Collection inventory


Special Collections home page

John A. Bogert Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: EFB
Date: Apr 1971



Biographical History

John A. Bogert (circa 1836-?) was a Union soldier, an officer in the 127th New York Volunteer Infantry and a lieutenant colonel in the 103rd Colored Infantry.

Bogert was the son of Jacob C. Bogert of New York City. He enlisted as a private in Company B, 9th Regiment, New York Volunteers Infantry in 1861, rising to corporal (date uncertain). He was promoted to first lieutenant of Company B, 127th New York Volunteers Infantry (1 September 1862) and then to captain (1 May 1863) of the same regiment. Part of his service was spent on the Yorktown Peninsula in Virginia. From there, in the summer of 1863, he was assigned to the forces which were besieging Charleston, South Carolina. This duty involved little if any military action and he spent most of his time on administrative duties. At the end of October 1864 he was assigned to Beaufort, South Carolina, as provost marshal, thus becoming responsible for its government.

On 17 February 1865 he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 103d U.S. Colored Infantry. After the war, while the Union Army was an occupying force in the former Confederate states, Lt. Col. Bogert had governmental duties in both Thomasville and Macon, Georgia. He was discharged at Savannah, Georgia in 1866. His application for membership in the Grand Army of the Republic (a Union veterans' organization) lists his occupation as "marble worker."


Scope and Contents of the Collection

The John A. Bogert Papers consists of correspondence and military records.

Correspondence is, with two exceptions, outgoing from Bogert to his parents. Of the two incoming letters, one (29 Sep 1862) is to then-Captain Bogert from his father Jacob during Bogert's stay at Camp Gurney, near Washington D.C., and the other (21 Oct 1862) is to Bogert from his brother Willie. All but one of Bogert's outgoing letters are dated, although internal evidence suggests that two are dated incorrectly (14 May 1863 mentions the Battle of the Wilderness which in fact took place in May of 1864; Dec 1865 mentions Sherman's presence in South Carolina, suggesting a date of Dec 1864). These two letters are filed under the corrected dates.

The letters contain information regarding family matters, camp life in the army, the siege and bombardment of Charleston, the securing of a regimental chaplain, the formation of a regimental band, escaped slaves, Bogert's duties as provost marshal of Beaufort (South Carolina), the celebration at Fort Sumter of the end of the war, postwar Charleston, and Bogert's responsibilities in charge of the military occupation of Thomasville and Macon, Georgia. Included in the latter is Bogert's account of a violent confrontation between citizens and black soldiers in Macon. A transcript, and occasionally an envelope, accompanies each letter.

The two items in Military records are Bogert's application for membership in the Grand Army of the Republic and the muster-out roll from his promotion to captain in May 1863.


Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is arranged chronologically. Military records are arranged alphabetically by type.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has numerous manuscript collections relating to the U.S. Civil War and to military history in general. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.


Subject Headings

Persons

Bogert family.
Bogert, John A., 1836-

Corporate Bodies

United States. -- Army -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources.
United States. -- Army -- Officers -- Correspondence.
United States. -- Army. -- Colored Infantry Regiment, 103d (1863-1865)

Subjects

Soldiers -- United States.

Places

Macon (Ga.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources.
United States -- History -- Military, To 1900 -- Sources.

Genres and Forms

Letters (correspondence)
Muster rolls.

Occupations

Soldiers.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

John A. Bogert Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase.


Table of Contents

Correspondence

Military records


Inventory