Alden, William H. (b. 1844) [Collection of William H. Alden, F company, 6th regiment, Iowa, cavalry] [Decimalized .01- .53]
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02831 Author/Creator: Alden, William H. (b. 1844) Place Written: [various places] Type: Header Record Date: 1862/11/09-1865/07 Pagination: 52 letters + 1 photo Order a Copy
Forty eight long letters written while on the Sully Expedition to put down the Sioux uprising, under the orders of Abraham Lincoln. Private Alden, a seventeen year old Iowan, wrote this first-hand account mostly to his family. He discusses hand to hand combat with Indians, rescuing immigrants on the overland trail, gold mining, the capture of a Sioux chief's feathered head dress, and the wounding and death of a soldier. The Sully Expedition, led by Alfred Sully (son of the famous painter Thomas Sully), was the largest military campaign against the Plains Indians up to this date, and marked an expansion of warfare with the Sioux. Includes 1 postwar photograph. Most letters written to his mother while on the Sully expedition against the Sioux. Transcripts available.
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