Edward Davis Townsend papers, 1761-1928, bulk 1837-1879

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Summary

Creators:
Townsend, E. D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893
Abstract:
Papers belonging to American Civil War soldier Edward Davis Townsend.
Extent:
7.6 Linear Feet (7 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Edward Davis Townsend papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of the personal and professional papers of Edward Davis Townsend. Included in the collection are official and private correspondence, chiefly letters addressed to him, military records, journals, memoirs, and a few photographs. Two journals cover the 2nd Seminole War from 1837 to 1838, and his service in California from 1851 to 1856. The latter was incorporated into a memoir entitled "A Trip to California;" both accounts are accompanied by pencil sketches. An unfinished memoir covers Townsend's life and career until the beginning of the Mexican War. The collection also contains a group of personal and political correspondence of Elbridge Gerry, including pieces related to his diplomatic and political career from 1772 to 1814, and the correspondence of Ann Thompson Gerry and Eliza Gerry Townsend. Also included are a copy of Samuel Auchmuty's 1761 sermon on 1 John 5:7, and contemporary copies of Jefferson Davis's letters to his wife Varina Howell Davis from 1861 to 1865. The collection also includes a spool of thread with a hidden note in it, 1861 February 10, and a cotton ball from the steamer Emma, which was loaded with cotton when its crew burned it at Fort Pulaski on August 31, 1862, to prevent its capture by the Union forces under the command of William B. Barton.

Biographical / historical:

Edward Davis Townsend (1817-1893) was the son of David S. Townsend and Eliza Gerry Townsend and grandson of Elbridge Gerry. A West Point graduate in 1837, he served in the 2nd Seminole War and in 1846 was transferred to the Adjutant General's department. In 1851, he was assigned to the Pacific Division and served on the Pacific Coast until February 1856. During the Civil War, Townsend was Adjutant General to Winfield Scott, and in 1862 became U. S. Adjutant-General. After the war, Townsend supervised the compilation of the documents published as the War of the Rebellion : Official Records; he retired in 1880.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. C. David Herlihy, 1975.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff in 1976. In 2021, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Organized in three series: Series 1. Correspondence and documents, 1761-1928; 2. Ephemera, 1841-1928; 3. Volumes, 1837-approximately 1880.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Edward Davis Townsend papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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