Scope and Content Note
The papers of Samuel Cotter Kirkpatrick (1841-1911) span the years 1861-1985, with the bulk of the material dating from 1861 to 1882, and contain mostly correspondence. Half of the material documents Kirkpatrick's service in the 11th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War and includes photographs of Kirkpatrick as a soldier, a drill book, his correspondence to his parents, siblings, and other relatives from the field, and two separate sets of transcripts of those letters compiled and edited by Kirkpatrick family descendants in the twentieth century. These transcript sets also contain photocopies of Kirkpatrick's military pension application, marriage certificate, and other documents, as well as research on the 11th Wisconsin Infantry and on the Kirkpatrick family. Kirkpatrick's letters describe the regiment's location, activities, and condition throughout the war. The regiment fought primarily in the Trans-Mississippi theater and participated in the siege of Vicksburg. Some letters are written on stationery with images of patriotic scenes or geographic locations.
The rest of the collection consists of postwar family correspondence primarily from Kirkpatrick's sister, Isabelle Kirkpatrick Bromely, to her husband, Charles E. Bromely; Kirkpatrick's parents, James Gillham Kirkpatrick Jr. and Caroline Newman Kirkpatrick; siblings Charles Hardin Kirkpatrick, John Newman Kirkpatrick, and Nancy Ellen Kirkpatrick; and others. These letters contain updates on family and friends, accounts of local news, and farming and weather information.