Guide to the Emmons Dexter Guild papers, 1861 Dec-1865 Apr

(bulk 1861 Dec-1865 Apr)

Brown University Library, Special Collections
Box A, John Hay Library
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
Fax: 401-863-2093
email: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2009

Collection Overview

Title:	Emmons Dexter Guild papers
Date range:	1861-1906, (bulk 1861-1865)
Creator:	Guild, Emmons Dexter, 1843-1909
Extent:	100 item(s)
Abstract:	The Emmons Dexter Guild papers comprise some 100 items, the bulk of which are letters he wrote to his family in the course of his service in the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry during the Civil War. The collection includes financial papers of the Improved Order of Red Men, Pokanoket Tribe No. 38, a fraternal organization to which Guild belonged, along with items that relate to Guild's role as Aide-de-Camp in the Grand Army of the Republic.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	Brown University Library, Special Collections
Collection number:	Ms. 78.20

Scope & content

Sixty-seven of the hundred items in the Guild papers are letters written by Emmons Guild to his family in East Attleboro, Massachusetts. In these letters, Guild briefly describes his training, the journey to Washington, D.C., scouting, and battles and raids in which he and the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry took part. Mentioned in the letters is Abraham Lincoln as well as a number of generals who were prominent in the Army of the Potomac. Guild also writes of the men in his own company, many of whom would have been known to his family, and his experience in the Andersonville Prison. Day to day concerns are constant topics.

Included is a letter from William Chauncy Sherman to Abby Guild, E.D. Guild's mother. Sherman is thought to have eventually married Malzena Guild, Emmons sister.

Also in the correspondence is a letter from Lt. Charles Parker, C.S.A., to Abby T. Guild replying to her inquiry about her son following his capture.

Finally there are printed items that reflect Guild's continuing interest in the war, his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic and several other fraternal organizations.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Guild, Emmons Dexter, 1843-1909

Subject Names

• Guild, Emmons Dexter, 1843-1909

Subject Topics

• Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
• United States. Army. Cavalry--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States. Army. Rhode Island Cavalry Regiment, 1st (1861-1865)
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Destruction and pillage
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons
• Prisoners of war -- Georgia - Andersonville
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Scouts and scouting

Subject Topics

• Military
• Rhode Island/Local Interest

Document Types

• Letters (correspondence)

Occupations

• Soldiers

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into two series:

• Series 1, Correspondence, is arranged chronologically. Folders and the letters within folders span the years from December, 1861 through April 1865. Included in this arrangement are letters written by William C. Sherman and Lt. Charles Parker, C.S.A., both of which have meaning within the chronology of Guild's own letters.
• Series 2, Printed Material and Ephemera, is arranged chronologically and contains printed items relating to the war and the Grand Army of the Republic. Also included are financial papers of The Improved Order of Red Men, Polanoket Tribe No. 38 and a certificate of membership in the Oddfellows follow. Finally, there are folders of miscellaneous items and ephemera.

Biographical note

Emmons Dexter Guild was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts on September 11, 1843. He was the second son of Allen Dexter and Abby Tabor Guild. Guild joined the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry on December 14, 1861. After training at Camp Arnold in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the regiment was sent to Washington, D.C. where it saw action almost exclusively in Virginia as part of the Army of the Potomac.

E. D. Guild was captured by the enemy on the night of October 12, 1863, along with 46 others. Of that number, only three eventually returned home to Rhode Island. The majority of Guild's captivity was spent in Andersonville Prison. He was paroled February 26, 1865 and mustered out of the army April 1, 1865.

Guild married Ella Josephine Brown on June 26, 1870. He was an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans group, and two fraternal organizations, the Improved Order of Red Men and the Oddfellows. He died in 1909.

At some point after the war, Guild wrote up his experiences as a prisoner of war in an undated pamphlet entitled 500 Days in War Prisons, possibly published in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He is also mentioned in Frederic Denison's Sabres and Spurs, a history of his unit commissioned by The First Rhode Island Cavalry Veteran Association and published in 1876.

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:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Emmons Dexter Guild papers, Ms. 78.20, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	Brown University Library, Special Collections Box A, John Hay Library Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 Fax: 401-863-2093 email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The Emmons Dexter Guild papers were originally placed on deposit with Brown University Library on April 1, 1969 by Mrs. Nancy G. DeCesare, great-granddaughter of Guild. Mrs. DeCesare subsequently transferred ownership of the collection to the Library on March 23, 1976.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Charles Logan, Intern, under the direction of Clifton H. Jones, Manuscripts Curator
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Gregory Olson 2009 June 17
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Other information:

Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: Emmons Dexter Guild papers

Inventory

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