Collection Summary
Charles Wellington Reed
Papers 1776-1926
(bulk 1862-1865)
1776-1926
(bulk 1862-1865)
MSS37457
Reed, Charles Wellington, 1841-1926
400 items
4 containers plus 2 oversize
2 linear feet
English
Collection material in English
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Artist and soldier. Correspondence, a
diary, ink and pencil sketches, watercolors, prints, military papers, books with
illustrations by Reed, maps, medals, and photographs relating chiefly to Reed’s service
in the Ninth Massachusetts Light Artillery Battery during the Civil War.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Reed, Charles Wellington, 1841-1926.
Organizations
United States. Army--Military life.
United States. Army. Massachusetts Artillery Battery, 9th (1862-1865)
Subjects
Art.
Illustration of books.
Soldiers as artists.
Places
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Art and the war.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives.
Titles
Charles Wellington Reed Papers at the Library of Congress
Occupations
Artists.
Soldiers.
Provenance
The papers of Charles Wellington Reed, artist and soldier, were given to the Library of Congress by Grace M. Schirmer in 1928.
Processing History
The papers of Charles Wellington Reed were arranged and described in 1965. The
collection was reprocessed in 1997, and the finding aid revised in 2002 and again in
2013.
Transfers
Most photographs have been transferred to the Library's Prints and Photographs Division where they are identified as part of these papers.
Related Material
The Princeton University Library has a small collection of Reed's letters to his sister, Emma Reed, from 1862 to 1865.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Charles Wellington Reed is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Charles Wellington Reed are open to research.
Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to
visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to
retrieve these items for research use.
Online Content
The papers of Charles Wellington Reed on the Library of Congress Web site are
available at [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000025] and via links from this
finding aid. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to
consult the online edition.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Charles Wellington Reed Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1841, Apr. 1
Born,
Boston, Mass.
1862
Enlisted in
Ninth Massachusetts Battery
1862
1865
Participated in many battles of the Civil War including
Mine Run
,
Gettysburg
,
Wilderness
,
Spotsylvania
,
Petersburg
, and
Weldon Railroad
1864
Transferred to the
Topographical Engineers, Fifth Army Corps
1865
Honorably discharged
1865
Pursued career as artist and illustrator
1895
Awarded Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery on the battlefield at
Gettysburg
1926, Apr. 29
Died,
Norwell, Mass.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of
Charles Wellington Reed (1841-1926)
span the years 1776-1926, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1862-1865. The collection includes approximately seven hundred sketches in two volumes and a large group of correspondence relating primarily to the Civil War. Other items consist of articles, citations and military papers, clippings, a diary, maps, medals, photographs, printed matter, and oversize material. The material is arranged alphabetically by type of material with oversize items located at the end of the collection.
The collection documents Reed's life as a soldier during the Civil War. Many letters, especially those written to his family, describe in detail his activities as a private in the
Ninth Massachusetts Battery.
The letters are often prefaced by drawings which further illustrate the rigors and even amusing events of his service. The two volumes of sketches include drawings of army life during the Civil War, some drawn during actual combat. Others are of landscapes, animals, and other studies.
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm79037457]
Container List
Box
Contents
1
Articles, undated
undated
Digital content available
1
Citations and military papers, 1865-1920,
undated
1865-1920,
undated
[
See also Oversize, Container OV 1
](citov)
Digital content available
1
Clippings, 1863-1926, undated
1863-1926, undated
Digital content available
1
Congressional Medal of Honor, 1895
1895
[
See also Oversize, Container OV 2
](congov2)
1
First design
Digital content available
1
Second design
Digital content available
1
Correspondence
1
1849-1854
1849-1854
Digital content available
1
1862, May-Dec.
1862, May-Dec.
Digital content available
1
1863
1863
1
Jan.-Mar.
Jan.-Mar.
Digital content available
1
Apr.-July
Apr.-July
Digital content available
1
Aug.-Dec.
Aug.-Dec.
Digital content available
1
1864
1864
1
Jan.-Feb.
Jan.-Feb.
Digital content available
1
Mar.-Apr.
Mar.-Apr.
Digital content available
1
May-July.
May-July.
Digital content available
1
Aug.-Dec.
Aug.-Dec.
Digital content available
1
1865, Jan.-May
1865, Jan.-May
Digital content available
1
1881-1916
1881-1916
Digital content available
1
Undated and fragments
Undated and fragments
Digital content available
1
Diary, 1864
1864
Digital content available
2
Drawings, sketches, and prints, 1870,
1884, undated
1870,
1884, undated
[
See also Oversize
](drov)
2
Folder 1 of 2
Digital content available
2
Folder 2 of 2
Digital content available
2
Grant, Ulysses S., drawing of, undated
undated
[
See Oversize, Container OV 2
](grantov2)
Digital content available
2
Maps, 1862-1865, undated
1862-1865, undated
[
See Oversize, Container OV 1
](mapov)
Digital content available
2
Miscellany, 1776-1899, undated
1776-1899, undated
[
See also Oversize, Container OV 1
](miscov)
Digital content available
2
Photographs, 1885, undated
1885, undated
2
Folder 1 of 2
Digital content available
2
Folder 2 of 2
Digital content available
2
Printed matter, including books with illustrations
by Reed
2
Bits of Camp Life
, by C. W. Reed and Louis K. Harlow,
c1888
c1888
Digital content available
2
History of the 9th Mass. Battery, 1862-65
, by Levi W.
Baker, 1888
1888
Digital content available
2
Souvenir, Twenty-Fourth National Encampment Grand Army of the Republic,
Boston, 1890
1890
Digital content available
3
Sketchbooks, 1863-1887, undated
1863-1887, undated
3
Nos. 1-10, leaves 1-415
Digital content available
4
Unnumbered, leaves 416-650
[
See also Oversize, Container OV 1
](unov1)
Digital content available
OV 1
Oversize
OV 1
Citations and military papers,
1869-1896 (Container 1)
1869-1896
OV 1
Drawings, sketches, and prints, 1870,
1884, undated (Container 2)
1870,
1884, undated
OV 1
Maps, 1862-1865, undated (Container 2)
1862-1865, undated
OV 1
Miscellany, 1776,
1784 (Container 2)
1776,
1784
OV 1
Sketchbooks
Unnumbered, leaves 550 and 637 (Container 4)
OV 2
Congressional Medal of Honor, two versions, 1895
(Container 1)
1895
OV 2
Grant, Ulysses S., drawing of, undated (Container
2)
undated