Booth, Thomas R. (fl. 1861-1908) [Collection of diaries and letters] [decimalized]
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03347 Author/Creator: Booth, Thomas R. (fl. 1861-1908) Place Written: [various places] Type: Header Record Date: 1861-1889 Pagination: 29 diaries + 32 letters Order a Copy
Thomas Rogers Booth served as Civil Engineer, Clerk in the office of the Adjutant General (1863-1864) and Captain of Commissary of Subsistence of Volunteers (1864-1865). He was a railroad engineer from New Castle, Delaware. The wartime diaries were written from Washington, D.C., and include that city's reactions to wartime news. The 32 letters include one concerning Zachary Taylor's election, written while a cadet at West Point. Booth left the Academy in 1851 (his resignation was accepted by future General Seth Williams). The letters also include correspondence with wartime acquaintances and a business associate who was a former Confederate soldier. A group of letters from 1908 concern his request for a pension. His 1865 diary includes, for the day after Lee's surrender on 11 April, the notice "Orders from War Dept. to cease work."
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