Guide to the Alexander Simms Buchanan Civil War Collection, 1861-1928
Alexander Simms Buchanan Civil War Collection, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine
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Alexander Simms Buchanan was born February 19, 1840, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he enlisted as a private in Company K of the 3rd U.S. Reserve Corps in 1861. When his three months of duty ended, Buchanan re-enlisted in Company C, of the 10th Missouri Volunteers, and was made 2nd lieutenant; he was later promoted to 1st lieutenant. In July, 1862, he was appointed aide-de-camp to Brig. General J.C. Sullivan, commanding the 3rd Division of the Army of the Mississippi. He participated in various Civil War battles, including Vicksburg, Harper's Ferry, and the Battle of Iuka, during which his horse was shot dead from under him and the tip of his scabbard was shot away. Throughout his military career, Buchanan frequently associated with Generals Grant, Sherman, and McPherson. Buchanan died in 1918.
Contains documents and realia pertaining to the Civil War, including an album containing a signed photograph of Abraham Lincoln, original military documents, clippings, and ephemera. Also included in the collection is a signed photograph of General Ulysses S. Grant and a whiskey glass used by Grant, and Buchanan's buttons and spurs.
Album
Buchanan, A.S.: framed image
"Crisis, The:" correspondence concerning
Buttons from Civil War vest
Spurs
Whiskey glass used by General Grant
Grant, Ulysses S.: signed photograph [framed]