Newberry Library - William Earl Smith diary, 1876-1877

Title William Earl Smith diary, 1876-1877

Creator Smith, William Earl, 1853?-1909

Date Created 1876-1877

Place United States--Powder River Valley

Summary Diary covering the period Nov. 1, 1876-Jan. 6, 1877. Entries include information about the movement of the 4th Cavalry under Mackenzie and details of the battle with the Cheyenne on Nov. 25, 1876. Also included are Smith's observations of the territory covered and his fellow soldiers.

Biographical/Historical Note Born in Peoria, Ill. in 1853? Enlisted in the Army in 1876 and served for 18 months in Co. E, 4th Cavalry. Was Gen. Ranald S. Mackenzie's orderly during the Sioux campaign of 1876 and thereafter promoted to trumpeter. Promoted to the rank of corporal in 1878. Participated in Gen. Mackenzie's border raid into Mexico in 1878. Deserted October 1878. Court-martialed on desertion charges on April 11, 1879 and sentenced to a 3-year imprisonment at Fort Leavenworth. After his imprisonment he returned to Illinois and worked for the Rock Island Railroad. Died in Chicago in 1909.

Extent 1 v. (16 leaves) ; 32 cm

Format Diaries

Archival Collection Title Everett D. Graff Collection

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Link to Catalog View record

Call Number Graff 5456

BibID 120484

IIIF Resource Type Manifest

IIIF Resource ID https://collections.newberry.org/IIIF3/Presentation/Manifest/2KXJ8ZP7EYX8

Filename 991204848805867_graff_5456

Unique identifier NL112YCO

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