Indiana Historical Society - Manuscripts & Archives
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Historical Sketch
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Cataloguing Information
Processed by:
Ellen Swain
30 June 1992
VOLUME OF COLLECTION: 1 folder
COLLECTION DATE: 1862
PROVENANCE: Julia Sweet Newman, Battle Creek, MI, January 1966
RESTRICTIONS: None
COPYRIGHT: Held by Indiana Historical Society
ALTERNATE FORMAT: None
OTHER FINDING AIDS: None
RELATED HOLDINGS: Gorham, George C. Life and Public Service of Edwin M. Stanton (973.792 S792g)
ACCESSION NUMBER: 66.0102
Edwin McMasters Stanton, son of David and Lucy Norman Stanton, was born in Steubenville, Ohio on December 19, 1814. After attending Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, he was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1836. From 1837-1939, Stanton served as prosecuting attorney of Harrison County Ohio. By 1858, his career had taken him to California where he became state special counsel in land fraud trials.
Stanton is best remembered for his leadership in the Civil War. From December 1860 to March 1861, he served as Lincoln's Attorney General. A strict constitutionalist and unionist, he was appointed Secretary of War in 1862. After Lincoln's death in 1865, Stanton continued in President Johnson's cabinet despite apparent friction. In 1868, he resigned following the acquittal of Johnson in his impeachment trial. For his efforts in Grant's presidential campaign, he was rewarded in 1869 with a nomination to the United States Supreme Court. Stanton did not serve, however, as he died on December 24, 1869 in Washington D.C., shortly after his confirmation.
Source: Who Was Who in America Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: A.N. Marquis, 1963.
The collection contains a telegram, dated June 11, 1862, from Stanton to General George W. Morgan. Sent in response to complaints by the Governor to Indiana Senators about the "wretched" condition of the Forty Ninth Indiana regiment, Stanton asks for a report on the Forty Ninth including number of sick and amount of provisions for medical care.
MAIN ENTRY: Stanton, Edwin McMasters, 1814-1869
SUBJECT ENTRIES: Morgan, G. W. (George Washington), 1820-1893
United States. Army. Indiana Infantry Regiment, 49th (1861-1865)
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Indiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Indiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical care
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