Charles B. Smith was a Lieutenant with the 61st Illinois Volunteer Infantry, serving as a Judge Advocate General at Camp Dennison, Ohio, through most of 1863. Smith was involved in numerous military court proceedings, as well as being responsible for the issuing of general and special orders and the collection of unit muster sheets. In November 1864, Smith was reassigned to the Office of United States Military Telegraph, Mobile, Alabama, as a telegraph operator. Additionally, in 1867, Smith submitted several invention patents for the improvement of spring beds and seats.
The Charles B. Smith Papers, 1858-1867 and undated, consist of consists mainly of military legal correspondence relating to criminal charges, pleadings, proceedings, and sentencing of soldiers under the jurisdiction of the military headquarters of Ohio located at Camp Dennison, Ohio, particularly during 1863. There are also requests for unit muster rolls, regulation books, telegrams, routine inspection announcements, general orders, special orders, a deed, and petitions for invention patents.
This collection is of value to scholars of the Civil War, particularly students of legal and criminal aspects of Union military life. The nature of the criminal charges and the punishments dealt out reveal much about the social conditions of soldiers in the Federal army and the attempt by the military command to maintain a moral environment. Most of the legal correspondence is written to, or is from, Brigadier General Mason Brayman. The criminal charges brought against the soldiers involved include; "Absence Without Leave," "Drunkenness," "Highway Robbery," and "Disturbing a Religious Meeting." Correspondences of note are a letter written to General William T. Sherman, dated March 24, 1864, and a request for the unconditional surrender of Columbus, Kentucky, written by Confederate Brigadier General Abraham Buford, dated April 13, 1864. Ohio Volunteer units mentioned in the collection are the 2nd Heavy Artillery, 2nd Detachment Sharp Shooters, 9th Cavalry, 24th Artillery, 41st, 57th, 74th, 75th, 91st, 121st, and 125th Infantry. Additionally, there are several petitions made to the United States Patent Office for inventions created by Charles B. Smith.
The collection is arranged chronologically.
While there are no access restrictions on this collection, researchers will be asked to use the microfilm of this collection.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 2076 Charles B. Smith Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.