Howe, Ebenezer B. (1815-1874) Journal, 1846-1847

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator: Howe, Ebenezer B., 1815-1874

Title: Journal, 1846-1847

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection: 0.33 cubic feet

Location Number:  Mss. A H855

Scope and Content Note

Journal of the Louisville Light Artillery, Company C of the 1st Regiment of Kentucky Volunteers (also called the Louisville Legion).  Under Captain Ebenezer B. Howe, the Louisville Light Artillery was a volunteer unit which served in the Mexican War from May 1846 to May 1847.  The journal contains a record of the company’s movements in northern Mexico; a description of the land, towns, and interactions with the Mexican citizenry; and a record of military engagements between the Americans and the Mexican army.

The Louisville Light Artillery served during the Battle of Monterrey of 21-24 September 1846, although the unit was removed from the primary fighting.  Subsequently stationed at Monterrey, Company C witnessed the unrest in the area following the Mexican defeat.  The company guarded Monterrey during the Battle of Buena Vista of 23 February 1847, with rumors and reports of the battle reaching the city.  The company was also involved in minor skirmishes guarding supply lines between Camargo and Monterrey in the early months of 1847.  A transcript of the journal is available.

This collection is comprised two accessions: 009×13 and 009×54, which have been combined for the sake of clarity.

Separation Note: The Civil War correspondence of William M. Heston (Mss. C H) was separated from this collection.

Biographical Note

 Ebenezer B. Howe (1815-1874) was an officer in the Mexican War, and later fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.  Howe was born in 1815 in New York State.  He was Captain of the Louisville Light Artillery, Company C, 1st Kentucky Volunteers (also called the Louisville Legion) during the Mexican War.  His company served from May 1846 to May 1847.  The Light Artillery was present at the Battle of Monterrey and performed garrison duty at Monterrey during the Battle of Buena Vista.

Howe appears in the Louisville city directories in 1841, where his occupation is listed as a gilder.  He was married, presumably prior to his arrival in Louisville, as no marriage was found in the Jefferson County records.  He was granted a furlough while in Mexico to return to Kentucky to see his wife.  At least one child was born to this marriage, a son named William B. Howe.  (Unsubstantiated information on Ancestry.com states that the name of Ebenezer Howe’s wife was Susan C. Payne and that the couple had four children.)

Soon after his return from the Mexican War, Howe left Louisville for California.  Howe was a known resident of California in 1852, appearing on the state census in Calaveras County.  On August 28, 1854, he married Arabella Kenicott in Alameda County, California.  He apparently abandoned Arabella in the late 1850s to travel to Texas or the surrounding area.

Howe fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy, enlisting in San Antonio in July, 1861.  He was a sergeant in the 1st Field Battery, Texas Light Artillery (Edgar’s Company), which fought in the Western theater, especially Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.  During the Red River Campaign, Howe was captured at Natchitoches, Louisiana in March 1864 and exchanged in July 1864.  After discharge, he married Judith Ann Stone Routon on May 22, 1867 in Natchitoches, Louisiana.  They had four children: Louise, Joseph, Ann, and Lee.

Howe died in 1874.  He is buried in Howe Cemetery in Red River Parish, Louisiana.  His widows Arabella and Judith both applied for a pension in 1887.

Folder List

Volume 1:           Ebenezer B. Howe journal, May 1846 – May 1847

Folder 2:              Hand-drawn map of the Battle of Buena Vista, 1847

Folder 3:              Transcript of Ebenezer B. Howe journal, May 1846 – May 1847

Folder 4:              Photocopy of Ebenezer B. Howe journal, May 1846 – May 1847

Subject Headings

Algiers (New Orleans, La.)

Ampudia, Pedro de, 1805-1868.

Arista, Mariano, 1802-1855.

Brazos Island (Tex.)

Buena Vista, Battle of, Mexico, 1847.

Canales, Antonio, 1800?-1852?

Civilians in war – Mexico.

Hamer, Thomas Lyon, 1800-1846.

Indians of North America.

Louisville (Ky.) – Emigration and immigration.

Louisville Legion.

Mexican War, 1846-1848.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 – Atrocities.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 – Campaigns – Mexico.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 – Casualties.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 – Desertions.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 – Equipment and supplies.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 – Maps.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 – Medical care.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 – Psychological aspects.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 – Public opinion.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 – Transportation.

Mexico – Description and travel.

Military deserters.

Military discipline.

Monterrey, Battle of, Monterrey, Mexico, 1846.

Operational rations (Military supplies)

Ormsby, Stephen, 1803-1869.

Psychological warfare.

Spies.

Steamboats.

Taylor, Zachary, 1784-1850.

Temperance.

United States. Army. Kentucky Infantry Regiment, 1st. Company C (1846-1847)

Wilber, John H.

Worth, William Jenkins, 1794-1849.