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TABLE OF CONTENTS


Descriptive Summary

Biographical Sketch

Scope and Contents

Organization

Restrictions

Index Terms

Related Material

Administrative Information

Description of Series

Harper, James W., 1878-1989 and undated

Hugh Lenox Scott Family Papers, 1855-1976 and undated

Library of Congress, 1913-1934

United States Army Military History Institute Carlisle Barracks, 1903-1916 and undated

United States Military Academy Library - Special Collections, 1843-1878 and undated

United States National Archive, 1876-1917

University of Texas Library, undated

Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University

James W. Harper:

An Inventory of His Collection, 1848-1989 and undated, at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library



Descriptive Summary

CreatorHarper, James W.
Title:James W. Harper Collection,
Dates:1848-1989 and undated
Abstract:The collection consists of research material on Hugh Lenox Scott collected by Dr. James Harper as preparation for his writings.
Collection #S1291.1
Quantity:4 Boxes (3.5 linear feet)
LanguageEnglish.
Repository:Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University

Biographical Sketch

James Harper is a retired history professor who formerly taught at Texas Tech University. In researching his dissertation, Dr. Harper collected copies of documents pertaining to the military career and personal life of Major General Hugh Lenox Scott and his family. As a professor, Harper's continued research included conducting oral history interviews with some of General Scott's descendents.

Major General Hugh Lenox Scott was born in Kentucky in 1853. An 1876 graduate of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, Scott began his career as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Cavalry on the northern plains. During his time in the west, Scott studied Native Americans and used his knowledge and skill in sign language to promote peaceful relations. He served in the Spanish-American War and assisted in the reconstruction period in Cuba. Other offices held by Scott include Governor of Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines, Superintendent of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, Chief of Staff of the Army, interim Secretary of War, Commandant of Fort Dix, Chairman of the New Jersey Highway Commission, and a member of the Board of Indian Commissioners. Scott's skill as a negotiator helped avert conflict in a number of incidents with Native Americans and with Francisco "Pancho" Villa on the Mexican border. Hugh Lenox Scott married Mary Merrill, daughter of General Lewis Merrill, in 1880. He died in 1934.

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Scope and Contents

The collection contains copies of Dr. Harper's writings on General Scott and notes and materials used in his research. Types of material in the collection include personal and official correspondence, financial material, government reports, news clippings, and printed material. Much of the collection consists of photocopies or microfilm copies of selected material held in other archives or from descendents of Hugh Lenox Scott. Sources of material include the Library of Congress, United States Army Military History Institute - Carlisle Barracks, United States Military Academy Library - Special Collections, United States National Archives, and the University of Texas Library. The source collection and subject of contents is noted on each file and many leaves include additional location information.

The bulk of the collection consists of items from the Hugh Lenox Scott Family papers. In addition to correspondence between Scott family members, the Family papers contain documents and correspondence of the Lewis Merrill family. Scott's wife Mary was the daughter of General Lewis Merrill, a veteran of the Civil War and Indian campaigns in the western United States. Dr. Harper obtained photocopies from originals in the possession of Hugh Lenox Scott II, General Scott's grandson. Some of the correspondence had been arranged in chronological files by Dr. Harper and this arrangement was preserved in the files labeled "General." All the correspondence files contain similar material, comprised mostly of letters between General Scott and his wife Mary. At this time, the Southwest Collection has no confirmation as to the disposition of the original documents in the Hugh Lenox Scott Family papers. Copied microfilm rolls from the United States National Archives and the Library of Congress have been transferred to the Microfilm Collections of the Southwest Collection.

