United States. Army. Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, 10th records

The Charles Saeltzer Collection consists of 1 box of 49 folders filled with the records of the 10th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. The source of these records are the official orders, circulars, and correspondence collected by Charles Saeltzer, Quartermaster for Company "K" of the 10th O.V.C. The papers cover the time periods late 1863 through 1865. Given the fact that the main source for this collection was the Quartermaster, naturally most of the records found in this collection pertain to the logistical functions of this position. Specifically, the papers in this collection focus on information regarding the administration of supplies, stores, and logistics of the 10th O.V.C.

The official documents of this collection include circulars, correspondence, financial documentation, general orders, special orders, stores and supplies, and the records of troops/units. Additionally, a miscellaneous section is also included that entail a miscellaneous compilation of random notes, parts of orders, other unknown information, as well as a humorous letter written by Saeltzer to an unidentified person regarding an ambiguous social encounter in the form of a military report, with vaguely lewd overtones.

The circulars included in the collection illustrate the impetus to reform of the organization practices of requisition and logistical supply, as well as the danger posed to the horses in the regiment, and information regarding an investigation of soldier insubordination.

Correspondence in the collection includes information on the process of promotion, transfer, and appointment of soldiers in the army. Moreover, it illustrates the needs of the regiment with respect to logistical supply, including ordnance, horses, clothing, and other equipment.

The financial documents are also a valuable source to the researcher. It is in these documents that official indication of the economic means available to realization of logistical sufficiency can be found. Records are kept of expenditures, indemnity bonds, charges on muster and pay roll, and vouchers. All of these indicate the economic resources available to such a regiment.

The general orders in this collection also center on the logistical situation of the regiment. Specifically, these orders do much to illustrate the persistent need for better organization in terms of record-keeping. Moreover, these orders are a good source for identifying the procedures used for daily drill by the regiment.

The special orders in this collection are orders delegated to Saeltzer with a specific action in mind. These orders focus on the promotion, appointment, and transfer of individual soldiers, and the initiation of an investigation into various events. This section of the collection is pertinent to the identification of the process by which troops are transferred, appointed, and promoted to positions as well as efforts to maintain the integrity of the unit.

The stores and supplies included in this collection are extremely useful to the identification of the clothing, ordnance, and other stores necessary to the sustenance of the regiment. Specifically, a record can be found of clothing, ordnance, ammunition, and horses available to the unit.

The records of troops in the unit are a good genealogical source and illustrate a rather complete record of the troops that were a part of the regiment. Moreover, they also provide an excellent corresponding source to follow the movement of troops in and out of the unit as indicated by the transfer, promotion, etc. records of the other sections of the collection.

The miscellaneous section of this collection contains a number of things that could be deemed useful by the researcher. However, due to their brevity, an accurate depiction of the subject and relation to the rest of the collection requires extensive study. Moreover, the humorous letter found here is an interesting doorway into the bawdy humor that may have been prevalent among the regimental soldiers during the Civil War.