Collection Summary
Francis L. Galt Papers
1870-1875
1870-1875
MSS84476
Galt, Francis L., 1831 or
32-1915
20 items
2 containers
.6 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Physician and naval
surgeon. Journal, letter, and writings documenting Galt’s service after the
American Civil War as an expatriate medical officer in the Peruvian
navy.
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
Dowd, William Henry, 1836-1873.
Galt, Francis L., 1831 or 1832-1915.
Tucker, John Randolph.
Organizations
Alabama (Screw sloop)
Confederate States of America. Navy--Surgeons.
Peru. Marina.
Tambo (Ship)
Subjects
American Confederate voluntary exiles--Peru.
Indians of South America--Amazon River Region--Diseases.
Indians of South America--Amazon River Region--Health and hygiene.
Indians of South America--Amazon River Region--Medicine.
Indians of South America--Amazon River Region--Nutrition.
Indians of South America--Amazon River Region.
Places
Amazon River--Discovery and exploration.
Peru--Politics and government--1829-1919.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical care.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval operations, Confederate.
Occupations
Naval officers.
Physicians.
Provenance
The papers of Francis L. Galt, physician and naval surgeon, were
purchased by the Library of Congress in 1999.
Processing History
The papers of Francis Galt were arranged and described in 2000. The
collection was revised in 2008.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Francis L. Galt
is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
Restrictions apply governing the use, photoduplication, or publication
of items in this collection. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript
Division for information concerning these restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Francis L. Galt Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Francis L. Galt (1831 or 32-1915), medical officer
serving in the United States, Confederate, and Peruvian navies, span the years
1870-1875. The collection includes a journal, letter, and writings documenting
Galt’s service in the Peruvian Navy as a member of the Peruvian Hydrographic
Commission of the Amazon organized under the command of former Confederate
admiral John Randolph Tucker to locate and explore the headwaters of the Amazon
and its tributaries. Galt’s journal chronicles his official duties as a
surgeon on the steamer Tambo and records his
observations on the health, diet, and medical practices of indigenous
populations encountered by the expedition. Information contained in the journal
is supplemented by Galt’s other writings which include a history of the
commission, its ill-fated expedition, and corruption in nineteenth-century
Peruvian politics. Also included in the papers are his medical treatises on the
diseases of the Amazon and an account of two American children orphaned in Peru
after the death of their father, William H. Dowd, an ex-Confederate from
Alabama. Miscellaneous and fragmentary writings include Galt’s account of his
service as a naval surgeon on board the Confederate steamer
Alabama during the American Civil War and his
experiences after the war as a Confederate expatriate. The collection includes
typed transcripts of Galt’s journal and most of his writings.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm99084476]
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Journal,
1870-1875
1870-1875
1
Original
[
See Restricted
](galt1)
1
Transcript
1
Letter to unidentified official
transmitting climatological data,
undated
undated
1
Writings
1
“An Account of the Dowd
Children in Iquitos, Peru,”
1875
1875
1
“Diseases of the Upper
Amazon,”
1871
1871
1
“The Hydrographic Commission of
the Amazon - A Sketch,”
1874
1874
1
Original
[
See Restricted
](galt1)
1
Transcript
1
“Medical Notes on the
Amazon,”
1870
1870
1
Miscellaneous excerpts,
undated
undated
2
Restricted
2
Journal,
1870-1875
1870-1875
2
Original
2
Writings
2
“The Hydrographic Commission
of the Amazon - A Sketch,”
1874
1874
2
Original