ABSTRACT: Letter from Army Paymaster Charles H. Smith during the Second Seminole War.
SCOPE: This letter, dated October 26, 1836, was written by Charles H. Smith, an Army Paymaster in the Territory of Florida. Writing from St. Augustine in East Florida, Smith discusses the status of payments to both regular and volunteer troops. He also responds to a letter from Florida territorial governor Richard K. Call. The last page of the letter, which bears an address to General Nathaniel Towson, the Paymaster-General of the United States Army, features a St. Augustine postmark and a “FREE” handstamp.
EXTENT: Four pages.
HISTORY: The Seminole Wars were three distinct conflicts between the United States and the Seminole people of Florida. The Second Seminole War, which took place between 1835 and 1842, is considered the most significant conflict fought against American Indians by the United States.
ACCESS: Due to the fragile nature of this collection, physical access may be restricted. Please contact the library for further information. Information on conducting research with the archival collections of the Library, including current building hours and reading room policies, can be found on our Research page. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the Thomas Jefferson Library building on the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ north campus. The letter is available for remote & online viewing on the UMSL Digital Library as the M-536 Smith, Charles Army Paymaster Seminole War Correspondence.
PREFERRED CITATION: The preferred citation for this collection is “From the Special Collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri – St. Louis."
