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 before segregating items to be copied. 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 and manuscript 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, LLMVC, 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 acknowledgment 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

BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE

The United Confederate Veterans Association was established in 1889 as a benevolent, historical, social, and literary association. It was active from 1889 to the mid 1940s. Its mission was to "unite in a general federation all associations of Confederate veterans, soldiers and sailors, now in existence or hereafter to be formed; to gather authentic data for an impartial history of the war between the States; to preserve relics or mementos of the same; to cherish the ties of friendship that should exist among men who have shared common dangers, common sufferings and privations; to care for the disabled and extend a helping hand to the needy; to protect the widows and the orphans, and to make and preserve a record of the services of every member, and as far as possible of those of our comrades who have preceded us in eternity" 1

Leon Jastremski, a member of the Association of the Army of Northern Virginia (AANVA), Louisiana Division claimed to have suggested to E. D. Wilett, president of that association, the idea that led to the organization of the United Confederate Veterans Association (UCV). After having witnessed a reunion of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1888, he approached Wilett with the notion of a federation for the Confederate veterans.2 Planning began with conversations among Wilett, Fred S. Washington and Fred Ober and other members of the (AANVA). They were joined by J. A. Chalaron and D. E. Given of the Association of the Army of Tennessee (AAT). In February 1889 AANVA joined with the AAT and Confederate States' Calvary in formally endorsing a plan for a general meeting of Confederate veterans. Each man appointed members to a committee, chaired by Fred S. Washington, for the purpose to a meeting that took place June 1889 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Representatives from local associations met to discuss the formation of the United Confederate Veterans Association and adopt its constitution. Washington represented members of the Louisiana Division of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Louisiana Division of the Army of Tennessee, and the Veteran Confederate States Cavalry Association. More than 500 of the 1,885 UCV local camps previously existed independently or as members of other societies. The total membership in the UCV may have approached 160,000 or 25 percent of the southern soldiers who survived the Civil War.3 The organizational structure of UCV was based on an elaborate military hierarchy, with a national office, three departments, divisions within the departments and local camps; there were appointed officers throughout the entire association. Awarding commissions to members was a major function of the Adjutant General's office. The early “Generals Commanding", later known as Commanders-in-Chief,

included generals and several lower officers of the Confederate States Army, but UCV Commanders-in-Chief who later followed had held the rank of private during the Civil War. General John B. Gordon, elected in 1889, served as General Commanding until 1904 when Stephen D. Lee, who served from 1904 to 1907, succeeded him. Most subsequent Generals Commanding held a one-year term of office. George Moorman acted as the first Adjutant General and Chief of Staff appointed by General Gordon; he served from 1891 until 1903. William E. Mickle succeeded him in 1903, serving until 1919. General Andrew B. Booth served as Adjutant General until 1921, then as Assistant Adjutant General until 1923. His daughter, Mrs. Winnie Booth Kernan, continued in the position of Assistant Adjutant General through the 1930s. The majority of correspondence, reunion arrangements, membership records, and other administrative matters were handled through the office of the Adjutant General and Chief-of-Staff.

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), founded in Springfield, Ill. in April 1866, was the largest organization of Union veterans of the Civil War. Organized under the leadership of Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, a former army surgeon, the GAR sought to promote comradeship among veterans, to extend pension rights, to provide relief for war widows and orphans, and to maintain homes for old soldiers. In 1868, GAR Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan inaugurated the observance of Memorial Day in honor of fallen soldiers. Membership in this Republican organization peaked at more than 400,000 in 1890. Two years earlier it had aided in the defeat of Democratic president Grover Cleveland, who had vetoed military pension legislation. The Grand Army of the Republic was dissolved in 1956.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

Official records of the United Confederate Veterans Association are comprised of orders issued by the Adjutant General, correspondence, membership records, printed items, administrative records and financial records. Correspondence primarily pertains to UCV business affairs such as registration of camps, issuance of commissions and convention matters. Among the membership records are rosters, lists of camp officers and card files of members. Printed and graphic materials consist of programs, ephemera, photographs, and newspaper clippings reporting convention events. Among the administrative records are constitutions and bylaws of the association and some divisions, camp records and writings. Manuscript volumes include rosters, cashbook ledgers and ledgers with some information about individual members. Subgroup 2 is comprised of records and manuscript volumes of the Grand Army of the Republic. Civil War documents, Subgroup 3, include military documents, correspondence and a Confederate imprint (1861).

