M.C. Foote, 9th US Infantry, Archive Documenting Service in Alaska and the American West, Ca 1866-1871, Including U.S. Grant Signed Appointment for Fi

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Jun 12, 2015 - Jun 13, 2015

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• Lot Description
  Lot of approx. 45 items, featuring 2 diaries, 35 loose letters, documents, orders, telegrams, and related imprints, including:
  
  Commission for Captain by brevet, June 8, 1866.
  
  Commission, 2^nd Lieut. 9^th Regt. US Infantry [move from volunteer to regular forces] June 5, 1866.
  
  Letter to mother, Dec. 29, 1866 explaining how they had to cross the Isthmus of Panama before the construction of the canal.
  
  Several orders, some associated with southern California, some with Camp Ruby, Nevada.
  
  Military Division of the Pacific, Gen. Ord. No. 26, San Francisco, Cal., September 23, 1867 – I. The following treaty, concerning the cession of the Russian Possessions in North America by His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias to the United States of America is published for the information of all concerned...
  
  HQ Department of the Platte, Omaha, NE Aug. 6, 1870, Spec. Ords. No 141 - leave of absence for M.C. Foote, also one from Army HQ in Washington about the same leave.
  
  Aug. 20, 1867 – Appointment for Morris C. Foote as 1^st. Lieut. in the 9^th Infy. Signed U.S. Grant as Commanding General of the Army. Should the Senate consent in their next session.
  
  Commission dated June 26, 1868, Washington, Adjutant General’s Office.
  
  Letter of acceptance of the commission dated Sitka, Alaska Ter. Sept. 12^th 1868.
  
  Report of two men from 9^th Regt. Who died of Cholera 5 Jan 1867 and a long report, Angel Island, San Francisco Harbor, Cal., Jan. 26^th 1867 – Left with 350 recruits from New York to Nicaragua on the Steamship San Francisco. A group of 350 recruits for the 8^th US Cav. was still at Greytown a month after they arrived, having missed their connection with the steamer on the Pacific. Cholera was prevalent among them. He then lists those who died or were left behind in the hospital.
  
  Pocket journal, leather, 3.5 x 5.5 in., only about ¼ filled in, starts Dec. 1866 to Nov. 3, 1867. Most concerns the trip from NY through Isthmus to Angel Island, then to Camp Ruby, Nev. And back to San Francisco. Boarded steamer for Sitka. Arrived Oct. 30.
  
  Second journal, approx. 8.5 x 13 in. paper label on front Journal. From December 1, 1867 to December 31, 1871 Captain Morris C. Foote, U.S. Army. Inside pages are different sizes, some only 8.5 x 9.5 in. or so.
  
  Dec. 2 (1867) - This is a "Saints day" among the Russians; they have about two Saints, or holy days a week here, and all hands get drunk, this city manage to get drunk for or five times a week, as they make a practice of doing so every Saturday and Sunday anyway…  [D]runken rows are a common occurrence here and will continue to be so, I am afraid until the General prohibits the sale of all liquors, especially the rum of this fur company. Most all of these people, when they are in trouble rush into my room, I presume because it is a firs floor, front room, it is getting to be quite annoying.
  
  Dec. 10, 1867 – Received today a dog, color black, breed Newfoundland and some cross unknown, name “Boatswain.” It was present to me by Lieut Livermore 2^nd Arty., to whom it was presented at Victoria, B.C.
  
  Dec. 26 – One of the men of Co “H” was found dead this morng., cause rum, the first U.S. soldier that has died in this territory.
  
  Jan. 24, 1868 - Took a Russian lesson in the eveng. …One year ago on the 17^th of this month I landed on this coast. I have quite a little company writing here, with my little German clock ticking away on the wall, my kitten playing about the room, and my dog asleep on the floor near me.
  
