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New York State Bureau of Military Statistics Administrative Correspondence Files


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Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:
The bulk of this series consists of incoming correspondence received by the Bureau of Military Statistics and its successor, the Bureau of Military Record dealing with the acquisition of information needed by the bureau in order to perform its duties. subject include raising and equipping of volunteer regiments; appointments of officers to volunteer units; desertions by soldiers; drafting of men to fill quotas; number of men and financial aid provided by counties; and bounties paid to soldiers.
Creator:
Title:
Administrative correspondence files
Quantity:

2 cubic feet

8 boxes

Inclusive Dates:
1859-1875
Bulk Dates:
bulk 1861-1866
Series Number:
A4111

Arrangement

Arranged by broad topic or function.

Administrative History

The Bureau of Military Statistics was established by Governor Edwin Morgan as a part of the Adjutant-General's Office on December 20, 1862 (Special Orders No. 866).

The Legislature recognized and approved of the bureau in 1863 by passing Chapter 113 which defined its purposes and appropriated $6,000 in order to fulfill its mandate. The specific duties of the bureau consisted of: collecting and preserving in permanent form an authentic sketch of every person who volunteered into the service of the U.S. government since April 15, 1861; recording the services of state regiments including an account of their organization and history; and compiling an account of aid afforded by the towns and counties of the state. These were the basic objects of the bureau but according to its first annual report "every fact relating to the rebellion and especially to the part which New York has taken...is sought for."

Scope and Content Note

The bulk of this series consists of incoming correspondence received by the Bureau of Military Statistics and its successor, the Bureau of Military Record, the latter of which came into being as a result of Chapter 690 of the Laws of 1865.

However, for a number of reasons, the series also contains various types of records created both before and after these dates. These records include incoming correspondence directed to the Governor's Office, 1859-1862; incoming correspondence directed to the Governor's aides-de-camp; questionnaires received from banks concerning amounts of money deposited by soldiers or their families; statements received from district assessors concerning the amount of income taxes assessed; questionnaires received from district Provost Marshalls regarding the draft; correspondence directed to General R.B. Van Valkenburg, Commanding Depot of Volunteers at Elmira; checklists of reports and newspapers received by the bureau; personal histories received from Civil War veterans; rough minutes and correspondence of the "Fireman's Zouave Fund Committee"; poetry; battle reports; correspondence received by Colonel John S. Neville, Superintendent of the N.Y. State Soldier's Depot; and papers, correspondence and orders concerning various volunteer regiments.

The records contained in this series clearly reflect the three basic directives of the bureau as well as the decision of its first chief, Lockwood L. Doty, to acquire everything possible related to the state's participation in the war. Among the broad subject areas dealt with by the files are the raising and equipping of volunteer regiments; appointments of officers to volunteer units; desertions by soldiers; drafting of men to fill quotas; number of men and financial aid provided by counties during the war; and bounties paid to soldiers. The bulk of the files deal mainly with the acquisition of information needed by the bureau in order to perform its duties. Much of the correspondence consists of letters of transmittal from individuals submitting personal histories, photographs, or artifacts; town officials forwarding forms detailing the names of men who served during the war and financial aid provided; or reports from provost marshalls providing data on drafted men. There are checklists detailing the daily and weekly newspapers received by the bureau; names of individuals to whom the bureau could write to obtain relevant information; and towns which have submitted various forms to the bureau.

A significant part of the files consists of correspondence directed to the Governor's office. These files, dating from late 1859 through 1862, were made available to the bureau by the Governor's office. According to the bureau's first annual report, the files were to have been indexed. The files deal with the preparation for public defense and such military affairs as the raising of regiments, applications and appointments to commissions, and claims for services rendered. If an index was prepared for these files, it is not extant.

Alternate Formats Available

Items Online

New York State Archives Digital Collections

Administrative correspondence files, 1859-1875

Related Material

A4149 Telegrams received and sent by the Governor's Office, contains additional correspondence to and from the Governor's Office.

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.

