Brown, Bergun H. (1839-1922), Papers, 1861-1972 (C3798)

1 volume, photocopied

INTRODUCTION

A collection of letters, diary, service documents, short histories, anecdotes, maps, excerpts from books, and newspaper articles compiled by Guy M. Brown and entitled Bergun H. Brown's Civil War Days. Material concerns Bergun Brown's Civil War service as a private in the 29th Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry; some family history material is also included. Includes photocopies of Brown's manuscript letters and diary, with typescript copies. The annotations, short histories, and anecdotes were written by Guy M. Brown, Bergun's son.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Bergun H. Brown Papers were donated to the State Historical Society of Missouri by Brown's son Guy M. Brown on 17 October 1974 (SHS Accession No. 1098).

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Bergun H. Brown was born in Lyons, Wayne County, New York, March 8, 1839; moved to LaPorte County, Indiana, 1850; and attended LaPorte Seminary and college in Battle Creek, Michigan. He taught school in Indiana and Illinois before enlisting in the 29th Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry in August 1861. Brown was discharged from the service in February 1865; settled in Jasper County, Missouri, 1868; and married Urilla Viele, 1869. After her death he married Martha J. Dinsmore, with whom he had seven children; Brown died March 4, 1922.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

A compilation of original source material including letters, a diary, documents, and historical narratives, the collection presents a vivid picture of a Union soldier's experiences and attitudes throughout the war.

Bergun Brown's letters, written to family members from June 18, 1861, to September 14, 1863, make up the majority of the collection. Arranged chronologically, they are well-written descriptive accounts of his enlistment, training, and camp life; the Battle of Shiloh and its aftermath; his wounding, capture, and recuperation; and the time he spent in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia until his recapture during the Battle of Chickamauga.

Upon his second capture, Brown began a diary he entitled "A Diary of My Trip South--Me as a Prisoner" in which he described his experiences in Confederate prisons in Richmond and Danville, Virginia, until his transfer to Andersonville prison, Georgia. The first entry is dated September 20, 1863; the last is dated February 4, 1864.

Brown's military service records and pension documents consist of a 29th Regiment, Indiana Infantry, Company C muster roll, August 1861-August 1862; an Indiana Adjutant General's record of military service, 1865; a similar certificate dated 1879; a Bureau of Pensions document giving a full military and medical history, 1895; a declaration for pension, 1909; a Bureau of Pensions declaration of family status, 1915; Martha J. Brown's declaration for widow's pension, 1923; and other correspondence with the U.S. government and attorneys concerning Brown's pension, back pay, and bounty, 1896-1907.

Post-war letters (1866-1922) to Brown from friends and family pertain to family business and war experiences.

The collection also includes a narrative account of Brown's Civil War experience written by Guy Brown using the letters and diary as source material, with an extended section on Andersonville prison; a short post-Civil War Brown family history covering settlement near Maple Grove, Jasper County, Missouri, and Brown's marriages and children; and nine anecdotes written by Guy Brown based on his father's reminiscences of the war. They relate to experiences in Confederate prisons, war companions, war mementos, and attempts to receive compensation for war injuries.

Supplementary material includes a bibliography, maps, and excerpts from books and newspapers pertaining to Andersonville prison and the Civil War.

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.

Index Terms	Location
Brown, Bergun Huff (1839-1922)	v. 1 (also pictorial material)
Brown, Guy M.	v. 1
Civil War	v. 1
Civil War--Alabama, Huntsville	v. 1
Civil War--Andersonville Prison	v. 1
Civil War--Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, 1862	v. 1
Civil War--Correspondence	v. 1
Civil War--Diaries	v. 1
Civil War--Indiana. Infantry, 29th Regiment, Company C	v. 1
Civil War--Military life	v. 1
Civil War--Mississippi, Corinth	v. 1
Civil War--Prisoners and prisons	f. 24, 25, 210, 282; v. 1
Diaries	v. 1
Diaries--Civil War	v. 1
Luetjens, Elisabeth Anna (1871- )	v. 1
Tennessee, Capitol Building, Nashville	v. 1