Administrative Information

Access

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

John J. Clarke Papers, mss 00112, Virginia Military Institute Archives, Lexington, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

The papers were donated to the Virginia Military Institute in 1958 by Charles Kennon Clarke.

Alternative Form

The Clarke Papers are available in full-text format on the VMI Archives website at: http://www.vmi.edu/archives/manuscripts/00112/00112.html

Biographical/Historical Information

Little is known about the personal history of John J. Clarke. His date and place of birth are unknown; during the pre-war years he was employed as a civil engineer. In April 1861, he was commissioned Captain in the Confederate Army Engineer Corps and served as an engineer until the end of the war, rising to the rank of Colonel. By 1864 he was the Chief Engineer for the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. At war's end Clarke settled in Georgia, where he was Superintendent of the Georgia Central Railroad; records indicate that he was living in Savannah in 1868. He died circa 1889 in an accident in New Jersey.

Scope and Content Information

The collection consists of Clarke's Civil War papers (1861-1865; 12 items). Documents include commissions, military orders, correspondence and dispatches concerning activities in and around Charleston, South Carolina during the period 1864-1865; letter (Feb. 4, 1865) to Col. Clarke from Headquarters discussing proposed training of African-American troops in the Engineer Corps.

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in chronological order.