Access Terms

Personal Name(s):
Corporate Name(s):
Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):
Function(s):

Detailed Description

Dates Contents Box

Accretion: A4111-78
1858-1859 Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1860 January-March Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1860 April-June Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1860 July-September Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1860 October-December Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1861 January Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1861 February Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1861 March Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1861 April Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1861 May Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1861 June Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1861 July Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 1
1861 August Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1861 September Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1861 October Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1861 November Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1861 December Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 January Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 February Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 March Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 April Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 May Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 June Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 July Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 August Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 September Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 October Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 November Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 December Governor's Office Incoming Correspondence 2
1862 Material Regarding Draft Quotas 3
1863 January-April Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 May Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 June 1-15 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 June 16-30 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 July 1-15 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 July 16-23 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 July 24-31 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 August Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 September Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 October 1-15 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 October 16-31 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 November Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 3
1863 December Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 4
1863 Miscellaneous Printed Documents Pertaining to Deserters 4
1863 Obituaries Published in Newspapers 4
1864 January-February Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 4
1864 March-May Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 4
1864 June-December Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 4
1863-1864 Material Concerning the Bureau's Newspaper Collection 4
1864 Miscellaneous Material Concerning Quotas 4
1864 Questionnaires Pertaining to Soldiers' Savings Accounts 4
1864 Miscellaneous Material Concerning the Income Tax 4
1864 Miscellaneous Material Concerning Men Who Served in the U.S. Navy 4
1865 February 1-15 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1865 February 16-28 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1865 March 1-14 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1865 March 15-22 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1865 March 23-31 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1865 May 1-13 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1865 May 14-21 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1865 May 22-31 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1865 June 9-27 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1865 June 28-30 Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1865 July-December Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 5
1866 January-September Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1866 October Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1866 November Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1866 December Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1867 January-March Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1867 April-May Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1867 June-August Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1867 September-December Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1868 January-April Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1869 January-December Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1872 January-December Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1873 January-October Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1875 January-September Bureau of Military Statistics, Incoming Correspondence 6
1861 May-November Adjutant General's Office Outgoing Correspondence 7
1861 August-November Outgoing Correspondence from Inspector General's Office to General R. B. Van Valkenberg, Commander of Volunteer Depot at Elmira 7
1861 September-November Outgoing Correspondence from Surgeon General's Office to General Van Valkenberg 7
1862 August-October Correspondence and signatures submitted by surgeons to the Paymaster General's Office 7
1864 January-March Miscellaneous Material Pertaining to Surgeons 7
1863 October-1866 August Bureau of Military Statistics, Outgoing Correspondence 7
1862-1863 List of Authorizations to recruit Volunteers that have been revoked 7
1863, 1866 Bureau of Military Statistics Correspondence Pertaining to People who can supply the bureau with data 7
circa 1861-1864 Published Thanksgiving Proclamations 7
undated Miscellaneous Poems 7
1861-1863 Miscellaneous special orders and circulars 7
undated List of St. Regis Indians who served from New York State 7
1871-1875 Miscellaneous material pertaining to Scholars 7
1859-1863, undated Miscellaneous material forwarded to Governor's Office 7
undated Unrelated miscellaneous material 7
undated Orange County during the Civil War 7
1858-1860 Files Pertaining to Elmer Ellsworth 8
1861 April Files Pertaining to Elmer Ellsworth 8
1861 May Files Pertaining to Elmer Ellsworth 8
1861 June 1-15 Files Pertaining to Elmer Ellsworth 8
1861 June 16-30 Files Pertaining to Elmer Ellsworth 8
1861 July 1-15 Files Pertaining to the 44th N.Y.V. (Ellsworth's Avengers) 8
1861 July 16-19 Files Pertaining to the 44th N.Y.V. (Ellsworth's Avengers) 8
1861 August 1-7 Files Pertaining to the 44th N.Y.V. (Ellsworth's Avengers) 8
1861 August 8-15 Files Pertaining to the 44th N.Y.V. (Ellsworth's Avengers) 8
1861 August 16-18 Files Pertaining to the 44th N.Y.V. (Ellsworth's Avengers) 8
1861 August 19 Files Pertaining to the 44th N.Y.V. (Ellsworth's Avengers) 8
1861 August 20-31 Files Pertaining to the 44th N.Y.V. (Ellsworth's Avengers) 8
1861 September 1-December 31 Files Pertaining to the 44th N.Y.V. (Ellsworth's Avengers) 8
1861, undated Files Pertaining to the 44th N.Y.V. (Ellsworth's Avengers) 8
1862 January-December Files Pertaining to the 44th N.Y.V. (Ellsworth's Avengers) 8
1864 January Correspondence Pertaining to Fireman Companies 8
1864 February-June Correspondence Pertaining to Fireman Companies 8