1861-1943
Guide to the Collection
Funding for the digitization of this collection and the creation of preservation microfilm was provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act grant as administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Restrictions on Access
Use of the originals is restricted. This collection is available as color digital facsimiles (see links below). Black and white microfilm is also available for use in the library.
Abstract
This collection consists of papers of Lt. Col. Charles F. Morse of the 2nd Mass. Infantry, primarily letters written by Morse during the Civil War to members of his family.
Biographical Sketch
Charles Fessenden Morse was born on 22 Sep. 1839 in Boston, Mass., the son of Robert McNeil Morse and Sarah (Clark) Morse. He graduated from Harvard in 1858 and, in May 1861, enlisted as a first lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment, Mass. Volunteer Infantry. In July 1862, he was promoted to captain. He fought at Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg (the last as a major), and after Gettysburg was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He also served as provost marshal in Atlanta, Ga. during the Union occupation of that city. He was mustered out in July 1865.
After the war, Morse worked as a cotton farmer in Georgia for 5 years before traveling west in 1870 to begin a career in the railroad business. He was general manager of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in Topeka, Kan.; general manager and then president of the Kansas City Stock Yards Co. in Kansas City, Mo.; and president of the Kansas City Metropolitan Street Railway. He was also active in many civic institutions.
Charles F. Morse married Mary Ellen Holdrege in 1874 and had the following children: Laura Morse (later Brewer), Marian Morse (later Adams), Arthur Holdrege Morse, Eleanor Holdrege Morse (later Barrows), Dorothy Morse, Charles Fessenden Morse, Jr., and Thomas Robeson Morse. In 1898, he published Letters Written During the Civil War, 1861-1865. He retired to Falmouth, Mass. in 1913, where he died on 11 Dec. 1926.
Collection Description
This collection consists of papers of Lt. Col. Charles F. Morse of the 2nd Mass. Infantry, primarily letters written by Morse during the Civil War to his father Robert McNeil Morse, his mother Sarah (Clark) Morse, his brother Robert McNeil Morse, Jr., and his sister Ellen Clark Morse. Letters written from various posts throughout the southern states describe camp life, military routine, battles, and campaigns, including the battles of Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Resaca, and the siege of Atlanta in 1864. Many of the letters include drawings.
Later papers consist primarily of letters written to Morse on the publication of his Civil War letters and his account of the Battle of Gettysburg, many written by members of his regiment; and papers related to Morse's later career in the railroad business, in particular with the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, and with the Kansas City Stock Yards Co. Among the correspondents are Charles F. Adams, Edward P. Alexander, George L. Andrews, John A. Fox, John C. Ropes, Henry Sturgis Russell, and George A. Thayer.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mrs. John Adams and C. F. Morse descendants, May 1952, Dec. 1954. Additions given by Thomas R. Morse, Aug. 1991.
Restrictions on Access
Use of the originals is restricted. This collection is available as color digital facsimiles (see links below). Black and white microfilm is also available for use in the library.
Other Formats
Select letters from this collection have been published in:
Morse, Charles F. Letters Written During the Civil War, 1861-1865. [Boston]: Privately printed, 1898.
The collection is also available on as color digital facsimiles and microfilm, P-805, 3 reels. See the Microfilm Reel List below.
Organization of the Collection
The collection is organized chronologically.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Microfilm Reel List
Preferred Citation
Charles F. Morse papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.
Persons:
Organizations:
Subjects:
Materials Removed from the Collection
A Civil War carte-de-visite album from this collection has been removed to the MHS Photo Archives (Photo. Coll. 243).