Descriptive Summary
Brackett, Albert G. (Albert Gallatin), 1829-1896
Albert G. Brackett Letters
1846-1863
Materials are in English.
Doc 5173
32 items (32 folders)
Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas
Albert Gallatin Brackett (1829-1896) was a career soldier and military officer who served in the Mexican War, the Civil War, and Indian conflicts in Texas and other Western states.
The bulk of the letters in the collection are from Albert G. Brackett to family members. They contain comments on military life and descriptions of family matters.
Biographical Note
Albert Gallatin Brackett was born on 1829 February 14 in Cherry Valley, Otsego County, New York. He moved to Indiana in 1846 and volunteered for service in the Mexican War. As an officer in the 4th Indiana Volunteers, Brackett participated in campaigns in Huamantla, Puebla, and Atlixco. Following his discharge, he returned to Indiana and began a medical practice. In 1855 Brackett resumed a military career as a captain in the U.S. Cavalry and served on the Texas frontier. He left Texas upon the surrender of federal troops in 1861 and served in the Union army throughout the Civil War, rising to the rank of colonel. After the war, Brackett participated in Indian wars in the West and returned to Texas again as commander of Fort Davis. He retired from the Army in 1891. Brackett died in Washington, D.C., on 1896 June 25 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Brackett was the author of two books that drew on his military experience:
General Lane’s Brigade in Central Mexico (1854) and History of the United States Cavalry (1865). In 1853 he married Martha Briggs, with whom he had a son. After their divorce in 1867, he married Rose Knight.
Scope and Content Note
The bulk of the items in the Albert G. Brackett Letters are from Brackett to family members. His Mexican War letters contain descriptions of Texas and Mexico, comments on military life, and references to battles, written as he moved from camp on the Rio Grande to Puebla, Jalapa, Puebla, Perote castle, and Huamantla. He includes some battle descriptions and mentions many of his fellow soldiers and the officers commanding them, including Samuel Walker and commanding general Joseph P. Lane. Post-war letters from his residence in Indiana and Illinois primarily deal with family matters. His letters from Texas date from 1856 to 1860, following the resumption of his military career, and describe scouting expeditions, his fellow soldiers, and family matters. Written from Fort Mason, Fort Clark, Fort McIntosh, and Camp Hudson, Brackett's letters also mention such notables as Albert Sidney Johnston, Robert E. Lee, John B. Magruder, and Charles E. Travis.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions. The collection is open for research.
Usage Restrictions
Please be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel.
Related Materials
Albert G. Brackett Papers on Military History, BANC MSS C-E 64:28-32, University of California at Berkeley, The Bancroft Library, Berkeley, California.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Albert G. Brackett Letters, 1846-1863, Doc 5173, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Margaret Beach Anderson, 1949.
Processing Information
Processed by Warren Stricker, 1996.
Finding aid edited and encoded by Caitlin Donnelly, 2010 July.
Index Terms
Personal Names
Brackett, Albert G. (Albert Gallatin), 1829-1896.
Brackett family.
Johnston, Albert Sidney, 1803-1862.
Lane, Joseph, 1801-1881.
Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870.
Magruder, John Bankhead, 1807-1871.
Travis, Charles Edward, 1829-1860.
Walker, Samuel Hamilton, 1817-1847.
Organizations
United States. Army--Military life.
United States. Army. Cavalry, 2nd. United States. Army. Indiana Volunteers, 4th.
Subjects
Mexican War, 1846-1848--Campaigns--Mexico--Sources.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence.
Locations
Camp Hudson (Tex.)
Fort Clark (Tex.)
Fort McIntosh (Tex.)
Fort Mason (Mason, Tex.)
Mexico.
Texas--History--Early statehood, 1846-1865--Sources.
Genres/Formats
Personal papers.
Correspondence.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Albert G. Brackett Letters,
1846-1863
The letters are arranged chronologically.
1
John Ely, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mrs. James Brackett, Cherry Valley, New York, 1846 November 10.
2
James Brackett, Springfield, New York, to Lyman and Albert G. Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1846 December 1.
3
Albert G. Brackett, Steamboat Gen. Hamer, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1847 June 28.
4
Albert G. Brackett, Boco [sic] del Rio, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1847 July 22.
5
Albert G. Brackett, near Mier, Mexico, to James Brackett, Cherry Valley, New York, 1847 August 16.
6
Albert G. Brackett, Mouth of the Rio Grande, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1847 September 5.
7
Albert G. Brackett, Puebla, Mexico, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1847 October 29.
8
Albert G. Brackett, Puebla, Mexico, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1847 December 12.
9
Albert G. Brackett, Napaloucan, Mexico, to Charles Brackett, 1848 May 24.
10
Albert G. Brackett, Madison, Indiana, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1848 July 12.
11
Albert G. Brackett and James Brackett, Cherry Valley, New York, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1848 August 25.
12
Albert G. Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, to James and E.M.B. Brackett, 1849 January 1.
13
Albert G. Brackett, Springfield, New York, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1849 July 23.
14
Albert G. Brackett, Rock Island, Illinois, to Margaret Brackett, 1851 February 15.
15
Albert G. Brackett and Mattie T. Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, to Eliza Brackett, Hartford, Connecticut, 1853 July 21.
16
Albert G. Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, to Eliza Brackett, Hartford, Connecticut, 1853 August 4.
17
Albert G. Brackett, Charles Brackett, and Mattie G. Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, to Eliza Brackett, 1853 August 22.
18
Albert G. Brackett, Fort Mason, Texas, to Charles Brackett, 1856 February 1.
19
Albert G. Brackett, Fort Mason, Texas, to Charles Brackett, 1856 May 7.
20
Albert G. Brackett, Fort Clark, Texas, to Charles Brackett, 1856 September 25.
21
Albert G. Brackett, Fort Clark, Texas, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1856 November 19.
22
Albert G. Brackett, Nueces River, Texas, to Charles Brackett, 1857 January 3.
23
Albert G. Brackett, Fort McIntosh, Laredo, Texas, to Charles Brackett, 1857 June 8.
24
Albert G. Brackett, Fort McIntosh, Laredo, Texas, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1857 July 26.
25
Albert G. Brackett, Camp Hudson, Texas, to Charles Brackett, 1858 September 1.
26
Albert G. Brackett, Camp Hudson, Texas, to M.T. Brackett, 1858 September 29.
27
Albert G. Brackett, Camp Hudson, Texas, to Charles Brackett, 1858 October 2.
28
Albert G. Brackett, Camp Hudson, Texas, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1858 October 26.
29
Albert G. Brackett, near Edinburgh, Texas, to Martha T. Brackett, Rock Island, Illinois, 1860 August 4.
30
[Mattie T. Brackett], Rock Island, Illinois, to [Charles Brackett?], incomplete, 1860 August 28.
31
Albert G. Brackett, near Edinburgh, Texas, to Charles Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1860 September 14.
32
Albert G. Brackett, St. Louis, Missouri, to Margaret Brackett, Rochester, Indiana, 1863 March 28.