Collection Summary
Almon Ferdinand Rockwell
Papers
1852-1900
(bulk 1861-1865 and 1877-1884)
1852-1900
(bulk 1861-1865 and 1877-1884)
MSS38091
Almon Ferdinand Rockwell,
b. 1835
2,000
items
9 containers
3.4 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Army officer and
superintendent of public buildings, Washington, D.C. Correspondence, diaries
and journals concerning Rockwell's investments in commercial enterprises with
James A. Garfield, Garfield's assassination and his appointment controversy
with Roscoe Conkling, and Rockwell's Civil War experiences, including the
Battle of Shiloh.
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
Barney, James M.--Correspondence.
Bragg, Braxton, 1817-1876.
Buell, Don Carlos, 1818-1898--Correspondence.
Conkling, Roscoe, 1829-1888.
Flower, Frank Abial, 1854-1910--Correspondence.
Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881--Assassination.
Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881--Correspondence.
Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881--Death and burial.
Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881.
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Death and burial.
Manderson, Charles F. (Charles Frederick), 1837-1911--Correspondence.
Nelson, William, 1824-1862.
Rockwell, Almon Ferdinand, 1835-
Seward, William H. (William Henry), 1801-1872--Correspondence.
Wilson, John M. (John Moulder), 1837-1919--Correspondence.
Organizations
Silver King Mining Company.
Subjects
Corinth, Battle of, Corinth, Miss., 1862.
Public buildings--Washington (D.C.)
Shiloh, Battle of, Tenn., 1862.
Silver mines and mining.
Places
Alabama--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Kentucky--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Mississippi--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Nashville (Tenn.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
New York (State)--Politics and government--1865-1950.
Tennessee--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States--Politics and government--1877-1881.
Occupations
Army officers.
Public officials.
Provenance
The papers of Almon Ferdinand Rockwell, army officer and
superintendent of public buildings, Washington, D.C, were given to the Library
of Congress by Samuel A. Crozer in 1920.
Processing History
The collection was reprocessed in 2000, and the finding aid was
revised in 2010.
Additional Guides
The Rockwell Papers are described in
Report of the Librarian of Congress
, 1921, p. 38.
Transfers
Photographs have been transferred to the Library's Prints and
Photographs Division where they are identified as part of these papers.
Other Repositories
The Historical Society of Washington, D.C., holds papers concerning
the bullet in the Library's Rockwell collection that was removed from President
James A. Garfield in Rockwell's presence.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Almon Ferdinand
Rockwell is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Almon Ferdinand Rockwell 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.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Almon Ferdinand Rockwell Papers,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1835, Oct. 17
Born, Gilbertsville, Ostego, N.Y.
circa 1854
Student, Williams College, Williamstown, Mass.
1861
1897
United States Army officer
1862
Married Henrietta S. Hunter, Worcester, Mass.
1881
1885
Superintendent of Public Buildings, Washington, D.C.
1885
1895
Major Quartermaster, United States Army
1895
1897
Deputy Quartermaster, United States Army
1897
Retired from United States Army
1903, Aug.
Died
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Almon Ferdinand Rockwell (1835-1903) span the years
1852-1900, with the bulk of the material dating from 1861 to 1865 and 1877 to
1884. The papers consist primarily of correspondence, diaries, journals and
reports.
Rockwell, an army officer, was present at the deathbeds of presidents
Abraham Lincoln and James A. Garfield. Rockwell and Garfield were friends and
college classmates and corresponded until the latter's death. Their
correspondence, which includes ninety letters from Garfield, concerns their
friendship, investments in the Silver King Mine in Colorado, and President
Garfield's appointment of Rockwell as superintendent of public buildings and
grounds. Other correspondents include William Henry Seward, 1854; James M.
Barney of the Silver King Mine, 1877-1881; John M. Wilson, concerning ownership
of the Albert Bierstadt paintings hanging in the White House, 1893; Charles F.
Manderson, concerning efforts in the United States Senate to place General Don
Carlos Buell on the retired list, 1894-1895; and Buell, explaining his
resignation from the army, 1864 and 1895. Also included in the correspondence
is a letter to Frank Abial Flower, 1898, describing the death of President
Lincoln.
Rockwell, who kept a diary most of his life, recorded his experiences
on General Don Carlos Buell's staff during the Civil War and described the
federal occupation of Nashville, Tennessee, the Shiloh and Corinth campaigns,
marches and skirmishes in northern Alabama, and the pursuit of General Braxton
Bragg in Kentucky. Other entries concern the death of General William Nelson
and the removal and reinstatement of General Buell.
Also included in these papers are handwritten reports by Rockwell
concerning a conversation with President Garfield two days before his death in
which he wondered whether he would achieve a place in history, the
assassination attempt upon Garfield's life, and the events surrounding
Garfield's death. A lock of the late president's hair and Rockwell's signature,
written with the bullet which killed the president after its removal from the
corpse, is included.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged by type of material.
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm78038091]
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Journals
1
1852, 1861-1862, 1873-1884
1852, 1861-1862, 1873-1884
(6
folders)
2
1884-1889
1884-1889
(5
folders)
3
1892-1900
1892-1900
(3
folders)
3
Correspondence
3
Letterbook,
1869-1875
1869-1875
3
Miscellaneous
3
1854-1877
1854-1877
(4
folders)
4
1877-1878
1877-1878
(5
folders)
5
1879-1881
1879-1881
(5
folders)
6
1881-1885, 1893-1898, undated
1881-1885, 1893-1898, undated
(7
folders)
7
Subject file
7
Blaine, James Gillespsie,
epigram,
undated
undated
7
Civil War
7
Miscellaneous,
1861-1865
1861-1865
7
Surrender of the Confederacy,
Appomattox, Va.,
1865
1865
7
Garfield, Eliza Ballou,
1888
1888
7
Garfield, James A.
7
Article by Rockwell,
1880
1880
7
Assassination attempt and
death,
1881
1881
7
Alleged machinations by
friends
7
Bullet
7
Removal from corpse
7
Signature
7
Last moments prior to death
7
Sequence of events of
assassination
7
Conkling, Roscoe, appointment
controversy,
1881
1881
7
Inauguration as president,
1881
1881
7
Lock of hair from corpse,
1881
1881
7
Presidential election,
(1880), 1880-1884, undated
(1880), 1880-1884, undated
7
Speeches
7
1860, July-1874, Mar.
1860, July-1874, Mar.
(2
folders)
8
1874, Apr.-1880, May, undated
1874, Apr.-1880, May, undated
(3
folders)
8
Tributes and memorials,
1881-1882, undated
1881-1882, undated
(2
folders)
8
Writings about Garfield,
1880-1882
1880-1882
8
Gibbs, B. F., estate,
1882-1883
1882-1883
8
Medical thesis,
1857
1857
9
Military Orders of the Loyal
Legion of the United States, Commandery District of Columbia,
1882-1884
1882-1884
9
Miscellany,
1866, 1880, undated
1866, 1880, undated
9
United States Army, orders,
1861, 1881-1897
1861, 1881-1897
9
Williams College, Williamstown,
Mass., class of 1856
9
Autographs,
undated
undated
9
Reunion program,
1881
1881
9
Yearbook,
1856
1856