Francis M. Boykin Civil War papers, 1861

Location of collection:

Virginia Military Institute Archives

Preston Library

Virginia Military Institute

345 Letcher Ave.

Lexington, VA 24450-0304

Contact for questions and access:

POC: Jeffrey S. Kozak

Email: archives@vmi.edu

Phone: (540) 464-7516

Phone: (540) 464-7566

Fax: (540) 464-7089

Web: www.vmi.edu/archives

Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

Manuscript collections in the VMI Archives are made available for educational and research use. The VMI Archives should be cited as the source. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright holders. Materials from our collections may not be redistributed, published or reproduced without permission from the VMI Archives. Contact the VMI Archives for additional information.

Preferred citation:

Francis M. Boykin Civil War papers, 1861. MS 0232. VMI Archives, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia.

Summary

Extent:

8 items

Creator:

Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870 and Letcher, John, 1813-1884

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Francis M. Boykin Civil War papers, 1861. MS 0232. VMI Archives, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

The Francis M. Boykin Civil War papers include:

• Two commission documents
• Extracts from military orders
• One letter from Governor John Letcher that orders Boykin to proceed to Grafton, West Virginia and communicate with Colonel Thomas J. Jackson (Stonewall)
• One letter bearing the signature of General Robert E. Lee

Written from Richmond, Virginia. Letter orders Francis M. Boykin to proceed to Grafton, West Virginia and contact Colonel Thomas J. Jackson (Stonewall).

Written from Richmond, Virginia. Letter orders Francis M. Boykin to muster into service volunteer companies and to take position near Grafton, West Virginia to protect the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

Written from Richmond, Virginia. Order requires officers to submit returns of their commands and to abide by regulations concerning military correspondence.

Written from Richmond, Virginia. Order discusses officers' obligations with regard to expenditures and record keeping.

Written from Richmond, Virginia. Order appoints Lieutenant Colonel Henry Heth and Major James R. Crenshaw acting Quartermaster General and Acting Commissary General, respectively.

Document appoints Francis M. Boykin to the rank of Major, signed by Governor John Letcher.

Document appoints Francis M. Boykin to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, signed by Governor John Letcher.

Written from Richmond, Virginia. Order assigns Lieutenant Colonel Francis M. Boykin to the 31st Regiment Virginia Volunteers.

Biographical / historical:

Francis Marshall Boykin was born in Isle of Wight County, Virginia on March 1, 1837. His ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and his father, General Francis Boykin, was a member of the Virginia Senate. Boykin entered VMI in July 1853 and graduated in 1856. He engaged in teaching until 1861.

During the Civil War, Boykin served as a Lieutenant Colonel with the 31st Virginia Infantry Regiment, Confederate States of America. He served throughout the War and was briefly imprisoned at Johnson's Island, Lake Erie.

After the War he was in the tobacco business in Richmond, Virginia. Boykin married Ellen B. George, and they had three children: Hamilton, Anna, and Ellen. He died on May 5, 1906 in Richmond.

Physical location:

Manuscripts stacks

Related

Other descriptive data:

Executive Department

Major F. M. Boykin

Sir:

Hdqtrs Va Forces

Major F. M. Boykin

You are desired to take measures to muster into the service of the State such volunteer companies as may offer their services for the protection of the N. W. portion of the State. Assume the command and take position at or near Grafton unless some other point should offer greater facilities for the command of the Balt. & Ohio R. R. and the branch to Parkersburg. It is not the object to interrupt peaceful travel on the road, or to offer annoyance to citizens pursuing their usual avocations, but to hold the road for the benefit of Maryland and Virgi9nia and to prevent its being used against them. You will therefore endeavor to obtain the cooperation of the Officers of the road and afford them on your part every assistance in your power to attain this end.

You will also endeavor to give quiet and security to the inhabitants of the country.

Major Alonso Loring at Wheeling has been directed, with the volunteer companies under his command, to give protection to the road near its terminus at the Ohio River, and you will place yourself in communications with him and cooperative with him if necessary.

Please state whether a force at Parkersburg will be necessary and what number of companies, and what number of companies can be furnished in that vicinity.

You are requested to report the number of companies, you may muster into the service of the State, their arms, condition vc and your views as to the best means for the accomplishment of the object in view. To enable you to supply any deficiency in arms in the Company's, 200 muskets of the old pattern, flint lock, will be forwarded to Col. Jackson (Stonewall Jackson) the Comdy Officer at Harpers Ferry to your order from whom you must take measures to receive them and convey them in safely to their destination under guard if necessary. I regret that no other arms are at present for issue.

General Orders

1. The General or other officers commanding Virginia Forces at Richmond, Norfolk, Fredericksburg, Alexandria, & Harpers Ferry, and such other points as they may hereafter be sent in separate commands, are required to submit to this offices; returns of their respective commands once in ten days, commending on the 1st day of each month.

2. The attention of all officers of the Va Volunteers, is called to the regulation concerning military correspondence as laid down in the Army regulations of the late United States Edition of 1857.

By Command of Maj. Genl Lee,

Hd Qrs Va Forces

General Orders

The General commanding desires to impress upon all officers and agents employed in the military and naval service of the State, the necessity of observing the strictest economy and accountability, in the expenditure of public money, or in the use of the credit of the State.

No expenditures will be made unless duly authorized; nor will they assume the responsibility of incurring any expense, or of using the credit of the state, unless the necessities of the case are so clear and imperative as not to admit of the delay of referring to the proper authority.

Records + vouchers must be made + preserved for all expenditures or uses of the credit of the State, specifying the nature + necessity of the service of which they were made. They will keep all expenditures in the subsistence department (food for the men only) distinct from those of the Qr Master Dept. which embraces shelter for men and horses, transportation, forage, stationary + like subjects. As soon as the exigencies of the service will permit the officers and agents of the disbursing dept of the service will be supplied with the necesary blank forms for the proper performance of their duties.

By Command of Major General Lee

Hd Qrs Va Forces

General Orders

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Heth, Va Volunteers, and Major James R. Crenshaw, Va Volunteers, are announced respectively as acting quartermaster general and acting commissary general of subsistence of the Forces in the field, subordinate officers in these departments will refer to them before making their purchases + contracts, unless the circumstances of the case prevents.

By Command of Major Genl Lee,

The Commonwealth of Virginia

To Francis M. Boykin, Jr

(signed) John Letcher

The Commonwealth of Virginia

Know you, that from special trust and confidence reposed in your fidelity, courage and good conduct, our Governor, in pursuance of the authority vested in him by an Ordinance of the Convention of the State of Virginia, doth commission you a Lieutenant Colonel in the active volunteer forces of the State, to rank as such from the 14th day of December 1861

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name as Governor, and caused the Seal of the Commonwealth to be affixed, this 14th day of December 1861.

Extract

Special Orders

IV Major F. M. Boykin Va Vols having been appointed Lieutenant Colonel is assigned to duty with the 31st Regiment Virg Vols and will report accordingly.

By order of the Secretary of War

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Virginia Military Institute—Class of 1856
Confederate States of America. Army—Virginia Infantry Regiment, 31st
United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Personal narratives—Confederate
United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865
Correspondence
Orders (military records)
Military commissions

Names:

Boykin, Francis M. (Francis Marshall), 1837-1906
Jackson, Stonewall, 1824-1863