Michael G. Harman letters, 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:

Michael G. Harman letters, 1861. MS 0397. VMI Archives, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia.

Summary

Extent:

6 items

Creator:

Harman, Michael G., 1823-1877

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Michael G. Harman letters, 1861. MS 0397. VMI Archives, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of the Civil War letters (six items) of Lieutenant Colonel Michael G. Harman, written from Staunton, Virginia where he was Quartermaster. The letters were written primarily to General Henry R. Jackson. The correspondence concerns supplies of corn, clothing, horses, and other items, transportation problems, and other Quartermaster Department problems.

Written from Staunton, Virginia. Letter orders Captain Miller to reinforce General Garnett.

Written from Staunton, Virginia. Letter regards sending wagons and teams, a need for corn and clothing needs. The letter also mentions that 100 Union prisoners have been captured.

Written from Staunton, Virginia. Letter regards troop movements of the 52nd Virginia Infantry Regiment, Captain Otey's Company (Bedford County, Virginia), and Captain Morrison's Company (Rockbridge County, Virginia).

Written from Staunton, Virginia. Letter regards the purchase of corn, wagons and teams impressed from local farmers, and transportation problems.

Written from Staunton, Virginia. Letter regards sending teams and organizational problems.

Written from Staunton, Virginia. Letter regards a problem with horses unfit for service, and too many men in the hospital in Staunton.

Biographical / historical:

Michael G. Harman was born in 1823 in Augusta County, Virginia. Prior to the Civil War he operated a stagecoach line and was the proprietor of a hotel. From April 1861 to January 1862 he served as Confederate Quartermaster in Staunton, Virginia. On August 19, 1861 he was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the 52nd Virginia Infantry Regiment and served in a dual capacity until resigning his commission as Quartermaster on January 8, 1862. In May 1862 Harman was was elected Colonel of 52nd Virginia, but was wounded and resigned from the Army in June 1863 due to disability. He served served as Quartermaster in Staunton until the end of the Civil War.

After 1865 Harman continued to operate his stage line, hotel, and other businesses. From 1865 to 1866 he was member of the VMI Board of Visitors. He died in 1877 and is buried in Thornrose Cemetery, Staunton.

Physical location:

Manuscripts stacks

Related

Other descriptive data:

Staunton July 14, 1861

Capt. Miller, McDowell Volunteers

You are hereby required to report your command for immediate duty at this post to reinforce Genl. Garnett. Do not fail to get here tomorrow if possible. Despatch is of the first iimportance.

Very respectfully,

Confederate States of America

General-

P.S. We have 100 Yankee prisoners here taken by Genl. Floyd near Gauley Bridge in the fight with Col. Tyler.

Confederate States of America

Genl. H. R. Jackson

General-

Confederate States of America

General,

I have almost exhausted this country in the way of horses & wagons & purchased nearly all that was for sale & impressing the farmer's teams for one trip only. You will do me the favor to see that my promises are complied with & not kept but one trip as this will enable me to make all our people do their part of the transportation. I am very sorry General to trouble your with these matters, but I am unable to manage the transportation without your assistance. I sent out yesterday 25 wagons & today 26 wagons loaded with corn and company supplies

Confederate States of America

Genl. H. R. Jackson

General-

You may depend upon it General that the Quarter Masters Department in the North West never can be managed with system & regularity until first rate business & experienced men are commissioned & placed at the important points on the line, & when commissioning they give security. Money can be drawn by them & many supplies purchased. Whereas when men are only occupying the place of assistants they are powerless & they probably never see their principal once in two months. Unless this Department is thoroughly organized on the different lines the Army must suffer greatly in the coming winter. You can judge of it by what your division has already suffered. I know you have enough to do without attending to these details.

I expect to join my regiment in 8 or 10 days & hope to get the Department in working order in your line before I left. I hope you will write a letter to the Secretary of War on the subject. I have placed Capt. Funkhouser on the road in charge of the Pony Express line & Capt Mason in charge of the repairs to the road, and a good business man is needed in the Quarter Masters Dept at Monterey whose duty should be to purchase all the supplies of forage & c & also see to the proper management of the wagons, horses & c, and also to have repair shops, blacksmith & wood shops at that point. I have written [illegible] my views & I recd. a letter from General Lee yesterday which I enclosed to the Secretary of War stating the great difficulty about transportation on that line. I have urged this most important matter upon the War Department & if you concur with me hope you will urge it also. Would it not be well to have a commissioned Quarter Master at Greenbrier River also.

P.S. J. Whitmore the wagon master in charge of the train of 15 wagons [turned] over [cars] [illegible] with the trains. & if you should order it in for corn & hay he is acquainted with this country.

Confederate States of America

Genl. H. R. Jackson

General- Your letter in regard to horses unfit for service is at hand. When I wrote to you in regard to them I understood many horses were turned out as unfit for use. If the number that ought to be changed can be reported to me I will send out horses to take the places of those unfit for service.

On Thursday last I sent 7 loads of corn (4 horse) to Monterey. This morning 4 four horse loads of corn & Saturday 7 two horse wagons of Capt. Miller's [Battery] with corn & tomorrow morning I start twenty four horse wagon loads of corn & 10 loads of clothing marked to Maj. J. L. Corley. I write to Capt. P. B. Hoge the Quarter master at Monterey if you desire it & direct him to do so although the corn is invoiced to Monterey to send it through without unloading to Greenbrier River. Col. Scott who is now in my office says he does not think 20 loads of corn can be stored at Greenbrier River. Please advise Capt. Hoge what you wish done by express.

Yesterday a train of wagons loaded with corn was started from the county of Rockingham to Monterey. It is most important the bags should be returned to us & for that reason if there is not room to store the corn at the River I wish it stopped at Monterey. I hope you will not think me troublesome in writing to you about these details, but there has been so much mismanagement I think it is best to communicate with you direct until I get all in good order.

There are now 1000 men in the Hospital here and it is too much crowded. Surgeon Boatwright informs me he has 250 men on the road to this place. I have recommended to the Surgeon General to authorize me to contract for the use of the Rockbridge Baths 9 miles from the Central Rail Road & will accommodate 300, and also to contract for Stribling Springs provided we need them & I feel confident we will need both in less than 10 days.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Confederate States of America. Army—Virginia Infantry Regiment, 52nd
Virginia—History—Civil War, 1861-1865
United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865
Confederate States of America. Army—Supplies and stores
Military records
Correspondence

Names:

Jackson, Henry R.

Places:

Augusta County (Va.)