John Salmon Ford:
An Inventory of the John Salmon Ford Papers at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 1838, 1844, 1858-1866, 1869-1876, 1883-1896, undated, bulk 1861-1865
Overview | ||
| Creator: | Ford, John Salmon. | |
| Title: | John Salmon Ford papers | |
| Dates: | 1838, 1844, 1858-1866, 1869-1876, 1883-1896, undated | |
| Dates: | bulk 1861-1865 | |
| Abstract: | The bulk of the papers consist of military correspondence between John Salmon (Rip) Ford and fellow Confederate Army officers in the field and copies of Ford’s published memoirs; there is also a small selection of personal correspondence from his post-army career. Also present are troop and barracks records from Ford’s time in the Confederate Army, including the proceedings of an 1864 court martial, certification of company officer elections, furlough lists, supply and weapons invoices, scout reports, and general and special orders issued by Ford and his subordinates. Materials date 1838, 1844, 1858-1866, 1870-1876, 1883-1896, undated. The collection highlights the prosecution of early to mid-nineteenth century warfare generally due to its many and detailed descriptions of battle—from those of the Texas War of Independence to the American Civil War—as well as the abundance of military records the collection contains. The Ford papers have been almost entirely transcribed and bound or copied as Photostats; very little original material remains. | |
| Quantity: | 4.45 cubic ft. | |
| Language: | These materials are written predominately in English with scattered Spanish throughout. | |
| Repository: | Texas State Archives | |
Biographical Sketch
John Salmon (Rip) Ford, born in 1815, was a soldier and political figure in the Texas Republic and the state. Over the course of his military career he fought in the Texas Revolution from 1836 to 1838, served as a captain in the Texas Rangers from 1850 to 1851, and was a colonel of the Second Texas Cavalry from 1862 to 1865 during the Civil War. Politically he was active both nationally and locally, serving as a United States congressman in 1844 and as a Texas state senator in 1852 and again from 1876 to 1879. Ford also edited newspapers in Brownsville and Austin, was a superintendent of what would become the Texas School for the Deaf, and a charter member of the Texas State Historical Association. He died in 1897.
Source: The Handbook of Texas Online, John Salmon (Rip) Ford, accessed August 2011.
Scope and Contents of the Papers
The bulk of the papers consist of military correspondence between John Salmon (Rip) Ford and fellow Confederate Army officers in the field and copies of Ford’s published memoirs; there is also a small selection of personal correspondence from his post-army career. Also present are general and special orders, and troop and barracks records primarily from the Civil War period (1860-1865); the collection as a whole is dated 1838, 1844, 1858-1866, 1870-1876, 1883-1896, undated. The correspondence consists of letters to officers of other regiments in the field discussing troop movements, supply chains, spies in Matamorus, Mexico, and other military matters. Personal post-Civil War correspondence details family matters and wartime reminiscences. Correspondents include Santos Benavides, Captain John J. Dix, and Governor Pendleton Murrah. Ford’s seven-volume memoirs cover his family history and his career from 1851 to 1883 and include descriptions of the battle of the Alamo, several Indian wars in which Ford fought as a Texas Ranger, Ford’s Civil War service, and his political and editorial activities thereafter. General and special orders date from April 1863 to January 1865 and cover everything from basic troop discipline to military policy and marching orders. Troop and barracks records date from 1861 to 1865 and consist of officer election certifications, court martial proceedings, weapons, supply and property invoices and receipts for Ringgold Barracks, troop passport lists and furlough letters, a list of general staff in the battalion of George H. Giddings, Ringgold Barracks guard reports, reports from army scouts and spies, printed military orders from headquarters in Houston, Shreveport, Galveston and Brownsville, and some special orders and photocopied mail route maps.
The collection contains three complete sets of Ford’s memoirs and also duplicate sets of bound correspondence and general and special orders.
Organization of the Records | ||
| These papers are maintained as received, arranged in three series and four subseries by record type; subseries are arranged in ascending chronological order from the earliest start date. | ||
| Correspondence, 1838, 1844, 1858-1866, 1870-1876, 1883-1896, undated, 2.23 cubic feet | ||
Military records, 1863-1865, undated, 1.11 cubic feet
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| Memoirs, about 1883, 1.11 cubic feet | ||
Restrictions
Restrictions on Access
Materials do not circulate, but may be used in the State Archives search room. Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members.
Restrictions on Use
Under the Copyright Act of 1976 as amended in 1998, unpublished manuscripts were protected at a minimum through December 31, 2002 or 70 years after the author’s death. Researchers are responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Technical Requirements
None.
Index Terms | ||
| The terms listed here were used to catalog the records. The terms can be used to find similar or related records. | ||
| Personal Names: | ||
| Benavides, Santos, 1823-1891. | ||
| Dix, John J., 1826-1910. | ||
| Murrah, Pendleton, 1824-1865. | ||
| Family Names: | ||
| Ford family. | ||
| Subjects: | ||
| Military history--Texas. | ||
| Soldiers—Confederate States of America—Correspondence. | ||
| Soldiers—Texas—Correspondence. | ||
| Places: | ||
| Texas—History—19th Century. | ||
| Texas—History—Civil War, 1860-1865. | ||
| Texas—History—Revolution, 1835-1836. | ||
| Texas—History—Republic, 1836-1846. | ||
| Texas Rangers—History—19th Century. | ||
| Confederate States of America—Army—Military life—History—Sources. | ||
| Confederate States of America—Army—Texas Cavalry Regiment, 2nd. | ||
| Brownsville (Tex.). | ||
| Galveston (Tex.). | ||
| Houston (Tex.). | ||
| San Antonio (Tex.). | ||
| Shreveport (La.). | ||
| Matamoros (Tamaulipas, Mexico). | ||
| Document Types: | ||
| Correspondence--Military history--Texas--1838, 1844, 1858-1866, 1870-1876. | ||
| Invoices--Texas--Military history--Texas--1861-1865. | ||
| Logs (records)--Military history--Texas--1861-1865. | ||
| Memoirs--Military history--Texas--about 1883. | ||
| Military maps--Military history--Texas--1864-1865. | ||
| Military records--Military history--Texas--1838, 1844, 1858-1866, 1869-1876. | ||
| Orders (military records)--Military history--Texas--1860-1865, 1869. | ||
Related Material
The following materials are offered as possible sources of further information on the agencies and subjects covered by the records. The listing is not exhaustive. |
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| Texas State Archives | ||
| Captain John J. Dix papers, 1860-1928, 1.41 cubic ft. | ||
| Texas Governor Pendleton Murrah records, 1863-1865, 1.65 cubic ft. | ||
| Briscoe Center for American History | ||
| John Salmon "Rip" Ford papers, circa 1836-1896, 1.5 linear ft. | ||
| Haley Memorial Library and History Center | ||
| The John S. Ford papers in the Texas Confederate Museum Collection. | ||
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
(Identify the item and cite the series), John Salmon Ford papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession Information
Accession number: 1964/196
These papers were donated to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by Sam Lanham on June 2, 1965, and by other, earlier, unknown donors.
Processing Information
Bulk of the collection initially processed by State Archives staff in the late 1930s.
DACS-compliant finding aid and XML markup completed in August 2011 by student volunteer, Chloe Edwards.
Appraisal Information
These papers were appraised by State Archives staff in the late 1930s.
Detailed Description of the Papers