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.
Representative digitized documents from this collection:
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
June-July 1861
Aug. 1861
Sep. 1861
Oct. 1861
Nov. 1861
Dec. 1861
Jan. 1862
Feb. 1862
Mar. 1862
Apr. 1862
May 1862
June 1862
July 1862
Aug. 1862
Sep. 1862
Oct. 1862
Nov. 1862
Dec. 1862
Jan. 1863
Feb. 1863
Mar. 1863
Apr. 1863
May 1863
June 1863
July 1863
Aug. 1863
Oct. 1863
Nov. 1863
Dec. 1863
Feb. 1864
Mar. 1864
Apr. 1864
May 1864
June 1864
July 1864
Aug. 1864
Sep. 1864
Oct. 1864
Nov.-Dec. 1864
Jan. 1865
Mar.-May 1865
June 1865
July-Dec. 1865
1870-1875
1876-1878
1880-1882
1883
1890-1896
May 1898
June 1898
July 1898
Aug.-Sep. 1898
Oct.-Dec. 1898
1899
1900-1911
1912
1913
1914
1917
1920, [1943], undated
Microfilm Reel List
Papers, 1861-1862
Papers, 1863-1864
Papers, 1865-1920, [1943]
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).