Andrew Atkinson Humphreys papers

 1. Correspondence and orders 1848-1879, undated   1.0 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

This series contains a wide range of correspondence, spanning Humphreys's career in the Army and the Corps of Topographical Engineers. There are six correspondence and order books that hold records produced during Humphreys's service in the Army of the Potomac. These letters and orders document soldiers' requests for leave, troop movements, and issues regarding the upkeep of the base and conduct of the men.

The unbound correspondence (in boxes 1 and 2) offers a view into the role of the topographical engineers in surveying and recommending repairs to the levees along the Mississippi River, and in mapping terrain for battles during the Civil War. These papers also contain Humphreys's requests for leave because of illness, discussions of his conflicts with other soldiers due to their conduct during battle, some material related to the survey of the Mississippi delta in the 1850s, orders to survey the Mississippi river levees (1865), and detailed correspondence between Humphreys and Henry L. Abbot about plans to repair the levee system along the Mississippi River. There are several folders of material that seem to have belonged to Major Frank M. Etting. These letters sometimes contain direct requests from soldiers or veterans who were struggling financially.

Later correspondence includes reflections on Civil War battles in letters to Major General de Peyster, as well as orders and correspondence from Humphreys's time as Meade's chief of staff. There is also correspondence related to Yerba Buena (or Goat) Island, about which there was a great deal of publicity when it was transferred from military control to the Central Pacific Railroad Company in 1872, by a Senate bill. The majority of correspondence is not isolated in this series, but scattered throughout the collection; most of it is pasted into volumes 1 through 57, which contain both personal and military documents and are arranged chronologically. See the series Volumes for both military and personal correspondence. There is also correspondence related to payments included in the  Vouchers series, as well as material related to the survey of the Mississippi River in the  Topographical Surveys series.

 2. Ephemera and printed matter 1842-1898, undated  (Bulk, 1860-1880)   4.0 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

This series contains a mixture of broadsides, pamphlets, journals, newspapers and clippings, and a few photographs published under Matthew Brady's name in a folio titled Incidents of War. Some of the periodicals represented include  The Historical Magazine,  La Royale,  Army Navy Journal, and  Railroad Record.

Other materials in this series are military memos and orders; pamphlets pertaining to Gettysburg, the surveying of the Mississippi River, and the court martial case of Fitz-John Porter; printers proofs of Memoirs of HSP; and a set of clippings related to Philadelphia public buildings.

 3. Family papers 1708-1930, undated   2.5 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

The majority of the material in this series documents the lives of Joshua Humphreys and Henry Humphreys, who were A.A. Humphreys's grandfather and son, respectively. Documenting the life of Joshua Humphreys are a small group of accounts, legal papers, shipping insurance policies, and a membership certificate for the American Philosophical Society. There is also a reprint of "Who Built the First United States Navy?"

Henry Humphreys's scrapbooks make up the largest segment of this series. He collected clippings, correspondence, and ephemera in three scrapbooks dating from 1884 to approximately 1910. In addition to the scrapbooks, there are two folders of commissions covering Henry Humphreys's service under his father's command during the Civil War. Also included in this series are a list of British officers circa 1750-1780, Humphreys family seals, one of Charles Humphreys's school books, and some miscellaneous items.

 4. Maps and drawings 1857-1865, undated   0.2 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

This small series contains maps of the Virginia Campaign during the Civil War, when Humphreys was working for General George Meade as a topographical engineer, and then as his chief of staff. Many maps, though printed, contain notations in pencil or ink. Also included are several designs for torpedos and batteries, as well as a sketch of the Southwest Pass near the Gulf of Mexico.

See the George Gordon Meade papers for related maps.

 5. Miscellaneous 1853-1931, undated   0.4 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

This series contains a mixture of Humphreys's personal and professional items, as well as material about Humphreys collected after his death. Personal items include a Union League medal, Humphreys's passport, account records from Humphreys's travel to Europe, and some circulars for organizations to which Humphreys may have belonged. Professional items include order books used during Humphreys's service as Meade's chief of staff for the Army of the Potomac and notes he made about weapons manufactured abroad. Also included are a scrapbook with clippings about Humphreys's life and death and some photographs of artifacts.

 6. Sanitary Commission and Fair 1862-1865   1.2 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

President Abraham Lincoln authorized the creation of the United States Sanitary Commission, which was charged with providing material comfort to Union soldiers during the Civil War. Many groups were formed throughout the North to collect bedding, clothing, and hospital supplies. These groups shipped materials to areas where they were needed. This series contains receipts for payments related to the Sanitary Commission and Fair in Philadelphia and payroll records for employees responsible for constructing the fair buildings. Many of the receipts document shipping and porterage costs. Other receipts show purchases of newspapers, blank books, furniture, transportation, and cost of construction. The majority of these materials represent the efforts of the Women's Pennsylvania Branch of the Sanitary Commission.

 7. Supplies 1859-1864   4.0 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

Comprised of receipts and reports, this series documents officers' orders for food, candles, whiskey, and supplies for both personal use and for camp commissaries. The orders contain specific and detailed accounts of the food stores and whiskey rations received. These papers also contain a sample of food inspection records from various camps during the Civil War. These reports rate food quality and preparation, and offer a view of what soldiers ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also included are a small group of inventories of quartermaster and ordnance stores. These materials are arranged chronologically.

