Philander Smith papers and photographs
Scope and Contents
This collection includes correspondence, diary entries, military and genealogical records, and photographs from Philander Smith in Greenfield, Indiana ranging from 1863 to 1866 regarding his personal papers and records.
Dates
- Creation: 1863-1866
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Copyright Notice
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections.
Biographical Note
Philander Smith was born on March 23, 1835 to Samuel and Parthena Rowland Smith in Union County, Indiana. He enlisted as a Sergeant on 1861/08/25, in Company B of the 8th Indiana Volunteer Infantry (the regiment was being reorganized at Indianapolis). The regiment mustered-in on September 10, for three years, and left the same day to join John C. Fremont’s Army at St. Louis, Missouri. Orders for the regiment assigned it to Colonel Jefferson C. Davis’s brigade. The 8th Indiana fought at Pea Ridge, Arkansas, joined Grant’s forces, and engaged in fighting at Port Gibson, Jackson, Champion’s Hill, and the siege of Vicksburg. It also took part in the capture of the fort on Mustang Island, Texas. In August 1864, the regiment became part of the 19th Corps near Berryville, Virginia, and with it participated in the Shenandoah Valley campaign. Smith gained promotion to 2nd Lieutenant on 1863/01/18, was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on 1864/07/01, and to Captain on 1864/09/30. He was paroled from Libby Prison sometime in February 1865, and honorably discharged on 1865/05/04, as a 2nd Lieutenant.
After discharge, Smith married Sarah S. Allee on August 4, 1865 in Henry County, Indiana. They had four children: Harry Denman Smith, Edgar Bert Smith, Annie Dale Smith Moore, and Jimmie Smith. Philander Smith died on August 1, 1900 and is buried at Walnut Grove Cemetery in Parkville, Missouri.
Extent
0.3 Cubic Feet (1 box and 1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
Series 1: Philander Smith correspondence, 1863-1866
Series 2: Philander Smith diary, 1864
Series 3: Philander Smith military and genealogy records, 1864
Series 4: Philander Smith photographs, 1863-1874
Custodial History
The Philander Smith papers were purchased by Archives and Special Collections from Charles Apfelbaum Rare Manuscripts and Archives in 2002/04.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital reproductions of the Philander Smith correspondence and military records are available electronically through the Ball State University Libraries' Digital Media Repository at http://libx.bsu.edu.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2002/05/07 by J. Rhoades. Finding aid revision completed 2006/4 by Jane E. Gastineau. Finding aid revision completed 2009/7/1 by Rachel N. Miller. EAD finding aid completed 2009/08/05 by Maren L. Read. EAD finding aid revised 2013/10/30 by Rebecca Marangelli.
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Philander Smith papers and photographs
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Stoeckel Archives of Local History Repository
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA
libarchives@bsu.edu