An Archive of General William F. "Baldy" Smith to General William B. Franklin

Archive. WILLIAM F. SMITH (1824-1903). William Smith, a Civil War general, graduated from West Point in 1845 and fought at Bull Run, Gettysburg and Cold Harbor. He was President of the International Telegraph Company from 1864 to 1873. WILLIAM BUEL FRANKLIN (1823-1903). Franklin was a Civil War general who saw action at Antietam and Fredericksburg. Archive. 5 letters. October 186_, December 5, 1871, April 28, 1882, March 26, 1887 and July 19th 18__. New York and Washington, DC. A collection of five autographed letters from William F. Smith to William B. Franklin: a) LS. 1pg. 5 " x 9". Oct 186_. New York. A letter signed " Wm. F. Smith" on International Ocean Telegraph stationery: "Enclosed herewith please find a proxy made out in my name for the purpose of voting your stock at the next election of Directors." This vote would eventually propel Smith to the head of the Ocean Telegraph Company only a few years after Cyrus West Fields laid the first successful transatlantic cable. The letter has a few pinholes that touch a few words. b) ALS. 2pg. 5 " x 9". Dec 5th 1871. New York. An autograph letter signed " Wm. F. Smith" on International Ocean Telegraph stationery. It concerns Franklin's activities at Colt. Following the Civil War, America became the largest arms exporter in the world of both new and used pistols and rifles, supplying the growing and warring armies of Europe: "I hope to be able to sell some pistols which are to go out of the country. They will also want ammunition." At the time of the letter, the Franco-Prussian War had just ended and British troops were fighting from Africa to India, all relying on arms and ammunition from America. Smith seemed to be employing his telegraph company to help sell Franklin's arms abroad, "and I want to make enough to pay for my time." c) ALS. 2pg. 5 " x 9". April 28th 1882. New York. An autograph letter signed " Wm. F. Smith" and also initialed, written on Globe Mutual Life Insurance stationery: "I saw in the paper some time since that Gatchell an agent of Boiler Insurance Co. had attended some experiments of Lamson... can you tell me about what was his report was and whether your company has any interest or whether it would be for interest to see the new system carried out. I have bought the European rights for the patents and want all the information I can get on the subject." Lamson tubes, also known as pneumatic tubes, were used extensively in Victorian England by telegraph companies to transport messages from cable stations to nearby buildings. The letter is an interesting example of technology and patents at the dawn of the 20th Century. d) ALS. 4pg. 5" x 8". Mch 26, 1887. Washington. An autograph letter signed " Wm. F." and penned on Naval Department stationery. The letter deals extensively with questions regarding the production and sales of various guns and ammunitions to the Navy. "As to ammunition Sec. Wm. C. (Sec. of the Navy) will draw your shells. I should say caliber .45 with bullets, 500 grains of charge 200 to 250 grams compressed powder (Hebler's cartridge) you might with a suitable length of barrel have a velocity of 200 f s and a penetration of 1.5 meters." Smith proceeds to identify the ideal weapon he is seeking, "to have at least 600m. for infantry and to render useless all light breastworks and play the part of specialty for the thin sided torpedo boats". Smith was also an early proponent of domestic arms production, " the necessity for having them made in this country is that we may be able to get them always when we want them." William C. Whitney, Grover Cleveland's Secretary of the Navy, early on recognized the danger of PT boats to a modern navy, and sought a modern gun to combat them as well as more modern armor. e) ALS. 1pg. 5" x 8". July 19th. No place. An autograph letter signed " Wm. F.": "The friends of Patrick Dooley known as The Horse at Ft. Leavenworth wish him transferred to Ft. Monroe. The claim is that his family... in case of death they can bring him to be buried with his kin. I promised to write and this does not require an answer." The letter seems to be a request to General Franklin to allow the transfer of Dooley, a prisoner at Leavenworth to a brig closer to his home. Overall, this archive is an interesting set of letters following the path of two Civil War generals through the Gilded Age of capitalism and technology, and yet how they stayed closely tied to the military complex then developing within the nation. All letters are in excellent condition with no age or wear marks