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Confederate States of America Quartermaster Department, Atlanta Depot records

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS1274

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the records are requisitions for clothing, accoutrements, forage, and other quartermaster supplies sent to the Army of Tennessee before, during, and after the Atlanta Campaign of 1864. Also included are payment records for military officers and purchases of services and provisions from civilian contractors in Atlanta, Georgia; Augusta, Georgia; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Richmond, Virginia. Most of the records were approved and signed by Quartermaster Henry Thomas Massengale (1835-1888). Information in almost every document was supplemented by descriptions and indexes created in the early 2000s by Paul Gibson and William Floyd. These descriptive texts and indexes of military personnel are physically paired with the documents.

Dates

  • 1859-1865, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Biographical / Historical

The Confederate States of America established the Quartermaster Department in 1861 at the start of the American Civil War. The department was responsible for the logistics and supply needs of the military, including the procurement, storage, distribution, and transportation of supplies, equipment, and provisions. It was headed by a Quartermaster General appointed by the President of the Confederate States of America and managed by field and depot officers who oversaw transportation networks, maintained supply depots, and supplied troops with clothing, equipment, and rations. By the end of the war, the department was severely strained due to the prolonged conflict, blockades, and Union advances into Confederate territory. It ceased operations in spring 1865.

Major Henry Thomas Massengale (1835-1888) was born in Wrightsboro, Georgia, to Henry White Massengale (1806-1883) and Rebecca Ann Lowe (1808-1881). He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1852 and worked as a teller for the City Bank of Nashville before joining the Confederate States Army in July 1861. He served as Paymaster, Assistant Quartermaster, and Quartermaster for the Quartermaster Department in Atlanta, Augusta, Knoxville, and Richmond. After the war, he worked in the grain commission and milling business in Nashville and St. Louis. Massengale was married to Mary Virginia Whitfield (?-1876), and they had four children.

Extent

23.35 linear ft. (57 document cases and four oversize boxes)

Language

English

Arrangement

This collection is organized in four series. Series I: Officer personnel records; Series II: Enlisted personnel records; Series III: Prisoner of war records; Series IV: Civilian records. Each series is arranged either alphabetically or chronologically according to titles supplied by staff.

Custodial History

The Massengale family retained these records until the early 2000s when they sold them to a private collector, Paul Gibson. Around 2008, Gibson sold the records to another collector, Steve Putnal, who supplemented the archive with additional documents. Atlanta History Center purchased the records in 2020.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase, 2020

Bias in Description

As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information. We choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not accurately convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. In working with this collection, we often re-use language used by the former owners of the material. This language provides context but often includes bias and prejudices reflective of the time in which it was created. The Kenan Research Center’s work is ongoing to implement reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete.

Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or descriptions, please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.

Processing Information

This collection was processed in 2024.

Title
Confederate States of America Quartermaster Department, Atlanta Depot records
Subtitle
ahc.MSS1274
Author
Ben Conklin
Date
July 2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040