LIST OF SUBGROUPS AND SERIES

Subgroup 1. United Confederate Veterans Association

Series I. Correspondence, 1891-1942, undated (boxes 1-49, 87- 88, vault)

Subseries 1. Correspondence by Department, 1891-1919 (boxes 1-17)

Subseries 2. Adjutant Generals' correspondence, 1891-1941 (boxes 18-34)

Subseries 3. Adjutant Generals' letter books, 1896-1919 (boxes 35-49)

Subseries 4. Generals' Commanding correspondence, 1891-1944, undated (box 87)

Subseries 5. General correspondence, 1893-1944, undated (box 88)

Series II. Membership records, 1893-1940 (boxes 50-77, 89-92)

Series III. Printed items and graphic materials, 1896-1941, undated (box 80)

Series IV. Administrative records, 1891-1942 (box 81)

Series V. Orders, 1891-1933 (box 82)

Series VI. Financial records, 1893-1940 (box 84)

Series VII. Manuscript volumes, 1882-1944, undated (vols. 1-72)

Series VIII. Artifacts, 1889-1929, undated (box 95, OS boxes 1 and 2)

Subgroup 2. Grand Army of the Republic (Veterans' Association)

Series I. Records, 1879-1923 (box 93)

Series II. Manuscript volumes, 1872-1923, undated (vols. 1-20)

Subgroup 3. Civil War documents, 1861-1864, undated (box 94)

Series I. Military Records, 1862-1865, undated (box 94)

Series II. Correspondence, 1861-1863, undated (box 94)

Series III. Confederate Imprint, 1861 (box 94)

SUBGROUPS AND SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Subgroup 1. United Confederate Veterans Association

Series I. Correspondence, 1891-1942, undated (49 linear ft.)

Subseries 1. Correspondence by Department, 1891-1919

Correspondence consists of letters to the Adjutant General from the commanders and officers within the departments and their respective divisions. The departments included are the Trans-Mississippi Dept., Army of Tennessee Dept. and Army of Northern Virginia Dept. The majority of the letters are concerned with payment of dues and payment for badges for the delegates at the conventions, and letters requesting commissions. Material is retained in original order of UCV letterboxes.

Subseries 2. Adjutant Generals' correspondence, 1891-1941

Correspondence of the Adjutant General includes letters questioning convention protocol and procedures and requests for confirmation of the receipt of camp dues paid. Also included are letters expressing pleasure for the opportunity to meet with the Adjutant General at reunions and letters from fellow officers sending their regrets for not attending reunions. Included in Gen. Moorman's correspondence of 1902 are form letters sent to all commanders and adjutants requesting the location and dedication of Confederate monuments in their vicinities. Among General William Mickle's correspondence is a letter (1914) from William H. Meadowcroft, written on behalf of Thomas Edison, requesting a list of camps. In addition there is correspondence of various UCV officers concerning staffing, and the health and deaths of fellow members. Also contained is correspondence from print shops to the Adjutant General soliciting orders for convention badges. Other business establishments requested lists of camps and rosters. There are requests from veterans' descendants for information on individual members, and for assistance in locating weapons or other items belonging to confederate ancestors who either died or were captured during the war. Also included are letters by the American Press Association requesting information on meetings, convention plans and advance copies of speeches. There are letters concerned with Association politics, and letters endorsing candidates for officers' positions and staff appointments. The correspondence of Mrs. Winnie Booth Kernan, assistant to the Adjutant General, has been included in this subseries. Correspondence between Adjutant General and General Commanding are located in subseries 4. Material is maintained in alphabetical order by generals' name, with the exception of George Moorman, William E. Mickle and Andrew B. Booth, which are maintained in chronological order by year.

Subseries 3. Adjutant Generals' letter books, 1896-1919

Correspondence written by the Adjutant General to adjutants of camps and their descendants refers to payment and nonpayment of dues, receipt of camp rosters and officers' lists, and convention badges for delegates. Material is maintained in chronological order.

