“Waterbound. An immense amount of labor has been performed at this post by the troops who garrissoned it since 1863. A farm of 3500 ac has been made along the river with the requisite irrigation ditches. Cotton trees are planted along the avenues leading to Headquarters. Spacious & strong outbuildings are erected such as Store houses Shops Hospital quarters. The fort with said buildings form the centre of the Navajoh reservation which has a radius of 8 M. This tribe was subjugated 1864 & since then confined in the reservation. There wigwams look in the distance like so many mole hills. There are nearly 10,000 Indians here. They seem tolerably docile, but are very lazy. The commissary issues them corn & fresh beef all other provisions they can get by working for them. The women weave very fine & valuable blankets & make neat moccassins, Horse hair bridles & lassoes for which they find ready sale at the Stores of the Fort.”, 1866 Sept 2

Item — Box: 1, Folder: 1

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection contains a bound volume that consists primarily of the diary of Charles Borberg (pages 29-54 of the volume) describing his experiences during a march from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Fort Union, New Mexico, to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, with the 57th United States Colored Infantry from June 8 to November 30, 1866. The volume also includes an undated, handwritten draft obituary of John L. Criswell of Stanton, Missouri (obituary is written in pencil and is difficult to read); a page of accounts titled “J.R. Clark Trustee,” 1875-1876 (page 2 of the volume); a page of notes in German script titled “Thoughts, Ideas,” February 19, 1883 (page 120 of the volume) (see transcription and translation below); a page of undated verse in German script titled “Auf die Geburt von J. Aschenbachs Jungsten” [To the Birth of J. Achenbach’s Youngest] (page 121 of the volume) (verse is written in pencil and is difficult to read); memorial verse in German script titled “Wachruf an John Achenbach” [Fanfare to John Achenbach] (page 122 of the volume) (see transcription and translation below); page of names and addresses (page 144 of the volume); page titled “Memorandum of Forwarding of Pension Papers,” which includes several names and addresses (page 145 of the volume); and a page containing two undated newspaper obituaries of Charles Borberg (last page of the volume). Many pages of this bound volume are missing. In addition to the bound volume, the collection also contains a handwritten statement of Charles Borberg recounting his military service in the Civil War up until his discharge on December 13, 1866.