Research Arsenal

06/01/2026

Otis Whitney was born in 1821 in Seneca, New York to Otis Whitney and Betsy (Hawley) Whitney. He married Harriett Newell Barnes in 1854 and the pair moved out west to Iowa. He served as a law clerk and acting justice of the peace until becoming the 1st lieutenant of Company H, 27th Iowa Infantry in the fall of 1862.

After completing its organization, the 27th Iowa Infantry was initially sent to St. Paul, Minnesota, in October, 1862. The journey ended up more perilous than expected. In a letter written on October 15, 1862, Otis Whitney described a serious accident during their voyage north.

“We embarked Sunday morning & had a pleasant trip with some little adventure. Sunday night, just at dark, a snag (a large tree trunk) smashed through the guard deck near the bow of the boat & came very near throwing some of the boys overboard. A few minutes before there were several standing on the very spot where the crash was made. Last night a steamer coming down undertook for some unexplained reason to run our boat down but by the skill of our pilot, we avoided being struck but in doing so, the stern of the boat was thrown so near the shore that a tree on the shore crashed through the side of the boat & tore out the entire side of the barber shop to the great fright of several men who were sleeping on the floor & in chairs. The fright was not without cause as it came near sweeping off several men.”

Read more on the blog!

Otis Whitney was born in 1821 in Seneca, New York to Otis Whitney and Betsy (Hawley) Whitney. He married Harriett Newell Barnes in 1854 and the pair moved out

05/29/2026

For our What's it Wednesday question this week, we asked you what you thought of this gentleman's prominent hat. Here is the rest of the photograph. This is the camp of 110th Pennsylvania Infantry near Falmouth, Va., Dec. 1862.

Do you think he's wearing a modified hardee hat or something else?

Here's a link to the image: https://app.researcharsenal.com/imageSingleView/68135

05/28/2026

In this blog and the next entry, I’ll be going over how to handle, clean, store and digitize your glass plate negatives. Properly caring for these negatives is important to ensure that they continue to survive for decades (and centuries) to come, and so that the image emulsion is not inadvertently damaged by improper storage and handling. Please also consider cataloging your negatives as you go through this process.

In this blog I’ll be going over how to handle and store glass plate negatives. Properly caring for these negatives is important to ensure that they continue to survive for decades (and centuries) to come, and so that the image emulsion is not inadvertently damaged by improper storage and handling.

05/27/2026

For our What's it Wednesday this week, what can you tell us about this hat? Is it a modified Hardee or something else? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

05/26/2026

Constantine Hege was born in 1843 to Solomon Hege and Catharine (Guenther) Hege of Davidson County, North Carolina. The Hege family were Moravians, an early Protestant religion originating from the Bohemian Reformation in the late 1400s. Religiously, they were opposed to war, but nevertheless Constantine Hege was conscripted into Company H of the 48th North Carolina Infantry in the summer of 1862.

Constantine Hege’s letters begin on August 8, 1862 at Camp Holmes outside Raleigh, North Carolina. Though he opens his letter with a description of his trip, from the beginning its clear that he finds camp life difficult and is less than thrilled to be there.

“I enjoyed my ride tolerably well. I saw a great many things that interested me very much. I counted 14 engines at the company shops. I also saw the state house and many other fine buildings. We are now in Camp Holmes about 4 miles from Raleigh. We have good tents and a beautiful grove to camp in. There are also several wells of good water in the camp. We are guarded all round by stout looking guards with muskets well loaded.

I will now tell you what I think of camp life. I think it is a very hard life. We drawed 440 lbs. of flour for 4 days. We also drawed 3 skillets & 1 pot for about 20 men to prepare their victuals in. I do not like such fare nor I am not content at present. I feel very much downcast but I think that several of my tent mates are very nice men and I hope that I can after a while do better if I must stay in camp.”

Read more on the blog!

Constantine Hege was born in 1843 to Solomon Hege and Catharine (Guenther) Hege of Davidson County, North Carolina. The Hege family were Moravians, an early

05/25/2026

Today we celebrate Memorial Day to honor all those who died while in service to their country. Memorial Day's roots go back to Decoration Day, the first of which was observed on May 30, 1868. John Logan, Commander in Chief of the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) issued General Order No. 11 on May 5, 1868 officially designating Decoration Day on a national scale. Logan stated:
"The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”

On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Civil War soldiers buried there. Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and reprised the tradition in subsequent years; by 1890 each one had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Despite this, Southern states, continued to honor the dead on separate days until after World War I.

Following WWI, there was a need to honor fallen American soldiers beyond just the Civil War. The name changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day. For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30th, the date General Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. The change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.

Be sure to take some time to day to remember and reflect on those who gave the supreme sacrifice so that we might be here today and live free.

Images: Burying the dead at Fredericksburg hospital https://app.researcharsenal.com/imageSingleView/67997
and 1907 Decoration Day card

05/22/2026

This week we asked you to identify the item being described in the 1865 Quartermaster Manual. Here is the answer and description:

"Target Practice Books: to have 96 ruled and 4 unruled fly leaves; paper plain, faint lined, paged, and having a printed index, one letter to a leaf, in front part of book, 16 lb. cap; size of paper when folded in book, 8 1/4 inches broad by 13 3/4 inches in length."

05/21/2026

Today, Memorial Day is recognized as the nation’s annual day to honor military personnel who died in service to the United States. Observed on the last Monday in May, the holiday is marked by ceremonies, parades, flags placed on graves, and moments of remembrance across the country. Yet the origins of Memorial Day reach back to the aftermath of the Civil War, when Americans sought ways to mourn the staggering loss of life caused by the conflict. Long before it became a federal holiday, it was known as “Decoration Day,” a tradition centered on decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and memorial tributes.

From Decoration Day to Memorial Day: The Origins of America’s Day of Remembrance. The evolution of a Civil War Memorial to honoring all fallen soldiers.

05/20/2026

For our What's it Wednesday this week, what item is being described here in the Quartermaster Manual?

"to have 96 ruled and 4 unruled fly leaves; paper plain, faint lined, paged, and having a printed index, one letter to a leaf, in front part of book, 16 lb. cap; size of paper when folded in book, 8 1/4 inches broad by 13 3/4 inches in length."

Post your guesses below and check back Friday for the answer!

05/19/2026

We came across this crossed out note in a Descriptive Roll for the 122nd Ohio Infantry. I wonder what the story was there?? Someone was not a fan...😆