Subseries 4. Generals' Commanding correspondence, 1891-1944

Much of this correspondence is between the General Commanding and the Adjutant General or Assistant Adjutant General discussing UCV business and convention preparations. There is some correspondence from members of other organizations and other individuals. Of particular interest is a letter (1899), written in Spanish, by President Porfirio Diaz of Mexico to General Gordon concerning a man by the name of MacStewart; original located in vault (photocopy in Box 88). Also of interest is a letter (1900) by T. H. Huff of Texas to General Gordon discussing the circumstances of MacStewart's imprisonment in Mexico. This subseries includes all correspondence of the Generals Commanding including correspondence before and after their terms in that office, with the exception of Harry Rene Lee whose correspondence is contained in the Adjutant Generals' correspondence. Material is maintained in alphabetical order by Generals' names.

Subseries 5. General correspondence, 1893-1944, undated

General correspondence consists of letters written by individuals outside the offices of the Adjutant General and the General Commanding. Included are several letters by members of the Committee on Monuments concerning the erection of a monument to the "women of the Confederacy" and donations for the monument. In addition there are letters from various officials of Southern states, including the governor of Arkansas, stating pension laws and the amount of funds spent to maintain homes for Confederate veterans. Also included is another letter (1899) by President Porfirio Diaz of Mexico to Congressman Joseph Wheeler of Georgia concerning MacStewart; original located in vault (photocopy in Box 88). Of importance are photocopies of two notes written by Varina Davis to Lewis Guiou expressing her regrets for being unable to accept invitations to reunions, (1900, 1906), and a note by Mary Anna Jackson expressing similar regrets (1906); originals located in vault (photocopy in Box 88). Material is maintained in chronological order by year.

Series II. Membership records, 1893-1940 (29 linear ft.)

Membership records contain lists of officers of individual camps; these lists include locations of camps, camps' names and numbers, as well as the dates of the forms submission. This information is duplicated on some camp rosters. The rosters contain similar information to the lists of officers including lists of members, camp names and numbers, locations of the camp and the dates the forms were submitted. Also among these records are the lists of delegates and alternates of each camp sent to reunions. Most include headquarters' locations, dates, and camp names and numbers. These lists are in order by date and camp number. Mortuary reports included in this series name deceased members, to which camps they belonged, dates of death

and in some cases residences. Certificates of membership (1897-1898) record military service in the Confederate Army by members registered in the UCV. Most certificates state the member's service record during the Civil War, including information on commanding officers, battle engagements, whether the member was wounded and, if captured, to which prison he was sent; this material is retained in chronological order by year. File cards record payment of membership dues; some cards include member's residence, rank and position in the United Confederate Veterans Association. There is also an oversize roster of the Gen. Francis Nicholls Camp (1898). File cards are retained in original order. Some gaps exist in this series.

Series III. Printed items and graphic materials, 1896-1941, undated, (1 linear ft.)

Printed items consist of the constitutions and bylaws, reports, programs of various events, a list of commanders for 1919, lists of camps, and writings. Speeches, biographical sketches, poetry and prose comprise the majority of the writings. Reunion material pertains to parades, travel and accommodations, convention proceedings, and reports. Circulars give general information and newspaper clippings primarily report events and business affairs of the annual conventions. Monuments and memorials papers concern the organizations involved with the proposed construction of Confederate monuments, and include the minutes of Confederated Southern Memorial Association annual conventions for 1925-1926 and 1929. Graphic material include postcard of the Ozarks, pictures and photographs of various UCV officers, Chief Justice William Tilghman of Pennsylvania, and the last meeting of camp 1321 (April 3, 1928). There are several photographs of women, some of which are identified as maids or matrons of honor, cadet aides to commanders, or chaperons on staff. Oversize printed items include certificates awarded, with certificates awarded to individual members and maids of honor of the Confederate Survivors Association. In addition there is a broadside depicting sample works of sculptor Augustus Lukeman, a map of Chickamauga, an offprint of a short biography of Col R. H. Adams from the New Decatur Advertiser with a photographic reproduction of his portrait. Ephemera include death notices, invitations, calling cards, menus, convention invitations and dedications. Also included in this series are the constitutions and by-laws of individual camps and printed material related to individual divisions within the UCV.

Series IV. Administrative records, 1891-1942 (2 linear ft.)

