Michigan in the Civil War

Browse by Name: Howell, Seymour

Corden, John, 1821-

John Corden, from Milton Chase papers

Fifty-five letters (1861-1865) written to his wife while he was serving in Company F, 6th Michigan Infantry, as captain in the Mississippi campaign. In 1864 he was promoted to major and then lieutenant colonel. His letters tell of the treatment accorded the regiment on the way to Baltimore and in Baltimore; life in Camp McKim; and of food, the weather, and the health of the men. There is an account of life on board the ship Constitution bound for Ship Island and descriptions of Ship Island, the entry into New Orleans, the shelling of Grand Gulf, the capture of Castle, the chief of the guerrillas, treatment of the occupying troops by the citizens of Baton Rouge, General Williams' ouster of the regiment from their quarters in favor of a Connecticut regiment, the battle of Baton Rouge, a march through a swamp and a skirmish, the siege of Port Hudson, and the destruction of the ship Clara Bell. Corden speaks warmly of Captain Eli A. Griffin.

One letter from Seymour Howell to Corden tells of a minstrel show to celebrate Christmas in 1864. Corden was from Saline, Mich.

Howell, Seymour, 1841-1909.

This collections is available online.

Seymour Howell, from his papers

A diary (1864) containing brief entries concerning his work. Howell, of Saline, Mich., entered the service in Company F, 6th Michigan Infantry, as a second lieutenant, 1861, and became a major in 1864. The collection also includes one letter (June 22, 1864) from Morganza, La., to Mrs. Malinda Bryant, telling her of the death of her son, Albert H. Bryant, Company C, 6th Michigan Infantry.

This collection is available on microfilm for interlibrary loan.

Washtenaw County Historical Society.

Seymour Howell, from Seymour Howell papers

Historical records collected by the historical society include two Civil War collections:

Records of Company D, 4th Michigan Infantry (1862-1864 with a few documents from 1865), collected by Edwin H. Gilbert. Gilbert, of Ann Arbor, Mich., was a first lieutenant and commanded Company D. He also served for a time as company quartermaster. The records are chiefly quartermaster documents, including lists of stores, receipts, invoices, and requisitions, and some official correspondence.

Records of the 6th Michigan Heavy Artillery (1863-1865), collected by Seymour Howell. Howell, of Saline, Mich., was a major in the regiment, and commanded Fort Gaines, Ala., in 1865. The records include ordnance and quartermaster receipts, invoices, requisitions, inventories, and abstracts of expenditures, as well as field and general orders and official correspondence.

These collections are available on microfilm for interlibrary loan, cataloged as Edwin S. Gilbert and Seymour Howell papers, respectively.

Finding aid available in library