Correspondence

The Orville E. Babcock collections contain a number of diaries and personal effects of Grant's former aide-de-camp. Babcock’s diaries begin in 1863 and continue into 1869 (though missing are the crucial years when he joined General Grant's staff). Babcock records his experiences in Kentucky, Ohio, Washington, DC, Vicksburg, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, before be summoned to Virginia by General Grant. They also contain information about his post-war experiences in Washington as Grant’s aide, including his diaries from his famous mission to Santo Domingo in 1869. This collection also includes correspondence from 1865 to 1884 from Babcock's time as an officer in the Corps of Engineers. The correspondence is primarily to the Felt Family but the collection also contains two letter books from 1863 to 1868, covering Babcock's time prior to joining Grant's staff through the end of the War up to Grant's election as President. The collection also includes a hand-drawn map of where Babcock died, correspondence recounting his death, and pamphlets, speeches, and newspaper clippings about his death. Correspondents include Robert Todd Lincoln, L. S. Felt, and W. P. Smith. The collection was compiled and donated by Merlin E. Sumner to the Ulysses S. Grant Association sometime in the late 1990s.