 8. Topographical surveys 1828-1880, undated   2.0 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

This series consists almost entirely of accounts and correspondence related to surveying and removing obstructions to navigation in the Mississippi River. Later material focuses on the survey and repair of levees in the Mississippi Delta.

The accounts document expenditures on goods like food, tools and instruments, drawing boards, paper and stationery supplies; and expenses for wages, transportation, medical care, and undertakers' services. The correspondence in this series refers primarily to reports, which detail the survey methodology, problems encountered during surveying, and document some of Humphreys's and Abbot's recommendations.

Also included in this series are memos, notes, reports, and other documents related to the Mississippi River and Pacific Railroad surveys. In addition, there is one folder of material related to the Inter-Oceanic Canal Commission, which was charged by President Grant with investigating the feasibility of a canal through Nicaragua.

 9. Volumes 1827-1901, undated   19.0 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

Perhaps the most wide ranging series in the collection, the volumes contain material from all aspects of Humphreys's life, and papers from other members of the Humphreys family. This series offers a unique overview of Humphreys's personal life and career. The volumes are arranged in chronological order.

There is correspondence with A.A. Humphreys's father Samuel regarding Andrew's entry into the military academy as a young man. Later volumes contain records related to Henry Humphreys's service and personal affairs. The majority of the papers contained in these volumes pertain to Humphreys's service in the Corps of Topographical Engineers and the Army of the Potomac. Early materials document Humphreys's service in Florida during the Second Seminole War, his repeated illness during this period, and recuperative trips to Europe. These papers record his nomination to the Corps of Topographical Engineers and his subsequent work on surveys of the Chicago Harbor and the New England coast. Humphreys's more prominent topographical survey work along the Mississippi River is well documented in these volumes.

Papers related to the Civil War make up the vast majority of this series. Volumes 5-20 and 35-57 contain correspondence, official orders, regimental lists, reports, court martial records, debriefing about battles, and records of casualties. In some volumes, there are personal letters that describe the impact of the war and reveal conflicts between soldiers. Volumes 33 and 34 are primarily made up of letters from Humphreys to his wife during his military service. In some of these letters from the field, he writes in great detail about his direct experience of the countryside and his perspective on the war. These are intimate letters in which he confides in his wife and writes with requests for food and clothing. They provide a personal perspective on a man who might otherwise appear solely focused on his work and reputation.

Also included in this series are four volumes of accounts and lists related to bounty payments.

 10. Vouchers 1861-1871, undated   30.0 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

This series is the largest in the collection, containing primarily military payment vouchers associated with soldiers' service in the Civil War. Included in this group are bounty payments, muster rolls, checks, disbursements made to Humphreys, receipts for transportation costs, some correspondence, and discharge certificates. There are muster payrolls for the following regiments, among many others: 1st California; 5th Wisconsin; 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry; 34th Illinois; 29th, 30th, and 44th Indiana; 17th Kentucky; 71st and 77th Pennsylvania; 47th New York Militia; 5th New York Artillery; 4th Maryland; and Fort McHenry Hospital.

Some of the payment vouchers describe the soldiers' servants by name and physical characteristics, in addition to providing information about the soldier being paid. Discharge vouchers offer a rich source of information about the physical attributes of each soldier, describe his belongings in the event of his death, and detail his rank, regiment, and location of service. Many of these papers originated in the office of Major Frank Etting, who served as a paymaster for the Army during the Civil War. It is unclear why Humphreys had all of these materials, but he may have collected them during his service in the Army of the Potomac.

The muster rolls in this series are, in some cases, mixed with the payment vouchers, though when it was clear that they were a discrete group of material, the muster rolls were grouped together. Some of the regiments represented in this group of papers include the 34th Illinois; 29th and 30th Indiana; 47th Illinois; 8th Wisconsin; 26th Illinois; 77th Pennsylvania; 3rd, 6th, and 8th U.S. Colored Troops; 19th Cavalry; Pennsylvania Militia; Union League, Merchants, Corn Exchange, and Coal regiments; and other Pennsylvania units.

There is a small segment of papers in the beginning of the series that seem to have belonged to the Bounty Fund. In these materials are bounty payment vouchers, muster rolls, and expenses of the Bounty Fund.

 11. Writings 1835-1883, undated   4.0 Linear feet

Scope and Contents note

This series is made up primarily of drafts for A.A. Humphreys's published works, as well as notes and documents used as reference material. Other papers include galley proofs of Humphreys's book The Virginia Campaign, as well as the source documents he used to construct the book's narrative.  Gettysburg to the Rapidan, Humphreys's other published book, is also represented in drafts and source material. There are also numerous letters to the editor and articles published in newspapers and journals. Unpublished material in this series includes personal journals, pocket diaries, and journals kept by Humphreys during early surveying projects (the Tyber Bridge in Washington, D.C. and the Mississippi River survey, among others). Several of the personal journals are from the Civil War era, and detail daily conditions on the ground, troop movements, and other aspects of a soldier's life. Another manuscript entitled "A Rough Sketch of Some of the Characteristic Physical Features of Asia--The Road to India--The Objects of the War in Europe" (1855) rounds out this series.