Guide to the Emmons Dexter Guild papers, 1861 Dec-1865 Apr

(bulk 1861 Dec-1865 Apr)


Brown University Library, Special Collections
Box A, John Hay Library
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
Fax: 401-863-2093
email: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2009

Collection Overview

Title: Emmons Dexter Guild papers
Date range: 1861-1906, (bulk 1861-1865)
Creator: Guild, Emmons Dexter, 1843-1909
Extent: 100 item(s)
Abstract: The Emmons Dexter Guild papers comprise some 100 items, the bulk of which are letters he wrote to his family in the course of his service in the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry during the Civil War. The collection includes financial papers of the Improved Order of Red Men, Pokanoket Tribe No. 38, a fraternal organization to which Guild belonged, along with items that relate to Guild's role as Aide-de-Camp in the Grand Army of the Republic.
Language of materials: English
Repository: Brown University Library, Special Collections
Collection number: Ms. 78.20

Scope & content

Sixty-seven of the hundred items in the Guild papers are letters written by Emmons Guild to his family in East Attleboro, Massachusetts. In these letters, Guild briefly describes his training, the journey to Washington, D.C., scouting, and battles and raids in which he and the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry took part. Mentioned in the letters is Abraham Lincoln as well as a number of generals who were prominent in the Army of the Potomac. Guild also writes of the men in his own company, many of whom would have been known to his family, and his experience in the Andersonville Prison. Day to day concerns are constant topics.

Included is a letter from William Chauncy Sherman to Abby Guild, E.D. Guild's mother. Sherman is thought to have eventually married Malzena Guild, Emmons sister.

Also in the correspondence is a letter from Lt. Charles Parker, C.S.A., to Abby T. Guild replying to her inquiry about her son following his capture.

Finally there are printed items that reflect Guild's continuing interest in the war, his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic and several other fraternal organizations.

Access Points

Subject Names Subject Names Subject Topics Subject Topics Document Types Occupations

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into two series:

  • Series 1, Correspondence, is arranged chronologically. Folders and the letters within folders span the years from December, 1861 through April 1865. Included in this arrangement are letters written by William C. Sherman and Lt. Charles Parker, C.S.A., both of which have meaning within the chronology of Guild's own letters.
  • Series 2, Printed Material and Ephemera, is arranged chronologically and contains printed items relating to the war and the Grand Army of the Republic. Also included are financial papers of The Improved Order of Red Men, Polanoket Tribe No. 38 and a certificate of membership in the Oddfellows follow. Finally, there are folders of miscellaneous items and ephemera.

Biographical note

Emmons Dexter Guild was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts on September 11, 1843. He was the second son of Allen Dexter and Abby Tabor Guild. Guild joined the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry on December 14, 1861. After training at Camp Arnold in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the regiment was sent to Washington, D.C. where it saw action almost exclusively in Virginia as part of the Army of the Potomac.

E. D. Guild was captured by the enemy on the night of October 12, 1863, along with 46 others. Of that number, only three eventually returned home to Rhode Island. The majority of Guild's captivity was spent in Andersonville Prison. He was paroled February 26, 1865 and mustered out of the army April 1, 1865.

Guild married Ella Josephine Brown on June 26, 1870. He was an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans group, and two fraternal organizations, the Improved Order of Red Men and the Oddfellows. He died in 1909.

At some point after the war, Guild wrote up his experiences as a prisoner of war in an undated pamphlet entitled 500 Days in War Prisons, possibly published in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He is also mentioned in Frederic Denison's Sabres and Spurs, a history of his unit commissioned by The First Rhode Island Cavalry Veteran Association and published in 1876.

Access & Use

Access to the collection: There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials: Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation: Emmons Dexter Guild papers, Ms. 78.20, Brown University Library.
Contact information: Brown University Library, Special Collections
Box A, John Hay Library
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
Fax: 401-863-2093
email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION  
Acquisition: The Emmons Dexter Guild papers were originally placed on deposit with Brown University Library on April 1, 1969 by Mrs. Nancy G. DeCesare, great-granddaughter of Guild. Mrs. DeCesare subsequently transferred ownership of the collection to the Library on March 23, 1976.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID  
Author: Finding aid prepared by Charles Logan, Intern, under the direction of Clifton H. Jones, Manuscripts Curator
Encoding: Finding aid encoded by Gregory Olson 2009 June 17
Descriptive rules: Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Other information:

Inventory


Series 1. Correspondence
Box 1, Folder 1-20

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 1 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Training and drilling at Camp Arnold, Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Rumors of move to Washington, D.C. Urgent personal needs.

1861 Dec 15-1862 Mar 6
Box 1, Folder 2 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild
Contents Note: Telegram about departure delayed.

1862 Mar 10
Box 1, Folder 3 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Journey to Washington, D.C. Received mounts. Visit to Capitol. Assignments to General Banks Division. Rumors of march to Winchester, Virginia.

