Creator: United States Army. Colored Infantry Regiment, 14th (1863-1866).
Collection number: 4823-z
View finding aid.
Abstract: The 14th Infantry Regiment of United States Colored Troops was organized at Gallatin, Tenn., in 1863. The regiment marched to the relief of Dalton, Ga.; was at the siege of Decatur, Ala.; fought in the battle of Nashville; and served at Chattanooga and in the District of Eastern Tennessee before being mustered out at Greenville in March 1866. Its commanding officers were Brevet Brigadier Generals Thomas J. Morgan (1839-1902) and Henry Clarke Corbin (1842-1909). Account book was kept by Cornelius Ferris, sutler of the 14th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops Infantry between September 1864 and April 1866, ending shortly after the regiment was mustered out. The 369-page ledger begins with an alphabetical list of people who had accounts with him and their military ranks. The rest of the book is organized into lists under each person’s name of items purchased, cost, and date purchased. Also shown is the date and amount the customer paid to balance the account. Several people listed at the end of the book worked for Ferris as cooks; the amount they earned appears along with the record of their purchases. There is also a “mess account.” The ledger lists such purchases as cans of peaches and other fruit, items of clothing, writing paper, spelling books, guns, and circus tickets. On the last page is a three-item list of “books borrowed.” Also included is an enclosed sheet with calculations.
Repository: Southern Historical Collection