Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)John M. Jackson, Archivist
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The collection is open to research.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Joseph L. Horr Papers, Ms1988-052, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Joseph L. Horr Papers were purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1988.
The processing and description of the Joseph L. Horr Papers commenced and was completed in April 2021.
Joseph Latshaw Horr, son of Leonard and Harriet Latshaw Horr, was born in Dundas, Ontario, Canada, on April 13, 1838. While in his teens, he moved with his parents to Dubuque, Iowa. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in the 13th Regiment, U. S. Infantry (Regular Army). He was quickly made first sergeant of Company C, First Battalion. He later rose to the rank of captain and was eventually brevetted a major. He was wounded at Vicksburg in May 1863, and was assigned to recruiting and mustering duty in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and IowaIllinois. Following the Civil War, he was ordered with his regiment to the frontier to participate in the American Indian Wars, spending much of this time in Montana. He married Elizabeth R. Ogilby (1843-1915) in 1870; the couple would have four children. Soon afterward, Horr resigned his commission and returned to Dubuque, where he engaged in farming and stock-raising. Joseph L. Horr died in Chicago in 1914.
The 13th U. S. Infantry was organized at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri in October, 1861. The regiment saw duty at Memphis until November 1862, then participated in Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign and Sherman's Yazoo Expedition. The regiment continued to serve in Mississippi and Arkansas and participated in the siege of Vicksburg before being moved to Tennessee, where it participated in the Battle of Chattanooga. The 13th served as guard at Sherman's headquarters from April to July, 1865, then was moved to the frontier to participate in the American Indian Wars.
This collection contains a set of proof sheets for an unpublished regimental history, "Sketch of the First Battalion, Thirteenth Regiment, United States Infantry, 1861-5," written by Joseph L. Horr. The sheets were lent to William McDonald of Chattanooga, Tennessee, for comments and corrections. Written for an 1888 reunion of the regiment, the manuscript apparently was never published.
The guide to the Joseph L. Horr Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).