Michael R. Carroll papers, 1885-1931

John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2023

Collection Overview

Title:	Michael R. Carroll papers
Date range:	1885-1931
Creator:	Carroll, Michael R
Extent:	0.5 Linear Feet
Abstract:	The collection consists of Michael Carroll's pension and legal documents, letters from Victor Chambers, and the book "Born at the Battlefield of Gettysburg"
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	Ms.2006.03

Scope & content

The Michael R. Carroll papers consist of three seemingly unrelated groups of material : the documents concerning Carroll's pension as a veteran of the Civil War, letters written to Carroll by Victor D. Chambers and the book, Born at the Battlefield by Carroll's great granddaughter. The common link between these parts is Michael R. Carroll's service in the 73rd New York Volunteers at Gettysburg and the catalyst was an article in the Providence Evening Bulletin published on May 13, 1931.

Carroll's pension documents include his original application for a copy of his discharge papers on August 6, 1885, the attached response from the State of New York Adjutant-General's office dated August 12, 1885 and a series of increases granted from 1915 to 1926. Presumably his original pension was granted a short time after the passage of the Sherwood Act in 1912 which provided for pensions for all veterans, not just those injured in battle.

Chamber's letters, written in a florid hand on paper probably available to him as a janitor in the Providence Public School Department, were prompted by a pre-Memorial Day interview with the then 91 year old Carroll, who had been at the Battle of Gettysburg. Chambers, who was born on the battlefield of Gettysburg to a fugitive slave, was moved by the article to write Carroll and relay his mother's experiences and to thank him for his role in freeing the slaves. These letters were written in May and June of 1931 and from the context it is possible to learn that there were other letters, now lost, at least one of which was from Carroll to Chambers and face to face meetings between the two men.

Born at the Battlefield, the book in the collection, is by Harriette Rinaldi, Carroll's great granddaughter. In it she examines Chambers' letters very closely and stretches their contents to construct an outline of Chambers' mother's life, Chambers' life and a picture of slavery in the United States just prior to the Civil War. The book was published in 2004 and contains a picture of Carroll in his uniform in 1862, facsimiles of Chambers' letters, pictures of veterans reconstructing the Battle of Gettysburg on the 50th anniversary of the battle in 1913, and background on Blacks in Dahomy (Benin), which Rinaldi concluded is relevant to the beliefs and customs of African Americans of Chambers' background. The book also includes a large bibliography of both secondary and primary sources.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Rinaldi, Harriette C.
• Chambers, Victor, 1863-1943
• Carroll, Michael R.
• Chambers, Victor, 1863-1943--Biography

Subject Organizations

• United States. Pension Bureau
• United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 73rd (1861-1865)

Subject Topics

• Fugitive slaves -- Biography
• African-Americans -- History -- 19th century
• Slavery -- United States -- Sources
• Veterans -- United States -- History -- 19th century
• Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863
• Fugitive slaves
• Veterans
• Enslaved persons -- United States --Social conditions

Geographical Names

• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Veterans
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- African Americans
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Interviews

Occupations

• Janitors
• Soldiers

Document Types

• Books
• Legal documents
• Letters (Correspondence)

Arrangement

The collection is divided into three sections

• Series 1. Pension and legal documents, 1885-1929
• Series 2. Letters from Victor Chambers, 1931
• Series 3. Book Born at the Battlefield of Gettysburg, 2004

Biographical note

Michael R. Carroll was born in New York city. He joined the 73rd New York Volunteers in February of 1862 at 21, and mustered in as a private. This was, presumably, shortly after the 73rd New York was formed as a Zouave unit, comprised mostly of volunteer firemen of the city of New York. Carroll was wounded in a skirmish near Richmond, taken prisoner there, and later exchanged after seven weeks in captivity. He then fought at Gettysburg, where he escaped injury although his unit suffered appalling losses. At the close of the Civil War in 1865, the 73rd was disbanded and the men mustered out. Shortly before he was discharged, Carroll was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He initially returned to New York to work with his father, then moved to Providence, R.I., to work first for the Gorham Manufacturing Company and then at the City Yards where, for most of his 25 years, he was an executive. He retired in 1920, and it was reported in his obituary that he had never missed a Memorial Day parade. He was survived by fours sons and a daughter.

Victor D. Chambers was born on the Gettysburg battlefield just after the end of the fighting on July 7, 1863. He apparently grew up in Philadelphia, raised by both his mother and his maternal grandmother; he later moved to Providence, Rhode Island, where he had both kin and friends, after their deaths. He worked for many years as a janitor in the Providence Public Schools, was married and divorced and had no children. He died in Providence in December of 1943.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Researchers are advised that express written permission to reproduce, quote, or otherwise publish any portion or extract from this collection must be obtained from the Brown University Library. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Michael R. Carroll papers, Ms. 2006.03, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	This collection was a gift of Harriette C. Rinaldi (MAT 1968), great-granddaughter of Michael R. Carroll, 5 November 2004.
Processing information:	The Carroll papers title page image is p. 12 of Chambers' May 14th, 1931 letter to Carroll.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Lindsay Woodel
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-06-22.
Descriptive rules:	Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Additional Information

Related material:	ON MICHAEL R. CARROLL:National Park Service Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System Related Archival Materials note ON FUGITIVE SLAVES DURING THE CIVIL WAR:Photograph of Fugitive Slaves crossing the Rappahanock River (Virginia) in August 1862. American Memory Project (Library of Congress)
Other information:	Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: Michael R. Carroll papers, 1885-1931

Inventory

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