Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Description:

The majority of Symmes H. Stillwell's Civil War papers is correspondence, which consists almost exclusively of letters from Stillwell to his mother, Hannah Stillwell. There are also a couple of letters from Stillwell to his brother, Daniel P. Stillwell, and his cousin, Peter R. Bergen. Other materials in the series include Stillwell's diaries that he kept during his service; documents; poems and song ballads written by Stillwell and others; and other Civil War-related materials, such as papers regarding Stillwell's war pension and ephemera relating to the Roanoke Associates, an organization for veterans of the Battle of Roanoke Island.

Arranged by genre of material.

Description:

Symmes H. Stillwell (1840-1934) was one of three sons born to Joseph Morford Stillwell (1806-1844) and Hannah Dey Conover Stillwell (1809-1901) of Cranbury, Middlesex County, New Jersey; the others being Daniel P. Stillwell (1835-1875) and Dey Conover Stillwell (circa 1830-1860). The latter brother died serving as a seaman in Great Britain's Royal Navy under the alias William P. Forman. Daniel P. Stillwell married Sarah Ann P. Dey Stillwell (1836-1862) (his first wife) with whom he had two children, Henry C. Stillwell (b. 1859) and Addison A. Stillwell (1861-1880).

Arranged alphabetically by creator.

Scope and Contents

Symmes H. Stillwell Civil War and Family Papers consists mostly of Stillwell's Civil War papers, including a sizeable number of letters from Stillwell to his mother, Hannah Stillwell, as well as diaries and various documents that provide information about Stillwell's experiences as well as the experiences of the 9th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment with which he served. The letters, in particular, provide detailed descriptions and offer insight into various aspects of the war, such as camp life, battles, the aftermath of battles, widespread sickness amongst the troops, and the significant amount of travel undertaken by the 9th on land and on sea.

The collection also consists of some Stillwell family correspondence as well as a couple of legal documents and miscellaneous items. These papers relate primarily to Symmes H. Stillwell, his mother, Hannah Stillwell, and his brothers, Daniel P. Stillwell and Dey Conover Stillwell.

The collection is arranged in two series: "Symmes H. Stillwell Civil War Papers" and "Stillwell Family Papers."

Collection Creator Biography:

Stillwell, Symmes Henry, 1840-1934

Symmes H. Stillwell (1840-1934) of Cranbury, Middlesex County, New Jersey, served in the Union Army with the 9th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry from September 1861 until October 1864 during the American Civil War. Like other members of his family, Stillwell was very political; he was an active member and staunch supporter of the Republican Party and the war. One of the first to join the 9th, Stillwell initially served with Company M, and was then transferred to Company A. He was promoted from the rank of Corporal to Sergeant.

Stillwell participated in all of the battles with which the 9th was involved until April 1864 when he became very ill and was sent to Balfour General Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. Once recovered, he worked at the hospital as a police-sergeant until October when he was discharged.

Known as the "Jersey Muskrats," the 9th New Jersey Volunteers received its nickname during the Battle of Roanoke Island, N.C.(February 7-8, 1862), the regiment's first engagement, as the men had waded through mud and waist deep water in order to successfully flank the Confederates and capture the island. Part of Burnside's North Carolina Expedition, the 9th saw a significant amount of action and was involved in numerous battles, including New Bern (March 14, 1862), Fort Macon (March 23- April 26, 1862), Drewry's Bluff (May 15, 1862), and Deep Creek, Kinston (December 14, 1862).

In January 1863, the regiment was moved to St. Helena Island, South Carolina, where they drilled for a couple of months before moving back to North Carolina. In August of that year, the 9th was sent to Carolina City as a considerable number of men were ill (including Symmes H. Stillwell); and were then stationed in Virginia until the end of the year.

When the first three-year term of enlistment expired in January 1864, two-thirds of the men decided to reenlist, and changed the regiment's name to the 9th New Jersey Volunteer Veteran Infantry. (Stillwell did not reenlist at the advice of his mother.) During its second deployment, the regiment was involved in several more battles, including Port Walthall Junction (May 6-7, 1864), Cold Harbor (May 31-June 12, 1864), and the Siege of St. Petersburg.

After the war, Stillwell worked for a joiner in Washington, D.C. for a brief time before moving to Princeton, New Jersey to work as a carpenter's assistant. He eventually established a construction company.

Stillwell married Matilda White Mershon in 1866 with whom he had a couple of children. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Elks, the Freemasons, and the Roanoake Associates, an organization for veterans of the Battle of Roanoke Island.

Acquisition:

The bulk of the collection was a gift of the Symmes H. Stillwell estate donated in 1960 (AM 16781). One of Stillwell's diaries dated 1862 was the gift of Irving W. Mershon in 1958 (AM 18209). Stillwell's 1864 diary was purchased in 2002 (AM 2002-139).

Appraisal

No material was separated during 2014 processing.

Processing Information

This collection was reprocessed by Faith Charlton in March 2014. Finding aid updated by Faith Charlton in March 2014.

Folder Inventory added by Hilde Creager (Class of 2015) in 2012.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

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:

Symmes H. Stillwell Family Papers; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/zw12z534d
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1
Bibliography

McPherson, James M. For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Drake, J. Madison. The history of the 9th New Jersey Veteran Vols. A record of its service from Sept. 13th, 1861, to July 12th, 1865, with a complete official roster, and sketches of prominent members. Elizabeth: Journal Printing House, 1889. Verter, Bradford. "Disconsolations of a Jersey Muskrat: The Civil War Letters of Symmes H. Stillwell." Princeton University Library Chronicle 58 no. 2, Winter 1997.

Subject Terms:
Fort Macon (N.C.) -- Siege, 1862.
New Bern, Battle of, New Bern, N.C., 1862.
War poetry.
Genre Terms:
Correspondence -- 19th century
Diaries -- 19th century
Names:
United States. Army
United States. Army. New Jersey Infantry Regiment, 9th (1861-1865)
Roanoke Associates
Stillwell family
Places:
North Carolina -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources.
Roanoke Island (N.C.) -- History -- Capture, 1862.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Poetry.
Virginia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources.