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Sherman, James L., Civil War Letter and Other Correspondence to Mary Pearl, 1854-1864

1 folder
Creator:
Sherman, James L. (1839-1900)
Collection Creator:
Princeton University. Library. Special Collections
Dates:
1854-1864
Located In:
Box B-001748, Folder 5
Extent:
1 folder
Languages:
Multiple languages
Scope and Contents

Consists of a set of letters to "Grandma" (Mary Pearl of Guilderland, New York) from her daughter, Elmira Sherman, and her grandchildren, Fannie A. Sherman, Mary P. Sherman, and James L. Sherman, dating from 1854 to 1864. Of particular note is the 1864 Civil War letter written from the front in Memphis, Tennessee, from James L. Sherman, a white officer leading Company A of the 68th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (USCT). His letter details his re-entry into the army, his appointment as lieutenant of the 68th USCT, reporting for duty at Benton Barracks in Missouri, and being sent to Memphis. He writes of the bravery and capabilities of African American soldiers in the war, and that many of them were formerly enslaved in Missouri but now are "men acting for themselves, handling their own earnings & enjoying the fruits of their labors." Sherman strongly identifies with the men under his command; emphasizing the solidarity he feels with them he writes: "We as Colored Soldiers are pleased with such laudatory accounts of our Brothers, & we too expect to send forth as bright a record when our turn comes."

Existence and Location of Copies

Parts of this collection are available on microfilm, cataloged separately as RCPXM-7497696.

Biography:

Sherman

James L. Sherman (1839-1900) was born in Guilderland, New York. His family moved to Rockford, Illinois in 1850. He and his brother enlisted with the 74th Illinois Infantry in 1862 and served in Nashville, Tennessee. Discharged for disability, Sherman subsequently sought an officer's appointment to lead African American soliders and he was assigned to command Company G (and the Company A) of the 4th Missouri Colored Infantry Regiment in St. Louis, Missouri (later redesignated the 68th U.S. Colored Troops Regiment in 1864). He was promoted to captain during his service, and honorably mustered out of service in 1865 at the end of the war. The 68th was mustered out of service in 1866.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Acquisition:

Purchased from Ian Brabner, Rare Americana, LLC in 2021 (AM 2022-064).

Credit this material:

Sherman, James L., Civil War Letter and Other Correspondence to Mary Pearl; General Manuscripts Miscellaneous Collection, C0140, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (mss): Box B-001748
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Lisa Yankowitz during the summer and fall of 2010 . The finding aid was written by Lisa Yankowitz in January 2011 and was regularly updated with new acquisitions by Faith Charlton, Kelly Bolding, Armando Suárez, Amy C. Vo, Kalliopi Balatsouka, and Lauren Williams.

Collection-level notes were revised by Faith Charlton in 2024 to more accurately describe the nature of this collection.

No additions will be made to this collection. Single item acquisitions will be added to Princeton University Library Single Item Acquisitions (C1771).

Genre Terms:
Correspondence -- 19th century
Names:
United States. Army. Colored Infantry Regiment, 68th (1863-1866)
Pearl, Mary (1783-1867)
Places:
United States -- History -- Civil war, 1861-1865. -- Correspondence

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of a set of letters to "Grandma" (Mary Pearl of Guilderland, New York) from her daughter, Elmira Sherman, and her grandchildren, Fannie A. Sherman, Mary P. Sherman, and James L. Sherman, dating from 1854 to 1864. Of particular note is the 1864 Civil War letter written from the front in Memphis, Tennessee, from James L. Sherman, a white officer leading Company A of the 68th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (USCT). His letter details his re-entry into the army, his appointment as lieutenant of the 68th USCT, reporting for duty at Benton Barracks in Missouri, and being sent to Memphis. He writes of the bravery and capabilities of African American soldiers in the war, and that many of them were formerly enslaved in Missouri but now are "men acting for themselves, handling their own earnings & enjoying the fruits of their labors." Sherman strongly identifies with the men under his command; emphasizing the solidarity he feels with them he writes: "We as Colored Soldiers are pleased with such laudatory accounts of our Brothers, & we too expect to send forth as bright a record when our turn comes."

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by the name of the creator or by the date of acquisition.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Purchased from Ian Brabner, Rare Americana, LLC in 2021 (AM 2022-064).

Appraisal

No material was separated during processing.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Lisa Yankowitz during the summer and fall of 2010 . The finding aid was written by Lisa Yankowitz in January 2011 and was regularly updated with new acquisitions by Faith Charlton, Kelly Bolding, Armando Suárez, Amy C. Vo, Kalliopi Balatsouka, and Lauren Williams.

Collection-level notes were revised by Faith Charlton in 2024 to more accurately describe the nature of this collection.

No additions will be made to this collection. Single item acquisitions will be added to Princeton University Library Single Item Acquisitions (C1771).

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Sherman, James L., Civil War Letter and Other Correspondence to Mary Pearl; General Manuscripts Miscellaneous Collection, C0140, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
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Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (mss): Box B-001748

Find More

Existence and Location of Copies

Parts of this collection are available on microfilm, cataloged separately as RCPXM-7497696.

Genre Terms:
Correspondence -- 19th century
Places:
United States -- History -- Civil war, 1861-1865. -- Correspondence