  June 20 (1868) - He and Lieut. Livermore and Capt. Kinney and Mr. Louthan went on a hunting and fishing expedition. Describes the early part of the journey…We went up the creek , and up the mountain making our way along slowly stopping frequently for  a view and to rest. We struck a snow field about 4pm and then Capt. Kinney decided not to go any higher, and went down to the foot of some falls, where a stream came out of another snow field about 1/4 of a mile off. Lieut. Livermore and I went on up athe mountain which soon became so steep as to be almost perpendicular. My dog was following us and in attempting to cross the bed of a stream he missed his footing and rolled and pitched three or four hundred yards down the mountain, it must have killed him almost instantly I then remarked to Livermore that “I had enough of that mountain and was not going any higher”, he said, “Yes let us go down”, and remarked, “it is more dangerous going down than up, a few minutes afterwards he told me to sling my rifle in front of me so that it would not catch and throw me over, I did so, we were a long time getting down going very slowly, Livermore went ahead and going faster than I soon was out of my sight, in a short time I met him coming up again, he asked me if I had seen the dog’s body, saying that he must have passed it, as he had been down quite far and had not seen it. He also remarked that he thought perhaps I had fallen as I had been so long coming down, and he had not heard me. I told him that the dog’s body must be further down, as I had seen it roll past the place where we then were. After talking a few minutes he turned and commenced going down. I following him, he went faster than I and when he would get a few paces ahead would wait until I came to him, cautioning me two or three times whenever we came to a very steep place, to be very careful. WE were proceeding in that manner, he so close to me that I could almost have touched him by reaching out my arm, when suddenly I heard a shot and Livermore with the exclamation Oh! Sank down on his back, I sprang to him saying Oh Livermore! Oh my God! Livermore are you shot? I kneeled down by him, raised his head in my lap, just as I had done so his head fell back. I heard the death rattle in his throat, and he lay in my arms a corpse. The shot came from my rifle as his was around in front of him. Mine was slung in front but had slipped around to my side, the cock must have caught in a twig been raised a little ways and then fallen with sufficient force to explode the cartridge, the ball entered his back a little to the left of the spine, and passed out a little below his left breast. For a few seconds a sensation of great horror seized me, that seemed to benumb all my faculties, it is impossible for me to describe my feelings,… A minute before my friend was alive and well, talking to me, now he was dead in my arms, would never speak to me again. And the shot that caused his death came from the rifle slung by my side. I started up seized my rifle fired it several times, and called Kinney, but heard no answer. He had gone down to the bay, and I was alone in those horrible mountains with the bodies of my friend and my dog, both dead within half an hour, the dog had been a present to me from Livermore shortly after we arrived at Sitka last fall…
  
  Sept. 16 – makes note of his 25^th birthday.
  
  Dec. 3 -This morning at about half past two o-clock Kinkead came to my room and told me that Capt. Kinney had shot himself with a pistol in a fit of delirium tremens. I went over to his room and found him dying. He had placed the muzzle of the pistol in his mouth and blown his brains out…
  
  The first of the year brought some “Indian troubles” Chilkat Chief attacked a guard, when tried to arrest him, a fight erupted Sitka and Hydah seem to have helped hide the miscreants.
  
  May 12 (1869)- This day relieved from duty at Sitka. Had a farewell dinner at the mess…
  
  Made his way to San Francisco, then Sacramento, eventually arriving at Fort Sedgewick on the 20th of June. 
  
  July 13 – In the evening while we were playing croquet, the most terrific hailstorm come on us that I ever saw or heard of, in most all of our windows facing it the glass was shivered, the roof blown off from “D” Co. Qrs. The Sutlers store & several other places. Some Pawnee scouts came in & reported on Indian fight 80 miles from here between Cavalry & Cheyenne.

  July 15 - Rode out and met Gen. Carr and his command. Saw the Pawnee scouts with their scalps.
  
  Starts learning telegraphy at this Fort. Was all over the area, to the Nebraska-Wyoming border, Ft. Fetterman, Antelope, Big Cottonwood, etc.
  
  The archive also contains a number of government publications regarding Alaska Territory, all stitched and not bound, including:
  
  Gibbs, George. “A Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon, or Trade Language of Oregon.” Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. No. 161. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, March 1863. 44pp.
  
  Belknap, Wm. W. Letter from the Secretary of War, Transmitting a report of the commanding general, Department of the Columbia, of his tour in Alaska Territory, in June, 1875. Senate Ex. Doc. No. 12, 44^th Congress, 1^st Session. 33pp.
  
  Schurz, C. Population and Resources of Alaska. Letter from the Secretary of the Interior, Transmitting a Preliminary Report upon the Population, Industry, and resources of Alaska. House of Reps. Ex. Doc. No. 40, 46^th Congress, 3d Session. 86pp.
  
  Boutwell, George S. Youkon River and Island of St. Paul. Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury. House of Reps. Ex. Doc. No. 112, 41^st Congress, 2d Session. 18pp.
  
  Taft, Alphonso. Letter from the Secretary of War Transmitting Information in relation to Alaska and its resources, the Alaska Commercial Company, the conduct of Mr. Bryant at Saint Paul’s and Saint George’s Island, and the colonization of Icelanders. Senate Ex. Doc. No. 48, 44^th Congress, 1^st Session. 5pp.
  
