William H. Cameron Civil War papers, 1862-1886

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

Published in 2013

Collection Overview

Title:	William H. Cameron Civil War papers
Date range:	1862-1886
Creator:	Cameron, William H., fl. 1859-1866
Extent:	1.25 Linear feet
Abstract:	The William H. Cameron papers consist of approximately 100 items, most of which pertain to Cameron's service in the Union Army during the Civil War.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library , Special Collections
Collection number:	Ms.Cameron

Scope & content

The William H. Cameron Civil War papers contain about 100 items, including correspondence, Army documents and other official records related to (1) military movements, camp life, and operations of the Quarter Master's office for the Army of the Tennessee during the Civil War, (2) Cameron's post war life in St. Louis, Missouri, and Providence, Rhode Island, and (3) Life in Canada during the Civil War era. The bulk of the collection focuses on the Civil War period, and documents not only the movements and activities of military units in the Union Army but also the ongoing lives of Cameron's friends and relations in Canada, Detroit, Missouri and Louisiana, as well as in other military units of the Union Army. As a clerk in the Quarter Master's office, Cameron apparently accompanied his commanding officer on Army business, and the collection therefore documents his travels in Tennessee, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, New York and South Carolina.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Cameron, William H., fl. 1862-1866
• Kennedy, William K.
• Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891

Subject Organizations

• Freemasons. Corinthian Lodge (Providence, R.I.)
• United States. Dept. of the Treasury
• United States. Internal Revenue Service

Geographical Names

• Canada--History--19th century
• United States--Armed Forces--Military life--19th century
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical care
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Participation, African American
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Participation, Canadian

Subject Topics

• Military history, Modern--United States--19th century
• Soldiers--History--United States--19th century

Occupations

• Clerks
• Executives
• Freemasons
• Soldiers

Document Types

• Account books
• Accounts
• documents
• Letters (Correspondence)
• military maps

Subject Topics

• Military

Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series:

• Series 1. Correspondence
• Series 2. Documents
• Series 3. Miscellaneous material

Correspondence, most of which was received by William Cameron, is arranged alphabetically by author of the letter. Documents and Miscellaneous material (promissory notes, account book, copy of a military map, etc.) are arranged chronologically.

Biographical note

William Cameron was born in Ontario in 1842 and joined the Union Army as a private in the First Regiment of the Wisconsin Cavalry Volunteers on January 26, 1862. He was subsequently assigned to the Army of the Tennessee, under the command of Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, where he served as one of several clerks to Capt. W. K. Kennedy in the Quarter Masters Department. He was discharged from service at Nashville, Tennessee in 1865. He apparently lived in St. Louis for a few years immediately after the war ended, but ultimately settled in Providence, R.I., where he was employed as Manager of R. G. Dun & Co. in 1873.

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:	William H. Cameron Civil War papers, Ms. Cameron, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library , Special Collections Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The William H. Cameron Civil War papers were purchased from James A. Tyson in 1969.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-01-29

Additional Information

Other information:

Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: Cameron, William, fl. 1862-1866. Civil War papers, 1862-1886

Inventory

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