Description:

Americana

A large 4to album consisting of approximately 80 leaves, containing a variety of 19th century prints and ephemera, together with over 40 signatures, the owner of which is identified on the first leaf, in ornate calligraphy, "THE SCRAP BOOK. Elvira F. Smith... JEFFERSON BARRACKS: February 12, 1830." The album was kept by Elvira Loraine Foster Smith (1804-1878), the wife of infantry officer Henry Smith (1798-1847), who was stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri from 1830-1832. The album is mostly disbound but still retains the original marbled boards, most of the pages bear marginal tears and losses together with some light soiling.  Other signatures found in the album include: Daniel Webster ("Danl Webster U.S. Senate"), Rufus King, John C. Calhoun ("J.C. Calhoun"), Timothy Pickering ("Timothy Pickering Secy. of War"), William Eaton ("Your Mo. Obed. Servt, William Eaton"), William Dayton ("Wm Dayton"), Lewis Cass ("Lew Cass"), actor and playwright John Howard Payne ("John Howard Payne") and numerous others.


How Mrs. Smith obtained these signatures is unknown, but it would appear that the signatures, which are mounted in this album, were cut from letters, and probably addressed to her husband. Elvira Smith's husband was an 1815 graduate of West Point who served in a variety of posts, including working as Quartermaster at Sackett's Harbor and Plattsburg, New York from 1819-1822 and in the same capacity at Green Bay, Wisconsin (1822), Fort Brady, Michigan (1822-1823), and Fort Smith, Arkansas, (1823). From 1823 to 1826 he served as an aide-de-camp to General Winfield Scott—and the album includes a signature of Winfield Scott which reads,"Yr friend Winfield Scott."


From October 1830 to December 1832 Henry Smith was posted to Jefferson Barracks where he participated in the Black Hawk War, seeing action at the Battle of Bad Axe River on August 2, 1832. Of tremendous interest is the front of an address panel made out "To Mrs. Elvira F. Smith (care of Capt. H. Smith) Jefferson Barracks (Mo.)" with a lengthy note beneath, presumably in Mrs. Smith's hand identifying it as "a piece of a letter sent from Dixon's ferry during the 'Sac War,' by the hands of Mr. F. St. Vrain U.S. Indian agent: Mr. St. Vrain was killed by the Indians, on his way home, and this letter, with others taken from his pocket and kept by the Indian throughout the campaign - At the battle of Ioway (2nd Aug 1832) the Indian was killed, and this letter found in his pack, and returned, on the spot, top Capt. Smith." On May 23, 1832, General Henry Atkinson (whose signature, "H. Atkinson" is also found in the album) appointed Felix de Hault de Lassus de St. Vrain, U. S. Indian Agent for the Sauk and Fox at Fort Armstrong, to carry dispatches to Galena, Illinois and thence to Fort Armstrong. The following day, St. Vrain and his party were attacked by a party of Winnebago, the Indian Agent and several other were killed (only three made it alive to Galena). The attack became known as the St. Vrain massacre.


Following a stint as an engineer, Smith resigned his commission in 1836 with the rank of captain. When the United States went to war with Mexico, Smith was re-commissioned as a major and staff quartermaster. He died while on duty at Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1847. The album also includes the signature General William G. Belknap (1794-1851) who served in the Mexican War where he served under Zachary Taylor.


Like many journals kept by women of the period, the book contains a plethora of engravings from a variety of sources, as well as other ephemera including a curious ticket to view the French Chambre des Députés.



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