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Leonard H. Eicholtz Civil War letter

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS101f

Scope and Content

This collection contains a letter sent from Leonard H. Eicholtz to Washington Townsend. Eicholtz discusses his change in base from Saint Mary's to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and explains that he is "engaged in the Construction Corps, rebuilding bridges and track in the rear of Sherman's Army." He discusses his work rebuilding a 600 foot long and seventy-five foot high bridge in six days. Eicholtz notes that Sherman has Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston on the run and predicts that the battle for Atlanta will begin along the banks of the Chattahoochee River because there is no better defensible ground in the area.

Dates

  • 1864 June 27

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright.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

Administrative/Biographical History

Leonard Henry Eicholtz (1827-1911) was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He joined the engineers of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1852 and the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad Company in 1854. During the Civil War, Eicholtz was Assistant Engineer of Military Railways in the Military Division of the Mississippi under General William T. Sherman. Eicholtz reconstructed bridges and railroads in the wake of Sherman's advance to Atlanta, Georgia. By the time he was engaged in the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, he had been promoted to chief engineer. Eicholtz was hired by the Kansas Pacific Railway Company in 1866. In 1868, he became superintendent of bridge building for the Union Pacific Railway Company, where he stayed until 1869. He was then made the superintendent of construction and chief engineer for the Denver Pacific Railway Company and built a line from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Denver, Colorado. In 1878, he was named director of the First National Bank in Denver, a position he held until his death. Eicholtz married Ellen Inslee Smith in 1871 and they had five children: four daughters and one son. Additional biographical information about Leonard H. Eicholtz has not been determined.

Extent

1 folder(s)

Language

English

Existence and Location of Copies

A transcription of the Leonard H. Eicholtz letter is included in this collection.

General

America's Turning Point: Documenting the Civil War Experience in Georgia received support from a Digitizing Historical Records grant awarded to the Atlanta History Center, Georgia Historical Society, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the Digital Library of Georgia by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Description Control

This collection was re-processed in 2012.

Title
Leonard H. Eicholtz Civil War letter
Author
Paul Crater
Date
June 2012
Description rules
Finding Aid Prepared According To Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

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