Scope and Content Note
The papers of Caleb Henry Carlton (1836-1923) span the years 1831-1954, with the bulk of the material from 1844 to 1916. The collection includes notebooks, diaries, family and general correspondence, military papers, financial records, maps and charts, articles by Carlton, and a biography and some letters by his daughter, Mabel Carlton Horner.
The correspondence, diaries, and military papers reveal the life of a cavalry officer in the Civil War and the American Indian wars that followed. During the Civil War, Carlton commanded troops under fire in the Peninsular campaign and at the battles of Yorktown, Mechanicsville, Malvern Hill, and Harrison's Landing. During the Battle of Chickamauga, Carlton and his men were ordered to perform rear-guard action and were captured. After spending five months in Libby Prison, in Richmond, he was exchanged in September 1863. During the Atlanta Campaign, Carlton saw action in the battles of Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta, and Jonesboro. Included in his military papers are documents contemporary to the war as well as recollections of battlefield movements and related matter that he compiled and received after the events.
After the Civil War, Carlton was active in the Plains Wars, including service at Fort Sidney, Nebraska; Camp Auger, Wyoming; Fort Fetterman, Wyoming; Fort Laramie, Wyoming; Fort Washakie, Wyoming; and Fort Sedgwick, Colorado. Diaries and other files document government relations and war with Apache, Cheyenne, Dakota, Ute, and other Native American groups.
Prominent among the correspondents are Generals Thomas John Wood, Henry C. Cook, William T. Sherman, and Matthew H. Wright.