Manuscript Division Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough Papers

Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough Papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS23044

Scope and Content Note

The papers of Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough (1805-1877) span the years 1797-1874 and include correspondence, military records, financial papers, printed material, illustrations, and other material relating to his career in the United States Navy.

The collection is organized in five series: Correspondence and Other Papers , Letterbooks , Military Papers , Miscellany , and Oversize . Included is an account of the capture of Castillo de San Juan De Ulúa during the Mexican War in 1847, the capture of John H. Surratt, and Goldsborough’s work as superintendent of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, 1853-1857. Also included are items from the Civil War relating to the blockade of Charleston Harbor, General Ambrose Everett Burnside’s Roanoke Island expedition, operations on the James River, the scuttling of the Merrimack, Goldsborough’s command of the Minnesota in Hampton Roads, Virginia, while awaiting an expected second attack of the Virginia, and visits to the front lines by Abraham Lincoln and members of his cabinet. A draft of a letter from Stephen Decatur to James Barron which led to a challenge and duel is also included.

Correspondents include Jeremiah S. Black, J. L. Cabell, Salmon P. Chase, John J. Crittenden, Samuel Francis Du Pont, Edward Everett, Gustavus Vasa Fox, John Lothrop Motley, Joseph Smith, Josiah Tatnall, A. P. Upshur, Gideon Welles, and Charles Wilkes

Dates

Creation: 1797-1874

Language of Materials

Collection material in English.

Access and Restrictions

The papers of Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.

Copyright Status

The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).

Biographical Note

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1805, Feb. 18: Born, Washington, D.C.
1812: Received a midshipman’s warrant, United States Navy
1816: Began service as a midshipman, United States Navy
1823 - 1824: Acting lieutenant, United States Navy
1825: Commissioned lieutenant
1827 - 1829: Served in the Mediterranean in command of four ships
1830: Given charge of the newly created Depot of Charts and Instruments (of which he was the originator), Washington, D.C.
1831: Married Elizabeth Gamble Wirt
1833: Commanded mounted volunteers in Seminole War
1841: Promoted to commander
1843 - 1846: Stationed at Portsmouth, N.H.
1845: Published A Reply by L. M. Goldsborough to an Attack Made upon the Navy of the United States by Samuel E. Coures, President of the Peace Society . Portsmouth, N.H.: C. W. Brewster
1848: Published, Letter to John Y. Mason, Secretary of the Navy, Concerning the Assignment of Rank to Medical Officers and Pursers . Washington, D.C.
1849 - 1850: Senior naval member of a commission which explored California and Oregon
1853 - 1857: Superintendent, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
1855: Promoted to captain
1859 - 1861: Commanded Brazil Squadron
1861: Took command of Atlantic Blockading Squadron
1862: Promoted to rear admiral
1862: Cooperated with Union General Ambrose Burnside in capture of Roanoke Island, N.C.
1862 - 1865: Performed administrative duties, Washington, D.C.
1865: Took charge of European Squadron
1868: Stationed in Washington, D.C.
1873: Retired from United States Navy
1877, Feb. 20: Died, Washington, D.C.

Extent

8,000 items
27 containers
2 oversize
7 linear feet

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Additional Description

Abstract

Naval officer. Correspondence, military records, financial papers, printed material, illustrations, and other papers concerning Goldsborough's career in the United States Navy.

Arrangement of the Papers

This collection is arranged in five series:

Catalog Record

https://lccn.loc.gov/mm81023044

Provenance

The papers of Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough were purchased by the Library of Congress in 1917.

Microfilm

Selected documents relating to the Civil War have been included in A People At War , a microfilm edition issued by Chadwyck-Healy, 1989-1990.

Online Content

The Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough Papers are available on the Library of Congress Web site at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000105.. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the online edition as available.

Other Repositories

Other collections of Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough material are in the New York Public Library, New York, N.Y., and the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.