Writings consist of prayers and addresses presented at reunions, poetry and prose praising the Confederacy, and biographical sketches that contain a few personal accounts of military service in the Confederate States Army. Also within this series are committee reports presented at conventions, drafts consisting of minutes, constitutions and bylaws of the United Confederate Veterans Association and some of its divisions. Also included is information on veterans receiving pensions from the state of Louisiana (1936, undated). In addition there are a few scattered official service records (1915-1923) from the U. S. War Dept. They briefly describe the military service of some members. Also included are commission records of the Adjutant

General's, consisting of orders for commissions, commissions applied for and commissions to be engrossed. Camp records consist of camp charters, a few scattered camp reports, certification of delegates sent by camps to the conventions and votes by camps taken at conventions. Also among these records are lists of camps, reflecting departments, their divisions and camps within divisions that were registered member camps of the United Confederate Veterans Association. There is a gap for some departments between 1904-1918. In addition there are camp applications submitted to the Adjutant General's office, requesting the admission of camps into the United Confederate Veterans Association. Most applications contain date, camp name and number, and number of members registered in the camp. Miscellaneous records include lists containing locations of Confederate monuments, and unofficial rolls of deceased members, including a memorial roll of Raphael Semmes camp (undated) with birth and death dates of its members. Additional lists include staff appointments within the UCV, its divisions and departments. In addition, there is a resolution passed by the Florida legislature (undated) relative to pensions, a roll of prisoners of war of Louisiana captured between 1861-1863, who may have been imprisoned at Camp Chase in Ohio, and lists of camps, commanders and adjutants.

Series V. Orders, 1891-1933 (.5 linear ft.)

These orders were sent out by the Adjutant General's office and its divisions announcing staff changes, staff appointments, and deaths of prominent comrades, in addition to disclosing plans and information about annual reunions and travel.

Series VI. Financial records 1893-1940 (1 linear ft.)

These records consist of some financial statements and reports prepared by the Adjutant General and Chief of Staff, bank statements, and a sampling of sales receipts and vouchers. Among the business and legal papers is a notarial protest (1893), certificate of deposit (1912), and script certificate (1912). The cash accounts consist of loose ledger pages for the years 1901, 1921-1922.

Series VII. Manuscript volumes, 1882-1944 (4 linear ft.)

Volumes chiefly consist of ledgers and rosters of camps and officers, UCV cashbooks, which are mainly record books of camp dues paid, and the Adjutant Generals' cashbooks. Some rosters include the service records of officers. There are also several account books, General Geo. Gordon's letter book (1910-1911), Major A. B. Booth's logbooks (1912) and memoranda notebook (1923) of the reunion held in New Orleans. Among the miscellaneous volumes is a roster of the American Union Club (1882), a hotel ledger, and two ledgers with alphabetical lists of names.

Series VIII. Artifacts, 1889-1929, undated (.5 linear ft.)

Items related to the UCV reunions include camp ribbons worn by members, and badges for camp delegates. Other objects include an embossing stamp, another stamping device, and a set of keys.

Subgroup 2. Grand Army of the Republic (Veterans Association)

Series I. Records, 1879-1923 (.5 linear ft.)

These records consist of correspondence, resolutions, quartermasters' reports, orders, and proceedings of the annual encampment of the Department of Louisiana and Mississippi and Department of Virginia. Also included is a photograph of an Union soldier amputee (undated). Administrative records contain two officers lists (1919, 1922) for the Joseph A. Mower Post No. 1, and an application for membership (undated). Among the printed items are manuals, rules and regulations, and bylaws of the GAR. Included among these records is a reunion badge for the A. M. Taylor Post No. 153 (undated).

Series II. Manuscript volumes, 1872-1923, undated (2 linear ft.)

Volumes include a letter book of the Jos. A. Mower Post No. 1 (1884-1889), minutes of this post, with some drafts of resolutions, a muster roll of the Dept. of the Gulf, Jos. A. Mower Post No. 1, a roster of the Dept. of Louisiana that includes some notes and addresses of the members of the Jos. A. Mower Post No. 1, Dept. of Louisiana, and orders from the department headquarters. Also in this series are scrapbooks containing correspondence, circulars, orders, and an index to the proceedings of 1882. Two volumes of include information on the service records, residences, and occupations of members. A photograph of J. R. McConnell (undated) is pasted to the inside cover of volume 17 of this subgroup.