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Organization

The collection is organized into the following series:
James W. Harper (Box 1)
Hugh Lenox Scott Family Papers (Boxes 1-2)
Library of Congress (Boxes 2-3)
United States Army Military History- Carlisle Barracks (Box 3)
United States Military Academy Library- Special Collections (Box 3)
United States National Archives (Boxes 3-4)
University of Texas Library (Box 4)

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open for research

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Index Terms

The subject headings used by the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library are derived from the Library of Congress and/or locally developed.
Subjects (Persons)
Merrill, Lewis
Merrill, Annie
Scott, Hugh Lenox, 1853-1934
Scott, Mary Merrill
Subjects
Scott family--Correspondence
Bliss, Tasker Howard, 1853-1930--Correspondence
Pershing, John J. (John Joseph), 1860-1948--Correspondence
Villa, Pancho, 1878-1923--Correspondence
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924--Correspondence
United States. Army--Officers
United States. Board of Indian Commissioners
United States Military Academy
Indians of North America--Government relations
Military readiness
Spanish-American War

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Related Material

For related materials located in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, see the following collections:

  • Luz Corral de Villa oral history interview (Spanish) [sound recording], conducted by James W. Harper, 1975
  • Sarah Houston Merrill Scott Foulk oral history interview [sound recording], conducted by James W. Harper, 1975
  • Hugh Lenox Scott II oral history interview [sound recording], conducted by James W. Harper, 1975
  • Benjamin Henry Grierson Papers, 1827-1941
  • George Gibson Huntt Papers, 1948-1879

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for material from the Hugh Lenox Scott Family Papers:

James W. Harper Collection, 1848-1989 and undated, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

Preferred citation for material from other collections:

Proper citation information for each identified collection can be found in the database of the source archive. Please refer to the website of the source archive or contact an archivist.

Collection accession #(s):
2002-0220-B

Gift, 2002

Processed by

Karen Hicks, 2004

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Collection Inventory

 

Harper, James W., 1878-1989 and undated

boxfolder
11Correspondence - Harper, James with Hugh Lenox Scott descendents, 1975-1989
2 Genealogical Information - Scott Family, 1908-1981
Literary Production
boxfolder
13Hugh Lenox Scott: Soldier Diplomat, 1876-1917, Harper, James W., unpublished Ph. D. thesis, University of Virginia, 1968
3"The El Paso-Juárez Conference of 1916", Harper, James W., Arizona and the West, Volume 20 Number 3: 231-244, 1978
3"Hugh Lenox Scott y la Diplomacia de los Estados Unidos Hacia la Revolución de Mexicana", Historia Mexicana, vol. XXVII No. 3:427-445, 1978
Printed Material
boxfolder
14"The Army's Legendary Sgt. I-See-O", by Major General Robert P. Hollis, Army, June, 1977
5Re: Court Martial of 1st Lieutenant Charles T. Weatherill, 19th Infantry, ("Goodfellow"), 1878
6Government Reports, 1916-1918
7Hugh Lenox Scott Biographical Information, 1928-1943 and undated
Research Material
boxfolder
18Mexico - General, undated
9Notes: "August Meeting", undated
10Photocopy Orders, 1970-1976 and undated
11Hugh Lenox Scott, "West Point and family", undated
12Sources, 1973 and undated
13Source not known - Re: Naco Agreement, 1914
14Source not known, 1912 and undated
15Spanish-American War, undated

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Hugh Lenox Scott Family Papers, 1855-1976 and undated

