urn:taro:utexas.cah.01745 A Guide to the Arthur E. Gentzen Papers, 1898-1975 Original EAD encoding by Jessi Fishman according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. July 2010 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Gentzen, Arthur E. Gentzen, Arthur E. Papers 1898-1975 Materials are written in English. 83-326 1 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin The papers of Arthur Gentzen, Spanish-American War veteran, include a diary concerning his service, Col. Mabry, and points of interest near the camps, as well as an original score and lyrics written by Gentzen. Biographical Sketch

Arthur E. Gentzen (b. ca. 1880) was a soldier in Company G of the First Regiment of the Texas Infantry Volunteers, otherwise known as the San Antonio Zouaves, in the Spanish-American War, 1898. Furthermore, Gentzen wrote an original musical score entitled “I Belong to Uncle Sam,” copyright 1916. He was the father of Esther Gentzen Dunstan.

 Scope and Contents

The Arthur E. Gentzen Papers, 1898-1975, include a diary concerning his service (May 1898-April 1899) in Company G of the First Regiment of the Texas Infantry Volunteers (the San Antonio Zouaves). This diary records daily military life at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas; Camp Coppinger in Mobile, Alabama; Camp Miami, Camp Cuba Libra, and Fort Jefferson in Florida; Camp Onward in Savannah, Georgia; and Camp Columbia, near Havana, Cuba. Furthermore, the diary mentions Colonel Woodford Haywood Mabry (1856-1899), Spanish General Gomez, President McKinley, and points of interest near the camps including Fort Principe, Morro Castle, the wreck of the battleship Maine, and the Colon Cemetery in Cuba.

The collection also contains an original musical score and lyrics of I Belong to Uncle Sam, (copyright 1916) written by Gentzen as well as photographs of Gentzen and his daughter Esther Dunstan. Additionally, the papers include a newspaper clipping with a photograph of the surviving Zouaves in 1935, a plat of Esther's property in San Antonio (1952), and a few of her letters and notes relating to her travels and the disposition of her father's papers (1975).

 Access Restrictions

Unrestricted access.

 Use Restrictions

Unrestricted use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Gentzen, Arthur E., b. ca. 1880--Archives. Mabry, Woodford Haywood Dunstan, Esther Gentzen Subjects (Organizations) United States. Army. Infantry. First Texas Volunteer Regiment Subjects Military bases--United States Music & musicians--Texas Spanish-American War, 1898 Places Camp Mabry (Tex.) San Antonio (Tex.) Havana (Cuba) Preferred Citation

Arthur E. Gentzen Papers, 1898-1975, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

This collection was processed by Steven Perry, July 1987.

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 3C55 Diary and military records, 1898-1899, 1935 3C55 Papers of Esther Gentzen Dunstan, 1952, 1975, and undated 3Y76 Photographs 2.325/V26 Music score, 1916