Subgroup 3. Civil War documents

Series I. Military records, 1862-1865, undated

Among the military records is a Trans-Mississippi Dept. account book (1862-1864), two membership rosters of the Battery Guard of Orleans, (1861, undated), inspection reports (1865) for the 1st. Kentucky Regiment, 9th Kentucky Regiment Cavalry, 13th Tennessee Regiment Cavalry and 4th Tennessee Regiment. Also among the military documents are photostatic copies of William E. Mickle's military assignment (1865) and retirement papers (1865).

Series II. Correspondence, 1861-1863, undated

Correspondence contains three letters written by soldiers describing conditions in the field and two letters by Dr. Joseph Jones, a surgeon in the Confederate army, one inquiring about the use of quinine in the treatment of malaria, and the other referring to a circular requesting information on the treatment of various diseases.

Series III. Confederate imprint, 1861

A fragment of a Confederate imprint (1861) of ordinances and resolutions passed during the 1861 convention of the State of Georgia.

INDEX TERMS

Army of Tennessee Dept. SG1.I.1, VII

Army of Northern Virginia Dept SG1.I.1, VII

Atkinson, Homer SG1.I.4

Barnard, I. P. SG1.I.3, III

Booth, Andrew, B. SG1.I.1, VIII

Cabell, W. L. SG1.I.4

Carr, Julian S. SG1.I.4

Claypool, John M. SG1.I.4

Confederated Southern Memorial Association (U.S.) SG1.I.4, III

Confederate States of America. Army SG1.II, III, IV

Davis, Varina, 1826-1906 SG1.I.4

DeSaussure, C. A. SG1.I.4

Diaz, Porfirio, 1830-1915 SG1.I.4, I.5

Evans, Clement SG1.I.4

Foster, J. C. SG1.I.4

Freeman, W. B. SG1.I.4

Goodwyn, A. T. SG1.I.4

Gordon, George W. SG1.I.4

Gordon, John G., 1832-1904 SG1.I.4, VIII

Grand Army of the Republic SG2.I-II

Haldeman, B. SG1.I.4

Hancock, W. Scott SG1.I.2

Jackson, Mary Anna, 1831-1915 SG1.I.5

Kernan, Winnie Booth SG1.I.2, IV

Lee, Harry Rene SG1. I.2, I.4

Lee, Stephen D. (Stephen Dill), 1833-1908 SG1.I.4

Louisiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons SG1.IV

Lukeman, Augustus, 1871-1935 SG1.III

Mickle, William English, 1846-1920 SG1.I.1, I.2-5, SG3.I

Moorman, George SG1.I.1, I.2, I.4

Ogletree, W. E. T. SG1.I.2

Osborne, Hampden SG1.I.2

Pierce, Rice T. SG1.I.4

Sneed, R. A. SG1.I.4

Sons of Confederate Veterans (Organization) SG1.III, V

Stephens, L. W. SG1.I.4

Taylor, Edgar D. SG1.I.2

Thomas, James A. SG1.I.4

Trans-Mississippi Dept. SG1.I.1, III, VII, SG3.I

United Daughters of the Confederacy SG1.I.4, III, IV

VanZandt SG1.I.4

Vance, M. D. SG1.I.4

Walker, C. Irvine SG1.I.4

Young, Bennett A. SG1.I.4

CONTAINER LIST

APPENDIX A

Newspapers containing articles on conventions

Alexandria Gazette, Jan. 20, 1932.

Amarillo Daily News, Sept.2-Sept 7, 1935.

Amarillo Globe, Sept. 2-6, 1935.

Amarillo News and Globe, Sept 3, 1935.

Chattanooga Daily Times, Oct. 25,1921, June 6, 1934.

Chronicle-News: Convention Edition, Jan.19, 1939.

Commercial Appeal, June 6-7, 1924.

Daily Picayune, Apr. 25, 27, 1906.

Monroe Star, Oct. 15, 1908.

Richmond Evening Journal, Apr. 3, 1915.

Richmond News Leader, June 21-22, 25,1932.

Sunday Star, July 3, 1932.

Times Democrat, Apr. 25-27, 1906.

Washington Post, Oct. 10, 1940.

Note: this is an informational list; newspaper articles are not part of this collection.

APPENDIX B

SUPPLEMENTAL LIST OF CAMPS OF THE UNITED ONFEDERATE VETERANS ASSOCIATION4

With Numbers, Names, and Headquarters

*