George Kryder papers

The George Kryder papers are a collection of 102 letters written by George Kryder to his wife, Elizabeth Sweetland Kryder, from 1862 through 1865 (one not dated), documenting his experiences as a Union soldier during the Civil War. Also included in the collection are miscellaneous letters: one letter written by George Kryder to a claim agent (December 2, 1865); a letter from J. S. Kryder to his sister-in-law, Elizabeth (April 4, 1863); a letter from brother Henry to Elizabeth (December 6, 1864); and an unsigned poem. Additionally, duplicate copies of the letters (both originals and transcribed copies) from the collection held by Norman D. Bowers at Northwest State Community College are part of this collection.

This collection of personal Civil War correspondence of a regular rank and file cavalry enlisted man in the Union army has significant meaning for the interested reader, and educational relevance for various academic disciplines which would be greatly enriched from serious study of these letters. A biographical sketch of the life of George Kryder is included in this register. However, some basic historical facts about him and the Third Ohio Volunteer Cavalry (3rd O.V.C.) of which he was a member for the duration of the war, will be of service to the researcher.

George Kryder enlisted as a volunteer in Company I of the the 3rd O.V.C. when it was formed under the leadership of Colonel Zahm in Monroeville, Huron County, Ohio, on November 20, 1861. He was one of the 400 in January of 1864 "still fit for service" out of the original 1151 who enlisted in November of 1861. The fact that he remained in the same regiment throughout the duration of the war is a basic strength of this collection, especially for the historian interested in researching and analyzing the history of this unit and perhaps even the sociological effects of a basic corps of men sharing life and death experiences for four years of their lives. The relative completeness of these letters as well as their chronological sequence makes it easier to follow the major battles and campaigns as they appear and are compared in official regimental histories of the Civil War.

The individual interpretation of many of these campaigns and military encounters adds a personal touch to otherwise dry subject matter. It is important to note that as the researcher reads through the 1862 and most of the 1863 letters, George Kryder intentionally plays down his role in any of the major battles or cavalry charges in which his unit participates. This is a conditioning process to which he gradually exposes his wife. He is basically "small dosing" his wife for what might inevitably, at any point, "shock" her into worse grief and pain than she already is enduring. The action must become heavier and more intense if the war is to be won.

As the reader approaches the end of the war, the letters take on a more serious tone. They are much more informative and reveal a growing weariness of the battles and constant carnage before him. His wife continually hears rumors of the worst kind and to abate her fears, he has no alternative but to tell her the truth. Examples of this are evident, for instance, in late 1862 when George Kryder and the 3rd O.V.C. waged a five-day battle at Stones River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He describes very little detail of this encounter to his wife and even attempts to downplay his role in the fighting. However, he does moderately describe in the May and June letters some of the cavalry engagements against rebel Generals Wheeler and Bragg and the guerrilla band led by Morgan who actually captured 250 men of the 3rd O.V.C. but later paroles them after much harassment and humiliation. One can infer from the information he gives his wife concerning the Morgan engagement and capture that George Kryder and Henry Sweetland (Elizabeth's brother) were a few of those who escaped after capture. According to the regimental history of the 3rd O.V.C., heavy casualties occurred during a two-hour battle against General Wheeler's rebel cavalry. Nearly an entire company of the 3rd O.V.C. was wiped out.

There are times when correspondence to his wife is anywhere from four to eight weeks apart. These gaps in writing usually correspond to either heavy marching schedules of the 3rd O.V.C. or daily battles and skirmishes with the enemy. Many times the average distances per day range from thirty to fifty miles.

In late September through the end of October of 1863, George Kryder informs his wife of "skirmishes" against Generals Wheeler and Roddy around Chickamauga. In nearby Courtland, Georgia, the 3rd O.V.C. suffered heavy casualties in repeated cavalry charges that lasted two hours, according to the regimental history's reports.

In January of 1864, George Kryder reenlisted with the entire 3rd O.V.C. and was reassigned to the Army of the Cumberland which accompanied General Sherman through his devastating march to the sea. He participated in the siege of Atlanta, Georgia. On rapid and sustained day and night marches in the Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia borders, George Kryder spent most of his time in the saddle and engaged in combat.

The personal letters to his wife by mid- to late 1864 are very descriptive at times of the horror and reality of war. Kryder displays an astounding accuracy for dates and events as they occur, especially in the hard-fought campaigns in Eastern Tennessee. General Sherman's decision to attack General Johnston's rebel positions in the Kennesaw Mountains resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. The Kennesaw campaign is vividly described in his June 1864 letters to Elizabeth. The campaigns against rebel Generals Hood and Forrest in northern Georgia and Alabama are mentioned in his September-November letters.

The spring of 1865 brought more battles, campaigns, and skirmishes, as the Confederacy was making its final stand. The western army was engaged in massive mop-up operations in Georgia and Alabama. George Kryder comments in the March-July letters that he is experiencing the roughest action yet. He explains that in the Selma and Montgomery, Alabama campaigns his unit covered 300 miles in twelve days. He was also involved in Winston's raid on Macon, Georgia, in March. He writes no letters from mid-March through mid-April during the Georgia campaigns.

On the 18th of May, Kryder informs his wife that he and his unit captured "Old Jeff" (Davis), the President of the Confederacy and that "the war is over." During the last two months of his service, he performs various official supervisory duties on the plantations and assists in gunboat errands to inventory government property in Florida and on the Gulf Coast.

George Kryder and the 3rd O.V.C. were mustered out at Edgefield, Tennessee, on August 4, 1865, with a total of 881 troops of the regimental strength of 1000. Some 600 new recruits had joined the remaining 400 veterans in March of 1864. Fifty-eight enlisted men and six officers had died by disease, making a total of 294 men who had died during regimental service in the war.

As an immense resource of research data, the George Kryder Papers would serve the scholar as well as the layman. An abundance of information relating to the numerous military engagements of the Civil War in which Kryder participated would be of value to the Civil War historian as well as to the layman who seeks a personal view of the war. The chronological arrangement of the letters makes it easy to compare Kryder's view of the war to the more detailed regimental histories.

Historians and sociologists alike would find value in Kryder's continuous remarks regarding the pro-Southern opinions of his father Michael Kryder, as well as his comments on the anti-war and anti-draft movements in the North, headed by Cletus Vallandingham of Ohio.

Sociologists probing many aspects of such social problems as war and its effect on culture and on the veteran will find suitable items of research in these letters, especially as the war begins to change the attitude and character of George Kryder, as time and battle leave their scars.

George Kryder recorded dozens of lists of the prices of a multitude of commodities that he purchased as he marched through the South. These price lists would interest economists desiring to compare prices past and present, and the effect of war on the economy of an embattled nation. Countless cures for illnesses as well as very descriptive notes on the illnesses themselves may be of interest to inquiring medical students or professionals studying diseases and their historical diagnosis and treatment.

Meteorologists will encounter almost daily weather reports for the years Kryder served. He mentions at times the effects of the weather conditions on certain illnesses suffered by the men. Genealogists or family historians will have the benefit of encountering dozens of names, especially those of Henry and Huron Counties in Ohio, as Kryder meets them or receives correspondence from them while serving in the Union Army.