Occasionally the strangest things will surface in the county records.  While processing Amelia County records (Barcode 1147160), archivist Callie Freed found a map depicting the U.S. Army’s 20-day siege of the Mexican city of Veracruz during the Mexican-American War. 

 Titled “Siege of Vera Cruz by the U.S. Troops under Major General Scott in March 1847, from surveys made by Major Turnbull, Captains Hughes, McClellan, & Johnston, Lieutanants Derby & Hardcastle, Top. Engineers,” the map depicts General Winfield Scott’s troops and siege engines spread out across the land surrounding the city of Veracruz and its fortifications, as well as other key features of the landscape and the reefs just off of the city in the Gulf of Mexico.  Statistics are given about the regiments of the divisions belonging to William J. Worth, David E. Twiggs, and Robert Patterson as well as the numbers of troops killed and wounded in the operation.  The map was drawn by Captain George McClellan and published in 1847 by the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers.

 The siege of Veracruz took place in March 1847 and was the scene of the first successful large-scale amphibious assault by a United States military force.  General Scott landed his U.S. Expeditionary Force near the city and lay siege to it for twenty days until it was surrendered, opening up the east coast of Mexico to United States forces and offering a clear road to the interior of the country.

 The Mexican-American War lasted from 1846 until 1848, instigated by the Texas Revolution of 1836 and its annexation by the United States in 1845.  The United States sought territorial expansion to the Pacific coast and ultimately achieved the acquisition of New Mexico and Alta California, but the cost both in money and in American lives was extremely high.  Additionally, the issue of the expansion of slavery into the new territories continued to take a political toll that would lead in just a little over ten years to the cataclysm of the American Civil War.

 So why would such a map be found among the records of the Amelia County court?  Perhaps the clerk had an interest in the topic or perhaps it was used to prove Army service by a pensioner.  We will never know the answer yet it is an interesting question to contemplate.

-Sarah Nerney, Senior Local Records Archivist

Courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Transcript of document shown above.

As I was inventorying a collection of federal records housed at the Library, I stumbled upon a box of papers that did not seem to fit with the rest of the collection. I pulled the box, searched our catalog, and found an entry for the microfilm copy of the collection (Henry A. Wise Papers, Accession 36084, Miscellaneous Reel 421). I then decided to read through the papers to see if I could enhance the existing catalog record with more complete information. What I found was a very interesting piece of United States and South American history.

Henry A. Wise (1806-1876) was born in Accomack County, Virginia, to Major John Wise (d. 1812) and Sarah Corbin Cropper Wise (d. 1813). A lawyer who trained under Henry St. George Tucker and practiced in Tennessee and Virginia, he served for 11 years in the United States House of Representatives. In 1844 he was appointed by President John Tyler as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to Brazil. During his time in this position, his somewhat overzealous and improper dealings with Brazil offended Emperor Pedro II and led to his being recalled in 1847.

By reading the notes and letters in this collection one can trace the escalating tensions between Wise and his Brazilian counterparts on issues such as tariffs, claims of American citizens, and the annexation of Texas. Included are drafts of letters Wise sent to Ernesto Ferreira Franca, Antonio Paulino Limpo de Abreu, and Barao de Cayru, three men who held the position of Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Brazil during Wise’s tenure.

Also included are letters from Secretaries of State James Buchanan (1791-1868) and John C. Calhoun (1782-1850), and President John Tyler (1790-1862) outlining America’s positions relating to issues with Brazil. An episode with an American brig, “Porpoise,” as well as issues relating to the Mexican-American War are also described. The collection also includes several letters relating to Paraguay and the establishment of relations between the United States and Paraguay.

The microfilm copy of this collection is open to research (click here for the finding aid). Other documents from the life and career of the colorful Wise, including executive papers from his term as governor of Virginia (1856-1860), are also available at the Library.

-Renee M. Savits, CW 150 Legacy Project – Eastern Region