Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Amos B. Eaton diary
Date(s)
- 1837-1838 (Creation)
Extent
1 Box
Name of creator
Biographical history
Amos Beebe Eaton was born on May 12, 1806 in Catskill, New York. He graduated from West Point in 1826 and served as a lieutenant of infantry during the Second Seminole Indian War. Eaton was assigned to various garrisons throughout the state, and received a promotion to captain in 1838. During the Mexican War, Eaton served as chief commissary of subsistence in the army of General Zachary Taylor. Promotion to the rank of major followed "gallant and meritorious conduct" at Buena Vista. Eaton then served as commissariat of the Department of the Pacific in San Francisco, California until 1855. His next post, depot commissary at New York City, lasted until 1861.
Eaton's Civil War Service record notes that "millions...passed through his hands in the discharge of the important position committed to him, and in the selection of General Eaton the government was particularly fortunate." In 1864 Eaton was appointed commissary general of the United States Army, and served for a decade with the rank of brigadier general. He retired from military service in 1874, following more than forty-five years of distinguished service. In his later years, Eaton traveled throughout Europe with his wife, and made his home in New Haven, Connecticut, where his son held a distinguished professorship. Eaton died there, presumably of heart disease, on February 21, 1877.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The diary of Amos Beebe Eaton begins on July 31, 1837 and concludes on August 24, 1838. This handwritten journal chronicles an extraordinary year in the life of a young lieutenant who served in the Second Seminole War. The diary contains personal observations, detailed reports on military activities, occasional sketches and drawings, and extensive commentary on the Seminole Indians and life in Florida. All notations are in Eaton's hand, including the transcription of letters and military documents.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open for research.
Physical access
Items from this collection are kept on-campus and may be requested from the first floor Kislak Center in the Otto G. Richter Library at University of Miami.
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Amos Beebe Eaton Finding Aid, Finding Aid © 1998 University of Miami. Requests to reproduce or publish materials from this collection should be directed to asc.library@miami.edu.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Special Collections Digital Collections and Online Exhibits,
Amos Beebe Eaton: A Soldier's Journal of the Second Seminole Indian Wars
Information about related materials is available at http://exhibits.library.miami.edu/Eaton/index.html