Z 1832.000
HUMPHREYS (BENJAMIN GRUBB) PAPERS
1808; 1850; 1854; 1856; 1860 - 1878; 1882 - 1887; n.d.
MDAH only has microfilm. (MF Roll # 36366)
Biographical Note.
Benjamin Grubb Humphreys, planter, brigadier general, and eighteenth governor
of Mississippi, was born August 26, 1808, at his father's plantation, Hermitage,
Claiborne County, Mississippi Territory. His parents were George W. and
Agnes Wilson Humphreys, both of whom were New Englanders and of Welsh descent.
Humphreys' mother died while he was young, and his father sent him to live
with his grandfather in Kentucky where he received his early education.
He later attended school in New Jersey from 1821 until his father requested
him to return home in 1824. Upon his return, he worked as a store clerk
in Port Gibson. He was later appointed a cadet at the United
States Military Academy, West Point, New York, where he was a classmate
of Robert E. Lee. For disciplinary reasons, he, along with several others,
were expelled. In 1827, he returned home to Mississippi to become the overseer
of his father's plantation.
On March 15, 1832, Humphreys married Mary McLaughlin. They settled on
his property near the Big Black River in Claiborne County, where his wife died
three years later. The Humphreys had two children,
Thomas McLaughlin, who died at age four, and Mary Douglass. Humphreys entered
the political arena in 1838 when he was elected to the Mississippi House
of Representatives as a Whig. In 1839, he was a successful candidate for
the Mississippi Senate, and on December 3 of the same year, he was married
to his second wife, Mildred Hickman Maury. Humphreys served in the Mississippi
Senate from 1840 to 1844. Afterwards, he returned to work on his plantation
until the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1861, he organized the Sunflower
Guards that later fought in several Civil War campaigns in Virginia. He
later assumed command of General William Barksdale's brigade after his
death at Gettysburg. In 1863, Humphreys was promoted to brigadier general
and served in the Army of Northern Virginia until the end of the war.
Humphreys was the first elected governor of Mississippi after the Civil
War, and he served from October 2, 1865, to June 15, 1868, under the Reconstruction
policies of President Andrew Johnson. During Humphreys' administration,
the Black Code of 1865 was enacted; the United States Congress passed the
Civil Rights Bill; the federal Military Reconstruction Act of 1867 became
law; and greater provisions for destitute soldiers and families were provided.
Humphreys also obtained the release of Jefferson Davis on bail. Shortly
after being reelected in 1868, he was ousted from office by federal military
authorities and was succeeded by military governor Adelbert Ames of Massachusetts.
This was achieved under the Reconstruction Act of 1867.
After leaving office, Humphreys worked as an insurance agent for the
New York Life Insurance Company in both Jackson and Vicksburg. He eventually
retired to his plantation in Leflore County where he died on December 20,
1882. He was survived by four children of his second marriage: Mildred
Maury, John Barnes, David Smith, and Benjamin George Humphreys.
Scope and Content Note.
The collection primarily consists of Benjamin G. Humphreys' incoming and
outgoing correspondence from 1854 to 1887 documenting his Confederate military
service, governorship, and personal life. Most of the letters relate the
devastating effects of the Civil War; the impact of the federal military
presence in Mississippi during Reconstruction; contemporary civil rights
issues; and the destitute condition of the populace. Humphreys' personal
correspondence relates Humphreys and Maury family matters during the postwar
period. The collection also contains Humphreys' Confederate military records
and three undated holographic Civil War battlefield maps.
Series Identification and Description.
-
Correspondence (Incoming and Outgoing). 1854; 1856; 1860–1878; 1882–1887;
undated. 197 items. This series contains the personal and gubernatorial
correspondence of Benjamin G. Humphreys. The principal correspondents are
Benjamin G.; Mildred, also referred to as "Minna"; Fannie; and Barnes Humphreys;
James H. Maury; J. E. Johnston; Tully S. Gibson; L. Q. C. Lamar; and General
Adelbert Ames. The personal letters mainly pertain to Humphreys and Maury
family matters. Among Humphreys' gubernatorial correspondence are requests
for monetary assistance from destitute citizens of the state. Of special
importance is a letter dated July 30, 1864, relating battle information
and containing a holographic map of the James River at Malvern Hill, Virginia.
There are also letters from Confederate soldiers requesting Humphreys'
aid in order to obtain release from military prisons. One letter dated
September 20, 1868, details the removal of Humphreys from his governorship.
Another letter from L. Q. C. Lamar dated May 22, 1876, relates confidential
news from Washington, D.C., about the 1876 national elections. Arranged
chronologically.
-
Military Records. 1861; 1863–1865; undated. 11 items. This series contains
assorted military records of Benjamin G. Humphreys. Included are Humphreys'
promotion orders dated August 12, 1863, stating that General Robert E.
Lee was to be his reporting officer; a certificate recommending a furlough
extension dated January 5, 1864, granted to Humphreys for medical reasons;
a certificate paroling Humphreys on May 22, 1865; Humphreys' sworn statement
of allegiance to the Union dated 1865; a questionnaire from the Office
of the Superintendent of Army Records in Jackson, that relates Humphreys'
military background including a wound he received; and an undated
list of battles and skirmishes Humphreys' brigade participated in with
strengths and losses of each. There is also photostat of special orders
Humphreys received from the commander, headquarters of the Army of Northern
Virginia, expressing appreciation to the soldiers of Mississippi for their
participation in the Civil War engagements in northern Virginia, 1864.
Arranged chronologically.
-
Petition. Undated. 1 item. This series contains a petition signed by various
citizens of Mississippi to President Andrew Johnson seeking the restoration
of Benjamin G. Humphreys' civil rights following the Civil War.
-
Maps. Undated. 3 items. This series contains two holographic Civil War
maps and one printed Civil War map, all of which are undated. One holographic
map is of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, and the other is of the south
bank of the Rappahannock River in Virginia. The published map is of the
battlefield of Chickahominy, Virginia.
-
Composition. Undated. 1 item. This series contains an anonymous undated
holographic composition entitled "The Coming Man."
-
Newspapers. 1874; 1876. 2 items. This series contains single issues of
two newspapers, The Daily Vicksburger, Vicksburg, February
18, 1874, and the Lynchburg Tri-Weekly Virginian, March 10, 1876.
-
Miscellany. 1808; 1850; 1854; 1856; 1860; 1863–1872; 1874–1875; undated.
48 items. This series contains miscellaneous documents including a loan
agreement from Prince William County, Virginia, dated 1808; a land patent
dated 1850; an insurance stock certificate dated 1869; Humphreys' voter-registration
card dated 1872; grocery and cotton receipts; newspaper clippings; and
an early cheesecake recipe. Arranged chronologically.
