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Lovell (Mansfield) Papers
mssML
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Mansfield Lovell papers
Creator:
Lovell, Mansfield,
1822-1884
Identifier/Call Number: mssML
Physical Description:
12 Linear Feet
(10 boxes and 9 volumes )
Date (inclusive): 1835-1886
Date (bulk): 1862-1865
Abstract: A collection of material related to the
life and military career of Confederate general Mansfield Lovell.
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]. Mansfield Lovell papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Parker Haydon Company, April 1934.
Mansfield Lovell (1822-1884) was a United States Civil War Confederate General. Lovell was
born in Washington, D.C., the son Dr. Joseph Lovell, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army.
In 1842, Lovell graduated from West Point, and then served in the Mexican War; he married
Emily Plympton in 1849, and had several children. In 1854, Lovell resigned from the army and
worked at an iron works in Trenton, New Jersey; he later moved to New York and served as
Deputy Street Commissioner. In September 1861, he resigned this position to join the
Confederate Army. Appointed Major General on October 7, 1861, he was put in command of
Department No. 1, in charge of the defenses of New Orleans; after failing to prevent the
capture of New Orleans in April 1862, Lovell commanded a corps at Corinth, Mississippi,
October 3-4, 1862, and in December fought at Coffeeville, Mississippi. In December 1862,
Lovell was relieved of his command for the loss of New Orleans. Although a court of inquiry
that he had requested cleared him of any fault, Lovell's military career suffered, and his
loyalty to the Confederacy was questioned. He had no further command assignments but served
as Joseph E. Johnston's volunteer staff officer until the end of the war. After the war,
Lovell unsuccessfully attempted to operate a rice plantation in Georgia, and then returned
to New York where he worked as a civil engineer, and surveyor; he died June 1, 1884.
A collection of 422 items from 1835 to 1886, it consists of military, personal, and family
papers of Mansfield Lovell. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence,
dispatches, communications, reports, and other military records accumulated by Lovell during
his military career, particularly his command of Department No. 1. Correspondents include
Judah P. Benjamin, Johnson K. Duncan, Joseph E. Johnston, and others. Also included are
Lovell's letter books, special and general order books, and items relating to Lovell's Court
of Inquiry. The collection also includes a group of manuscripts dealing with Lovell's
Mexican War experience, including his journals from 1848 to 1849, correspondence, memoranda,
and other items. Personal and family papers include letters to Mansfield Lovell from his
brother Joseph Lovell written from Yale, Williams College, Poughkeepsie Collegiate School,
and elsewhere from 1836 to 1847, Lovell's valedictory address at West Point, notes on travel
in Virginia, New York, and Canada from 1842 to 1843, correspondence between Mansfield Lovell
and Emily Plympton Lovell from 1862 to 1863, and miscellaneous papers dealing with the
family property.
Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1920. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the
finding aid derived from a legacy summary report.
Arranged chronologically.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssML 1-422.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Courts-martial and courts of inquiry -- Confederate States of
America
Generals -- Confederate States of
America
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Confederate States of America -- History -- Sources
New Orleans (La.) -- History -- Capture, 1862
United States -- History -- Civil War,
1861-1865
Diaries -- United States -- 19th century
Family papers -- United States -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- Confederate States of
America
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Military records -- Confederate States of America
Personal papers -- United States -- 19th century
Benjamin, J.P. (Judah
Philip), 1811-1884
Duncan, Johnson Kelly,
1827-1862
Johnston, Joseph E. (Joseph Eggleston),
1807-1891
Lovell, Emily Plympton
Lovell, Joseph, active 1837-1843
Confederate States of America.
Army