New York State Bureau of Military Statistics Administrative Correspondence Files

Arranged by broad topic or function.

The Bureau of Military Statistics was established by Governor Edwin Morgan as a part of the Adjutant-General's Office on December 20, 1862 (Special Orders No. 866).

The Legislature recognized and approved of the bureau in 1863 by passing Chapter 113 which defined its purposes and appropriated $6,000 in order to fulfill its mandate. The specific duties of the bureau consisted of: collecting and preserving in permanent form an authentic sketch of every person who volunteered into the service of the U.S. government since April 15, 1861; recording the services of state regiments including an account of their organization and history; and compiling an account of aid afforded by the towns and counties of the state. These were the basic objects of the bureau but according to its first annual report "every fact relating to the rebellion and especially to the part which New York has taken...is sought for."

The bulk of this series consists of incoming correspondence received by the Bureau of Military Statistics and its successor, the Bureau of Military Record, the latter of which came into being as a result of Chapter 690 of the Laws of 1865.

However, for a number of reasons, the series also contains various types of records created both before and after these dates. These records include incoming correspondence directed to the Governor's Office, 1859-1862; incoming correspondence directed to the Governor's aides-de-camp; questionnaires received from banks concerning amounts of money deposited by soldiers or their families; statements received from district assessors concerning the amount of income taxes assessed; questionnaires received from district Provost Marshalls regarding the draft; correspondence directed to General R.B. Van Valkenburg, Commanding Depot of Volunteers at Elmira; checklists of reports and newspapers received by the bureau; personal histories received from Civil War veterans; rough minutes and correspondence of the "Fireman's Zouave Fund Committee"; poetry; battle reports; correspondence received by Colonel John S. Neville, Superintendent of the N.Y. State Soldier's Depot; and papers, correspondence and orders concerning various volunteer regiments.

The records contained in this series clearly reflect the three basic directives of the bureau as well as the decision of its first chief, Lockwood L. Doty, to acquire everything possible related to the state's participation in the war. Among the broad subject areas dealt with by the files are the raising and equipping of volunteer regiments; appointments of officers to volunteer units; desertions by soldiers; drafting of men to fill quotas; number of men and financial aid provided by counties during the war; and bounties paid to soldiers. The bulk of the files deal mainly with the acquisition of information needed by the bureau in order to perform its duties. Much of the correspondence consists of letters of transmittal from individuals submitting personal histories, photographs, or artifacts; town officials forwarding forms detailing the names of men who served during the war and financial aid provided; or reports from provost marshalls providing data on drafted men. There are checklists detailing the daily and weekly newspapers received by the bureau; names of individuals to whom the bureau could write to obtain relevant information; and towns which have submitted various forms to the bureau.

A significant part of the files consists of correspondence directed to the Governor's office. These files, dating from late 1859 through 1862, were made available to the bureau by the Governor's office. According to the bureau's first annual report, the files were to have been indexed. The files deal with the preparation for public defense and such military affairs as the raising of regiments, applications and appointments to commissions, and claims for services rendered. If an index was prepared for these files, it is not extant.

A4149Series A4149, Telegrams received and sent by the Governor's Office, contains additional correspondence to and from the Governor's Office.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.