Beschreibung:

Lot of more than two dozen items, most related to the military service of Colonel Everett Peabody (1830-1862), a Harvard graduate and civil engineer who distinguished himself at the Battle of Shiloh where his vigilance is credited with saving Union forces from a disastrous defeat. Documents include 9 Civil War-date letters, 4 of which were written by Peabody, as well as post-war accounts of the Battle of Shiloh from soldiers who served with Peabody and corroborated his heroics. The post-war reminiscences from veterans of Shiloh were collected by Col. Peabody's nephew, Frank Everett Peabody (1856-1918). After graduating from Harvard, Peabody's work with the railroad industry took him to Missouri. By 1859 he served as Chief Engineer of the Platte County Railroad. HDS indicates Peabody enlisted on 9/21/1861 at St. Louis, MO as a colonel and was commissioned into Field & Staff Missouri 25th Infantry. In fact, by September 1 he was already serving as a colonel in the 13th Missouri Volunteer Regiment, and by September 4th he had arrived at Lexington, MO to quell pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard troops who were active in the area. During ensuing hostilities Peabody was wounded and taken prisoner. After his exchange in December 1861 Peabody began building a new regiment to be known as the 25th Missouri. It was with this regiment that Peabody was ordered to join the Army of the Tennessee at Pittsburg Landing. There Federal commanders Benjamin Prentiss and William T. Sherman downplayed the Confederate threat in the area and held fast to orders from Grant not to elicit an engagement until reinforcements arrived. Peabody, however, remained alarmed at the nearby Confederate activity and determined to take matters into his own hands. In the early hours of April 6, 1862, Peabody, on his own authority, sent a reconnaissance force out in search of the enemy in the hopes that should they engage it would disrupt Confederate plans and give warning to the rest of the Union troops. His patrol did find the advance skirmishers of the Confederates, unmasking the planned Confederate assault and preventing a devastating surprise attack on Union forces. The letters offered here provide a wonderful glimpse into Peabody's wartime service and his pivotal roles at both Lexington and Shiloh. Peabody's own words and, most notably, those of the men with whom he served, paint a powerful portrait of a man who was widely respected for his bravery and leadership. The first-hand accounts of Shiloh collected by Frank E. Peabody likely reflect an effort by the Peabody family to refute the narrative put forth by Union generals (most notably Prentiss) who had ignored Col. Peabody's critical role at Shiloh. The testimonies discuss the chain of events leading up to the engagement with the Confederates and the heated confrontation that ensued between Col. Peabody and Prentiss, who was furious with Peabody and declared that he would hold him personally responsible for bringing on the engagement. The four letters in the archive written by Col. Peabody were all written to his brother, Francis "Frank" Howard Peabody (1831-1905), a resident of Boston. Highlights of these letters home include: Letter written from St. Louis on Nov. 26, 1861, discussing the state of his regiment, the 13th Missouri, and including a denunciation of John C. Fremont, who had recently been removed from his position as head of the Department of Missouri, noting in small part: "Our new General [Henry Halleck] takes hold of matters in a very different fashion from the d---d fool who preceded him....The infernal stupidity and nonsense in the Department here has changed Missouri from a loyal state to a rebel one. The manufacture of secessionists has been constant and persistent and if MO don't go out of the Union God knows it is not the fault of Jno. C. Fremont D--n him." Later he continues: "You in Massachusetts who see your men going off thoroughly equipped and prepared for service can hardly conceive