  Thompson, R. W. Letter from the Secretary of the Navy, Transmitting, in response to Senate resolution of February 26, 1880, information in regard to the present condition of affairs in Alaska. Senate Ex. Doc., No. 105, 46^th Congress, 2d Session. 1880. 34pp.
  
  Sherman, John. Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, Transmitting … copies of reports of Capt. John W. White, of the United States revenue service, concerning matter connected with Alaska Territory, and also copies of all material papers relating to the transfer of the jurisdiction over the Territory from the War Department to the Treasury, &c. Senate Ex. Doc. No. 179, 46^th Congress 2^d Session. 23pp.
  
  Boutwell, George S. Survey of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury Transmitting a letter from the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, asking for an appropriation to survey Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. House of Reps. Ex. Doc. No. 255, 41^st Congress, 2d Session. 7pp.
  
  Morris Cooper Foote Collection
  
  Lots 140-152
  
  Cowan’s is pleased to offer an important collection spanning 40 years of material—40 years of the life of the soldier Morris Cooper Foote, great grandson of Lewis Morris—a signer of the Declaration of Independence—and great nephew of novelist James Fenimore Cooper.
  
  When the Civil War began, Foote joined the army at the age of 17 in his home state of New York, where he mustered into the 44th NY Volunteers, a group that came to be known as Ellsworth’s Avengers. After a promotion to 2nd Lieutenant and a transfer to the 92nd New York Volunteer Infantry, Foote was captured by the Confederate Army at the Battle of Plymouth in 1864 and was sent to Libby Prison. Eventually, Foote and many other POWs were sent to Charleston, S.C. where both Confederate and Federal forces attempted to use prisoners as human shields to discourage shelling—an incident now known as the “Immortal 600.” As one of the Federal officers placed under the fire of the northern batteries at Charleston, S.C., he was the only one wounded. From Charleston, Foote was transferred to Camp Sorghum in Columbia, South Carolina, where he escaped. He later published the story of his escape and loved to share it with family and friends. In the concluding stages of the war, he served as a staff officer at the surrender of Lee’s army at Appomattox.
  
  After the Civil War, Foote entered the 9th U.S. Infantry on May 1866, and on March 7, 1867, received a promotion to the first lieutenancy. He served with his regiment in California, Alaska, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. In Alaska, he commanded one of the two companies that received the territory from Russia in 1867. Foote also served in Native American campaigns and expeditions under Generals Miles and Crook, in Wyoming, New Mexico and Arizona. As part of Foote’s time in Wyoming, he took part in the exploration of The Black Hills a year before the events of Little Big Horn. He also conducted the first census of the Sioux Indians after the 1876 treaty as part of his duties as the commanding officer at the Spotted Tail Agency. After the discovery of gold in the Black Hills—an event that caused controversy between miners and Indians and eventually lead to tragedy—Foote attended a meeting of miners who, deciding to leave the area as requested after hearing a resolution from the President of the United States, went on to create Custer City (present day Custer), South Dakota, now considered to be the oldest town established by European Americans in the Black Hills. On January 26, 1883, Foote achieved the rank of captain of the 9th infantry. In September 1886, he witnessed the surrender of the Apache chief Geronimo to General Miles at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona.
  
  Following the end of the Indian Wars, Foote’s regiment participated in the Spanish-American War. Foote commanded a battalion at the battle of San Juan Hill. At the formal surrender of Santiago, the commanding officer General Shafter selected the 9th infantry to receive the surrender of the city and province where Foote commanded a company stationed in the plaza. In August 1898, Foote received promotion to the rank of Major and orders to Boston on recruiting service, being unable to rejoin his regiment at the time due to suffering from Cuban malarial fever.
  
  At the beginning of the twentieth century, the U.S. Army dispatched the 9th Infantry Regiment to China during the Boxer Rebellion and the China Relief Expedition, where Maj. Foote took part in the Battle of Tientsin.
  
  After being appointed a Brigadier General on February 18, 1903, Foote retired the following day. Foote retired to Europe and resided in Geneva for two years. At the Hotel d’Angleterre, after recovering from double pneumonia and double pleurisy he passed away of heart failure on December 6, 1905.
  
  As a soldier and an officer, Morris Cooper Foote experienced first-hand the moments that shaped our history and set the stage for the 20th century. This exceptional collection includes diaries, journals, letters, documents, books, photos, maps, prints, personal belongings, and more pertaining to his professional and personal life.

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