Correspondence
boxfolder
116General, 1871
17General, 1872
18General, 1875
19General, 1876
20General, 1878
21General, 1879
22General, 1880
23General, 1881
24General, 1882
25General, 1887
26General, 1888
27General, 1889
28General, 1895
29General, 1899
30General, 1902
31General, 1908
32General, 1910
33General, 1917
34General, 1918
35General, 1919
36General, 1920
37General, 1921
38General, 1922
39General, 1923
40General, 1924
41General, 1925
42General, 1926
43General, 1927
44General, 1928
45General, 1929
46General, 1930
47General, 1931
48General, 1932
49General, 1933
50General, 1934
boxfolder
21Re: "Apache Prisoners", 1911
2To Foulk, Sarah Houston Merrill Scott, 1900-1976 and undated
3Merrill, Annie Houston - General, undated
4Merrill, Lewis from Annie Houston Lewis, 1860-1880 and undated
5Merrill, Lewis to Annie Houston Lewis, 1858-1870 and undated
6Merrill, Lewis - General, 1858-1895
7Merrill Children (Houston, Lulu, and Mary), 1869-1884 and undated
8To Merrill Family Members, 1896-1921
9Re: "Philippines", 1904-1934
10Scott, Anna Merrill, 1900-1916
Scott, Hugh Lenox
boxfolder
211From family, 1871-1900
12To family, 1879-1898
13General, 1869-1932 and undated
14From Merrill, Lewis, 1882-1884
15To Merrill, Lulu, 1891-1910
16Re: Military, circa 1870s-1885
17From Scott, Mary Merrill (Wife), 1883-1933 and undated
18To Scott, Mary Merrill (Wife), 1892-1896
19From Scott, Mary (Mother), 1871-1887 and undated
20To Scott, Lewis Merrill, 1918
21To Scott, Mary Merrill - General, 1895-1940
22To Scott, Mary Merrill -Re: Finances, 1928 and undated
23Miscellaneous, 1860-1883 and undated
24Financial Material - Merrill Family Monthly Accounts, Grocery Purchases, 1887-1888
26Indian Scouts and I-See-O, 1891-1927 and undated
Merrill, Lewis
boxfolder
226Court Martial as United States Military Academy Cadet, 1855
27Genealogy, 1884-1893 and undated
28Miscellaneous Papers, 1880-1891 and undated
29Statement of Military Service, 1937
30Photocopies of Photographs and Clippings, 1904-1932 and undated
31Printed Material - Re: West Point, 1898-1931
Scott, Hugh Lenox
boxfolder
232Efficiency Report, 1890-1899
33Memorial - 1939, 1936-1939 and undated
34Miscellaneous Documents, 1882-1887
35References, 1888
36Transcript of meeting between Sultan and Governor Scott, Jolo, Philippines, 1903

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Library of Congress, 1913-1934

Papers of Newton Diehl Baker, circa 1898-1962
boxfolder
237Correspondence from Hugh Lenox Scott re: Russia, 1917
38El Paso-Juarez Conference, 1916
39Matter of Albert B. Dockery and Charles Young - 10th Cavalry, 1917
Papers of Tasker Howard Bliss, 1870-1930
boxfolder
240Correspondence - various, 1914
41Re: Mexico, 1913-1915
Henry Breckenridge Papers, 1909-1954, n.d. in the Breckenridge Family Collection
boxfolder
242Excerpts from diaries - January 1914-August 1915, 1914-1915
Papers of William Jennings Bryan, 1877-1940
boxfolder
243Re: Mexico, 1914
Papers of James Rudolph Garfield, 1879-1950
boxfolder
244Re: Code, 1915 and undated
45Re: Mexico, 1914-1915
Papers of Robert Lansing, 1831-1935
boxfolder
246Re: German Submarines, 1916
47Re: Mexico and German influence thereof, 1914-1915
48 Re: Vera Cruz, Mexico, 1914
Papers of John J. Pershing, 1882-1971
boxfolder
249Correspondence with Hugh Lenox and Mary Merrill Scott, 1917-1934
50Correspondence with Hugh Lenox Scott re: War Department, 1931
51Re: El Paso-Juarez Conference, 1914-1917
52Re: Mexico, 1914 and undated
Papers of Elihu Root, 1863-1937
boxfolder
253Diplomatic Mission to Russia, 1917
Papers of Hugh Lenox Scott, 1582-1981
boxfolder
254Re: "August Meeting", Telegrams from Francisco "Pancho" Villa, 1915
55"Diary of H. L. Scott, Major General U. S. Army, U. S. Commission to Russia", 1917
56Re: El Paso-Juarez Conference, 1916
57Re: Mexico, 1914-1915
boxfolder
31Re: Philippines, 1916
2Re: Russia, 1917
Papers of John Sharp Williams, 1902-1924
boxfolder
33Matter of Albert B. Dockery and Charles Young - 10th Cavalry, 1917
Papers of Woodrow Wilson, 1786-1957
boxfolder
34Re: Assiniboine, 1915
5Re: El Paso - Juarez Conference, 1916
6Mexican song about Wilson (Spanish and English) with analysis, 1916-1958 and undated
7Re: Mexico, 1913-1915
8Re: Hugh Lenox Scott, Army Chief of Staff, 1915
9Re: Vera Cruz, Mexico, 1914
10Correspondence to Hugh Lenox Scott (Source collection not identified), 1915

