John Wolcott Phelps Correspondence
Collection Overview
John Wolcott Phelps was born in Guilford, Vermont and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1836. On May 2, 1861, Phelps was appointed Colonel of the 1st Vermont Infantry and was mustered into U.S. service on May 8. He was promoted to brigadier general on May 27, 1861. General Phelps was stationed at Camp Parapet in Carrollton, seven miles from New Orleans. Many fugitive slaves arrived at the camp seeking refuge. Phelps sought to create three regiments of black soldiers, but his commanding officer, General Butler, ordered that they be made laborers. Unwilling to employ the Africans as mere laborers, General Phelps offered his resignation on August 21, 1862. General Butler refused to accept it. Later that August, General Phelps returned his commission to President Abraham Lincoln. Phelps went on to become the candidate for the American Party/Anti-Masonic Party for president in 1880.
The collection includes 17 letters from family friend Gov. Frederick Holbrook and his son William C. Holbrook, major and later colonel of the 7th Vermont. Gov. Holbrook wrote about the recruitment of the 7th Vermont, the appointments of Colonel George T. Roberts, William Holbrook, and other officers, the character of Vermont soldiers, and his attempts to influence federal war policy. Both of the Holbrooks corresponded with Phelps about General Butler's censure of the 7th Vermont after the battle of Baton Rouge. Gov. Erastus Fairbanks wrote on similar topics, and about allegations of misconduct by surgeons in the 1st Vermont. Other correspondents include Senators Justin S. Morrill and George F. Edmunds, Congressman Frederick E. Woodbridge, and Capt. E.V.N. Hitchcock on the condition of the 7th Vermont at Santa Rosa Island in March 1863, Major Harry N. Worthen concerning sick soldiers of the 1st Vermont at Fort Monroe, and Capt. Charles W. Seaton of the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters, concerning the promotion of William Ripley to Lieutenant Colonel of that regiment.
Time Period Covered: April 26, 1861 - March 13, 1884
Parent Collections
Published: March 04, 2011, University of Vermont, Bailey/Howe Library, Center for Digital Initiatives
Rights: Requests to reproduce this item should be sent to the UVM Libraries' Center for Digital Initiatives at cdi@uvm.edu. For more information, see http://cdi.uvm.edu/about/rights. More information.
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Place(s)
- Vermont -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 [2]
- New Orleans (La.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 [1]
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Topic: ("United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 7th (1862-1866).Company C")
Title: Frederick Holbrook to John Wolcott Phelps
Creator: Holbrook, Frederick
Date: 1862-08-08
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include Mrs. Holbrook requesting General Phelps to forward her letters to her son and Frederick Holbrook inquiring after the sick men and the number of surgeons. Holbrook expresses frustration that the Vt. Regiments (7th & 8th) are still not under Phelps's command, per an agreement with Gen. Butler. Holbrook also mentions Phelps's "Dark Brigade," black troops that Phelps recruited in Louisiana without permission from the War Dept. (Phelps resigned in Aug., 1862.)
Title: Frederick Holbrook to John Wolcott Phelps
Creator: Holbrook, Frederick
Date: 1862-03-10
Resource type: correspondence
Upbeat letter delivered to Gen. Phelps by the writer's son, William C. Holbrook, who apparently turned down an offer to join Phelps's staff. The writer, Gov. Holbrook, lavishes praise on Vermont officers and soldiers (including his son), and sends warm wishes for success to Phelps, sharing his conviction that "the Union Cause must triumph." Holbrook concludes with some reflections on the difficulty of being a wartime governor.
Title: Frederick Holbrook to John Wolcott Phelps
Creator: Holbrook, Frederick
Date: 1862-05-02
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the arrival of the 7th and 8th Vermont Regiments at Ship Island, off the coast of Miss., and arrangements with the War Department for wounded troops to be sent home. Holbrook mentions the Battle of Yorktown (April 5-May 4, 1862), esp. the "affair" on April 16 that left ca. 100 Vermont soldiers wounded. Holbrook is in charge of the U.S. Marine Hospital in Burlington, Vt.
Title: Frederick Holbrook to John Wolcott Phelps
Creator: Holbrook, Frederick
Date: 1862-07-27
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the President calling for 300,000 additional troops, the wish that the National Government will develop a decisive policy to "proclaim war to the knife," and a description of Frederick Holbrook's son Major Will. Holbrook continues to express his admiration for Phelps and offer him greater forces to command.
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