Description
Presentation copy of The Forty-Second Ohio Infantry by Frank H. Mason, inscribed by James A. Garfield to his eldest son.
Octavo, 306pp, [errata]. Includes two tipped-in errata slips at the regimental roster. Publisher’s green cloth, title stamped in gilt. Solid text block, front hinge secured with archival repair. Rubbing to cloth boards, notable wear to spine. Complete with frontispiece portrait of “J.A. Garfield,” two mounted albumen photographs and a map of the “Middle Creek” battlefield. From the library of noted antiquarian collector Carroll Atwood Wilson, with his bookplate on front pastedown. Housed in custom clamshell, quarter green morocco, title in gilt on spine.
(Ryan, 453) (Dornbusch I, 223) (Nevins I, 128)
This copy is inscribed on the front free endpaper: “To my Son / Harry A. Garfield – Hoping that he will some day read this record, and be able to do something to preserve the country which was saved by the war for the union – I am his affectionate Father. J.A. Garfield / Washington / Dec 25, 1876.”
Harry A. Garfield (1863-1942), the son of President James A. Garfield, would go on to serve the county as his father hoped. During World War I, Garfield was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson as the U.S. Fuel Administrator, where he played a crucial role in managing the nation’s fuel supply and energy conservation efforts. During peacetime, Garfield served as the president of Williams College from 1908 to 1934, where he modernized the curriculum and expanded the college’s facilities.
The 42nd Ohio Infantry was organized by Colonel James A. Garfield at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio, and mustered into service in November 1861. Under Garfield’s leadership, the 42nd halted Confederate progress at the Battle of Middle Creek in January 1862, leading to Garfield’s promotion to Brigadier General. The regiment later participated in major campaigns, including the Vicksburg and the Red River Campaigns.