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United States Army Military History Institute Carlisle Barracks, 1903-1916 and undated

The Charles and Horace Hobbs Papers, 1864-1945
boxfolder
311Re: The Philippines, 1903-1905 and undated
12Printed Material - Hugh Lenox Scott, undated
Moses Thisted Papers, 1896-1917
boxfolder
313Re: National Guard and Reserve - Mexican Border Duty, 1916
14Various Collections - Re: Mexico, 1911

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United States Military Academy Library - Special Collections, 1843-1878 and undated

Scott, Hugh Lenox, 1855-1934, USMA 1876 Papers
boxfolder
315Correspondence, 1843 and undated
16Correspondence from West Point, 1871-1874
17Correspondence to Mary Scott (Mother) while stationed in the west, 1877-1878
18Correspondence from W. B. S. (brother), 1878

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United States National Archive, 1876-1917

Army War College
boxfolder
319National Army Plan, 1916
20"Office of the Chief of Staff - "The National Army Obtained by Universal Service…", 1917
Records of the Adjutant General's Office
boxfolder
321Re: Apache Indians, 1897-1913
22Re: "Apache Prisoners," 1911
23General Correspondence, 1897-1903
24General Correspondence - Re: Francisco "Pancho" Villa and Mexico, 1914-1916
25General Correspondence - Re: Moqui (Hopi) Reservation School, 1911
26General Correspondence - Re: Navajo Indians, 1913
27General Correspondence - Re: Piute [sic] Indians, 1915
28Re: Operations in the Philippines, 1903-1904
29Report of Field Operations - Philippines, 1905
30Report on Investigation of Actions of Captain Harry O. Williard Re: Navajo Indians, 1908
31Re: Scott, Hugh Lenox, Application for Leave, 1878
32 Re: Scott, Hugh Lenox, Assignment/Appointment, 1876-1917
33Re: Scott, Hugh Lenox, Examination for Promotion and Associated Documents, 1892
34Re: Scott, Hugh Lenox, Service and Efficiency Reports, 1906-1911
35Re: Strength and Organization of the Armed Land Forces, 1915-1916
36Re: Miscellaneous, 1880-1909
Records of the Department of State Relating to Internal Affairs of Mexico, 1910-1929
boxfolder
337Selections from File Number 812.63, Microfilm ID: M274, 1913-1915
Records of the Judge Advocate General's Office
boxfolder
338General Court Martial for Captain C. W. Holsenpiller, 1877
boxfolder
41Court Martial Case of Lieutenant C. J. Witherill, 1877-1878
Records of the United States Military Academy
boxfolder
42Records of the Association of Graduates - News clippings, 1914-1933
Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs
boxfolder
43Correspondence to Hugh Lenox Scott, 1895
4Re: "Apache Prisoners", 1911
5Army War College, 1916
6Army War College - "Schedule of Priority of Shipments", 1917
7Re: Chief of Staff - Duties, 1916
8Kiowa and Comanche Agency, 1894
9Re: Mexico, 1910-1916
10Re: Scott, Hugh Lenox, Chief of Staff of Army, 1914-1916
11Re: Universal Training and Service, 1916
12Re: Villa, Francisco "Pancho" and Mexico, 1915-1917
13World War I, 1917

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University of Texas Library, undated

boxfolder
414Re: Villistas; code, (collection unidentified), undated

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