1862 Mar 16-1862 Apr
Box 1, Folder 4 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Care of sick horses. Pay. Regiment at Warrenton, Virginia. Hard fighting at Yorktown.

1862 Apr 15-1862 Apr 25
Box 1, Folder 5 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Journey to Warrenton Junction, Virginia. Lost horses, search, treatment of population by Union troops. Illness of troops. Members of G troop taken prisoner. Mentions General James Ricketts.

1862 May 4-1862 Jun 13
Box 1, Folder 6 Sherman, William C[hauncy] to Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: A youth without a mother and "bosom friend" to Emmons wishing someone to write.

1862 May 28
Box 1, Folder 7 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Near Manassas, Virginia. Visit from Rhode Island's Governor Sprague. Officers' resignation over appointment of Colonel Duffie. Now in General Pope's division. Mentions Gen. Irvin McDowell, Chauncy Sherman ill, mustered out.

1862 Jun 20-Jul 29
Box 1, Folder 8 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild, Abby Tabor Guild, Edgar Guild.
Contents Note: Near Culpepper Courthouse, Virginia. Living off the land. Battle of Cedar Mountain. Near Alexandria, Virginia. John S. Brown and other friends taken prisoner. Mentions Generals Pope, Banks, Burnside, McDowell and Chauncy Sherman.

1862 Aug 8-Sep 13
Box 1, Folder 9 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Enthusiasm for battle. Needs for winter. Raid on Leesburg, Virginia. Mentions John S. Brown and Chauncy Sherman.

1862 Sep 21-Nov 27
Box 1, Folder 10 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Near Falmouth, Virginia. Winter. Fighting at Fredericksburg. Charge on Warrenton. Jeb Stuart in area. Mentions Gen. William W. Averell, Joseph Hooker and J.S. Brown.

1862 Dec 10-1863 Jan 16
Box 1, Folder 11 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Near Potomac Creek, Virginia. Pay. Wants a pocket watch. Skirmish on picket. Mentions Col. Alfred N. Duffie.

1863 Jan 24-Mar 8
Box 1, Folder 12 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Near Potomac Creek. Battle of Kelly's Ford [March 17, 1863]. Review of troops by General Hooker and President Lincoln. Guild's attitude towards the draft. Mentions Lt. Simeon A. Brown and Gen. Joseph Hooker.

1863 Mar 15-Apr 8
Box 1, Folder 13 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Near Potomac Creek. Chancellorsville. Defeat "as usual" (emphasis Guild's). Mentions Frank Allen.

1863 Apr 12-May 24
Box 1, Folder 14 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild and Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Mosby's cavalry. Battle of Middleburg. Encounter with Jeb Stuart, regiment taken prisoner. Guild's escape. Fears John S. Brown captured again.

1863 Jun 19-Jul 18
Box 1, Folder 15 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: Attached to headquarters. Mentions Gen. Warren.

1863 Aug 23-Sep 30
Box 1, Folder 16 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Allen Dexter Guild, Abby Tabor Guild, and Malzena Guild
Contents Note: Detached at 6th Corps Headquarters. Prices of goods and food. Execution of a deserter from the 12th New York. From Laundry Prison, Richmond, Virginia informing parents of capture. Mentions Frank Allen.

1863 Oct 1-25
Box 1, Folder 17 Parker, Charles to Mrs. A. Guild
Contents Note: From Camp Parole, Annapolis, Maryland. Reply to a request for information about her son.

1864 May 14
Box 1, Folder 18 Guild, Emmons Dexter to Abby Tabor Guild
Contents Note: From Camp Parole, Annapolis. Brief report of sickness and captivity in Andersonville Prison. Deaths of acquaintances.

1865 Mar 9
Box 1, Folder 19 Crowell, A.B. printed form letter.
Contents Note: Manufacture of war relics from Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia.

1890 Feb 10
Box 1, Folder 20 Grand Army of the Republic, Detroit, Michigan, General Orders No. 15 and 16
Contents Note: Printed letters (2), General Orders No. 15 and 16. Statue of General Sheridan in Washington, D.C. List of "Aides-de-camp" for reunion in Boston.

1890 Jun 27-28

Series 2. Printed Material and Ephemera
Box 1, Folder 21-25

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 21 Improved Order of Red Men
Contents Note: Pokanoket Tribe No. 38, Attleboro, Massachusetts. Orders for money, checks, receipts, and memoranda.

1893-1899?
Box 1, Folder 22 Independent Order of Odd Fellows
Contents Note: Orient Lodge No. 165. Attleboro, Massachusetts. Certificate, proof of membership.

1893 Sep 28
Box 1, Folder 23 Mansfield Spring Brook Cemetary Corporation
Contents Note: Mansfield, Massachusetts. Receipt with letter of transmittal.

1904 May 18
Box 1, Folder 24 Promissory notes from Pawtucket Institution for Savings
Contents Note: Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Promissory notes: 1906 Mar 6 and 28.

1906 Mar 6-28
Box 1, Folder 25 Ephemera
Contents Note: 2 small U.S. Flags and 1 Massachusetts regimental badge

undated