm: |
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July 26, 1875 Jan. 20, 1876 March 16, 1879 July 23, 1882 Feb. 22, 1891 |
March 19, 1877 May 7, 1877 June 7, 1877 March 19, 1878 Nov. 8, 1878 June 14, 1880 June 2, 1881 May 13, 1881 |
April 4, 1861 |
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Original letters [location-Vault:26] |
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No typescript |
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March 19, 1887 May 7, 1877 June 7, 1877 March 19, 1878 Nov. 8, 1878 June 14, 1880 June 2, 1881 July 23, 1882 |
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Typescripts [location-U:179] |
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No original letter |
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May 13, 1861 March 2, 3, 1864 Oct. 29, 1865 April 12, 1866 May 20, 1867 Jan. 31, 1868 June 23, 1868 Aug. 9, 17, 1868 Jan. 27, 1869 Feb. 22, 1869 Sept. 16, 1869 Oct. 25, 1869 Dec. 14, 1869 (two letters) July 26, 1875 Jan. 20, 1876 March 16, 1879
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APPENDIX (cont.) Jan. 2, 1881 Feb. 22, 1891
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David F. Boyd transcriptions [location-U:179] |
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No original letter |
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July 23, 26 1859 Oct. 23, 1859 Nov. 21, 1859 Sept. 7, 1859 Dec. 12, 21, 25, 1859 Jan. 1, 4, 6, 7, 13, 29, 1860 Feb. 8, 10, 13, 16, 17, 21, 1860 March 1, 5, 7, 15, 30 April 12, 17, 26, 1860 May 23, 1860, June 12, 16, 27, 1860 July 4, 6, 16, 23, 1860 Aug. 2, 12, 19, 30, 1860 Sept. 16, 20, 30, 1860 Jan. 5, 16, 20, 1861 Feb. 23, 1861 May 13, 1861 Feb. 13, 1864 March 3, 1864 April 7, 1864 July 29, 1875 |
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