Inventory of the Herbert Fowler Papers MC200

Sara Gunasekara

University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections

2004

1st Floor, Shields Library, University of California

100 North West Quad

Davis, CA 95616-5292

speccoll@ucdavis.edu

URL: https://www.library.ucdavis.edu/archives-and-special-collections

Language of Material: English

Contributing Institution: University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections

Title: Herbert Fowler Papers

Creator: Fowler, Herbert George, 1873-1960

Identifier/Call Number: MC200

Physical Description: 0.2 linear feet

Date: 1898

Abstract: The Herbert Fowler Papers contain twenty-one letters written in 1898 during the time of the Spanish American War. Herbert Fowler wrote fifteen of the letters, the majority of them are to his mother, Francis Carr Fowler. Written from April 30, 1898 to August 11, 1898, they detail the movements of his Company from camps in Springfield, Illinois to Chickamauga, Georgia to Picnic Island in Tampa, Florida and eventually to action in the trenches at Santiago. In the letters he describes the living conditions of the soldiers, the sickness that spread through the camps, his daily schedule, training exercises, the landscape, and the weather.

Physical Location: Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.

Biographical Narrative

Herbert George Fowler was born on April 3, 1873 in Chicago, Illinois to Charles and Francis Carr Fowler. On April 26, 1898 he was enrolled as a Corporal of Company L of the First Regiment of the Illinois Infantry Volunteers to serve two years or the duration of the war. As part of the First Regiment he traveled from Springfield, Illinois to Chickamauga, Georgia to Picnic Island in Tampa, Florida, and eventually to action in the trenches at Santiago. He was discharged from service on November 17, 1898.

After the war, he became a salesman for Sears, Roebuck & Company in Chicago and in 1908 he married Alice Johnson. They had four children: Herbert George Fowler, Jr., Gordon Francis Fowler, Florence May Fowler, and Charles E. Bradley.

Herbert Fowler passed away on July 14, 1960 in Coral Gables, Florida.

Scope and Content of Collection

The Herbert Fowler Papers contain twenty-one letters written in 1898 during the time of the Spanish American War. Herbert Fowler wrote fifteen of the letters, the majority of them are to his mother, Francis Carr Fowler. His letters, written from April 30, 1898 to August 11, 1898, detail the movements of his Company from Springfield, Illinois to Chickamauga, Georgia to Picnic Island in Tampa, Florida, and eventually to action in the trenches at Santiago. He describes the living conditions of the soldiers, the sickness that spread through the camps, his daily schedule, training exercises, the landscape, and the weather..

Also included are three letters written by and to other Fowler family members. An additional three letters are written by Joseph J. Rockwell, who also served in Company L, to May Fowler.

Access

Collection is open for research.

Processing Information

Processed by Sara Gunasekara in 2004.

Acquisition Information

Donated in 2004.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Herbert Fowler Papers, MC200, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.

Publication Rights

All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Spanish-American War, 1898

Santiago, Battle of, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 1898

Soldiers -- Illinois -- Correspondence

Fowler, Herbert George, 1873-1960 -- Archives

Correspondence Series 1 1898

Scope and Contents note

Arranged into three suberies: Outgoing, Third Party, and Envelopes.

Outgoing Subseries 1.1 April 30, 1898-August 11, 1898

Scope and Contents note

Arranged chronologically.

Box MC74, Folder 1

Mother [Francis Carr Fowler] April 30, 1898

Transcription of Mother [Francis Carr Fowler], April 30, 1898