Scope and Content Note
The papers of Orlando Metcalfe Poe (1832-1895) span the years 1852-1922. The bulk of the collection relates to Poe's Civil War service, his friendship and service as aide-de-camp to General William T. Sherman, and his postwar military and engineering career during 1863-1885. The papers are arranged as Diaries and Notebooks , Family Correspondence , General Correspondence , Special Correspondence , Letterbooks , Miscellany , Addition , Oversize , and Artifacts .
The papers include three diaries and a combination notebook-diary kept by Poe during the Civil War that document progressively more responsible chief engineer service with several commands beginning with the Army of Ohio and eventually encompassing the Western theater under Sherman during campaigns in Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The letterbooks provide Poe's daily record of the Civil War period, his postwar engineering career, and his service from 1873 to 1884 as aide-de-camp to Sherman.
The Family Correspondence includes correspondence of family members Henry Fitzhugh and Rebecca Wise and correspondence relating to the death of Winnifred Poe.
General Correspondence includes letters exchanged with Hartman Bache, Zachariah Chandler, Jacob M. Howard, William F. Raynolds, Charles N. Turnbull, and Robert S. Williamson.
The Special Correspondence consists of letters between Poe and his family and William T. Sherman and his family, including approximately one hundred postwar letters from Sherman to Poe. Included are photocopies of annotations made by Sherman on letters found in the General Correspondence.
The Miscellany includes maps, drawings, reports, and clippings relating to engineering projects Poe supervised after the Civil War, including the Spectacle Reef lighthouse on Lake Huron, the Illinois and Mississippi Canal in Illinois, and the Soo canals at Saulte Ste. Marie, Michigan. Biographical data on Poe can be found in the clippings as well as the biographical material file.
The Addition relates to the deaths of Poe and his son Charles in 1895.