Charles Augustus Ropes Dimon papers

The Charles Augustus Ropes Dimon Papers contain correspondence and documents pertaining to Dimon's military career, particularly his recruitment of "Galvanized Yankees" in Maryland and Virginia and his subsequent command of Fort Rice in Dakota Territory. The papers cover the period from 1864 to 1907, but the bulk of material dates from 1864 and 1865.

The papers are arranged in three series. Series I, Correspondence, is contained in Boxes 1 and 2. Boxes 3 to 6 house Series II, Military Papers, and Box 7 holds Series III, Other Papers. Oversize material is located in Box 8.

Series I, Correspondence , contains chronologically arranged correspondence covering a variety of military and family subjects. In addition to Dimon, correspondents include General Benjamin Butler, General John Pope, General Alfred Sully, and Captain Benjamin Dimon, Charles's younger brother. The recruitment of Confederate prisoners of war for the United States Army and the establishment of the 1st United States Volunteer Infantry are discussed in Dimon's early correspondence. In a letter of March 19, 1864 to General Butler, Dimon suggested designating the recruited prisoners' regiment as Infantry to encourage more enlistments. General Butler complied with Dimon's request and established the regiment under Dimon's command. Dimon also discussed the defense of Norfolk-Portsmouth, the dangers of smallpox, scurvy, and scarlet fever.

In later letters Dimon described the transporting of troops to Fort Rice, a desolate outpost, located in the driest part of Dakota territory. Scurvy, due to lack of fresh vegetables, was rampant and Dimon also wrote about health problems caused by extreme cold weather. In correspondence with General Sully, official policies concerning friendly and hostile Indians are discussed. Dimon was ordered to protect friendly Indians, to encourage trade, and to deliver swift retribution in case of attack. Dimon discussed the use of Indian scouts for mail and reconnaissance. Other topics addressed include the sale of whiskey and ordnance to the Indians, attack by hostile Indians, ongoing peace negotiations, and fights among various Indian tribes.

As commander of Fort Rice, Dimon was responsible for ordnance supplies, and his letters frequently refer to discrepancies between his records and those of the War Department. He mentioned court-martial proceedings, specifically the execution of a deserter, Private William Dowdy. Dimon also touched on such issues as the breadth of martial law at Fort Rice, the condition of neighboring forts, and steamship traffic along the Missouri River.

Dimon's correspondence with his family and fiancée, Sarah Braden, covers the social life of Salem and Lowell, Massachusetts, the death of their friend Captain Wheeler, and the end of Dimon's engagement to Sarah Braden. Dimon and his brother, Benjamin, who was stationed at Fort Berthold, Dakota Territory, discussed the poor conditions of that fort, peace negotiations with the Indians, and the maintenance of peaceful and lawful trade.

Series II, Military Papers , contains a variety of official papers covering Dimon's service in Virginia and North Dakota in 1864 and 1865. Papers concerning the court-martial of Enoch A. Adams include charges, specifications, and minutes of proceedings; Adams, editor of the Frontier Scout at Fort Rice, was charged with slandering Dimon, encouraging soldiers to desert, and frequenting a house of "ill-fame." Also included are charges, specifications, and minutes of Private Dowdy's court-martial. The depositions provide additional information relating to court-martials. A mutilated issue of Frontier Scout, Vol. I [No. 2], is included.

The maps detail winter routes between Fort Rice and Fort Sully and distances between other Dakota Territory forts. The map of Nebraska, Dakota Territory, and Montana marks the locations of United States military posts. Also included are ground and building plans for Fort Rice.

Dimon's memorandum books contain lists of steamship arrivals and departures, notations on mail delivery, and a handful of daily entries. The muster rolls list members of companies B, C, D, E, H, and K of the 1st United States Volunteer Infantry for 1864 and 1865. The forms indicate enlistment date, location of enlistment, years in service, and last day of pay.

General and special orders document the purpose and intent of the military presence in Dakota Territory. Orders from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina, Department of Norfolk-Portsmouth, Department of the North West, and printed orders from the United States War Department are included. Internal regimental orders issued by Dimon also appear. Ordnance records are found in a variety of forms, including abstracts, inventories, invoices, quarterly returns, receipts, and requisitions. Together these records provide information on the ordering and shipping of supplies, supplies held in store, and procedures for distribution and return of supplies. The records include documentation from Norfolk, Virginia, and Fort Rice. Dimon maintained a journal and kept some cryptic notes on a raid he led outside Norfolk, Virginia. Also included in the series are quartermaster store records and miscellaneous receipts from Norfolk and Fort Rice.

Series III, Other Papers , is arranged alphabetically by material type and spans the dates 1864-1907. Dimon's commission as brevet brigadier general and his official discharge are filed here. An unsigned essay, "Disloyal Preaching," chastises ministers who did not uphold constitutional principles. A copy of the Journal of the Military Service Institute, 1907, contains an obituary of Thomas Howard Ruger. Dimon's lecture, "Army life Among the Hostile Indians in Dakota Territory, 1864-1865," includes reminiscences of his Fort Rice command. A memorandum, prepared after Dimon's death, provides a detailed biography of Dimon's military and civilian careers. Also present are two works by Enoch G. Adams, "Wilderness [Expressions]," and an untitled poem.