Edgar Lewis Letters to Mrs. W. B. Lewis: Finding Aid mssLewise
Gayle M. Richardson
The Huntington Library
February 2023
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Edgar Lewis letters to Mrs. W. B. Lewis
Creator:
Lewis, Edgar
Identifier/Call Number: mssLewise
Physical Description:
0.02 Linear Feet
(1 folder)
Date (inclusive): 1867-1868
Abstract: A group of six autograph letters
written from 1867 to 1868 by Edgar Lewis to his mother Mrs. W. B. Lewis.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
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.
[Identification of item]. Edgar Lewis letters to Mrs. W. B. Lewis, The Huntington Library,
San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Read 'Em Again Books, August 2022.
Edgar "Ned" Lewis was a United States Army surgeon. Lewis studied medicine during the early
1860s at the Bellevue Hospital in New York City and joined the Army upon graduation; his
first assignment was at the U. S. Army Hospital at Newark, New Jersey before he was posted
to the Western Frontier. During his career, Lewis served for at least 11 years in the Dakota
and Indian Territories.
A group of six autograph letters, with envelopes, written by Edgar Lewis to his mother in
Mystic Bridge, Connecticut. The letters provide a first-hand account of post-Civil War
military life in the Western Frontier during the late 1860s. Lewis chronicles some of his
activities while stationed at Fort Gibson, on the Arkansas river, Fort Arbuckle in the
Cherokee portion of Indian Territory, and Wewoka in the Seminole region of the Territory. He
describes episodes of his life on army posts including his particular passion for hunting,
refers to encounters with various Native Americans and to various military duties he had to
perform; Lewis also comments on life in the Indian Territory, including episodes of crime
and violence. The letters and envelopes are in good condition, though one letter appears to
be burned along the bottom edge, there is no loss of text.
Processed by Gayle M. Richardson in September 2022.
Arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Soldiers -- United States -- Social conditions -- 19th
century
Hunting -- West (U. S.) -- History -- 19th century
Fort Arbuckle (Okla.)
Fort Gibson (Okla.)
Indian Territory
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
United States. Army --
Surgeons
Folder 1
Edgar Lewis letters 1867-1868