Searles family papers

The Searles family papers is an extensive collection of Civil War era correspondence, with related post-war pension file material. The bulk of the collection consists of a series of more than 100 letters from Alfred and Addison Searles to their father, Elbridge G. Searles.

The Searles brothers served with the 21st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company H, from 1861 through 1864. Their correspondence presents a fairly complete series of communications from pre-war life through their deaths in the service. The collection includes typed transcripts for the entire series of correspondence, with original handwritten letters available for about two-thirds of the items. Those transcripts for which the original is not available are marked as such. The bulk of the correspondence is from Alfred (or signed from both of the brothers). Four of the letters are from Mary Searles to her father-in-law. In almost all cases, the items are addressed to E.G. Searles or the Searles family in general.

With the exception of one item, all the pre-war correspondence concerns the family of Alfred D. Searles and his attempts to establish his family on a homestead in the Fulton County, Ohio area. This correspondence is full of details on farm life in northwest Ohio, including building a house, crop prices, starting a family, and allusions to the political situation.

The letters from the period of the war include correspondence from both Alfred and Addison Searles. The early letters describe training and camp life, health problems, food, and troop movements. As the series of correspondence progresses, there is more mention of the military and political situation. Beginning with the winter of 1861-1862 there are frequent references to the poor health situation of the brothers, with both suffering from chronic colds and coughs. As the time passes there is a noticeable decline of morale in the letters, with statements complaining about the black market, irregularity of mail, pay, and rations. There is also more criticism in the letters concerning the conduct of the war, particularly during the period in early 1863 after the Battle of Stones River. The correspondence after the death of Addison in November 1863 reflects Alfred's despondency and the subsequent decline in his own health, culminating with his death from cholera in July 1864.

The collection includes four letters from Mary, Alfred's wife, to her father-in-law. These items span the period from September 29, 1861, just after Alfred's departure, through to April 17, 1865, after his death. They give a view of life on the homefront, with the attendant difficulties of maintaining the family farm in the face of economic hardship and uncertainty as to Alfred's health and welfare.

As typical soldiers in the 21st O.V.I., the Searles brothers participated in the Battles of Stones River and Chickamauga. A reference to Stones River is found in a letter of June 1863 which also mentions the issue of the Colts Revolving Rifles to the regiment. Both Alfred and Addison wrote individual letters about the Battle of Chickamauga, dated September 24 and October 2, 1863. While neither brother was hurt in the fight, they give detailed descriptions of the actions and losses of the 21st in the battle.

The pension files contained in the collection represent the efforts of Mary Searles to obtain a widow's pension and E.G. Searles' claim for a pension as Addison's father. The files for Phillip and Henry Setzler illustrate the paperwork required to obtain increased disability benefits. The files include copies of individual muster-in and muster-out records, descriptive lists, medicals statements, and affidavits.

When possible, the spelling of the original letters has been maintained, with punctuation added to provide clarity. The letters available as a transcript only are marked as such at the top, with the dates in the inventory enclosed in brackets.