Grant Question about ORs

According to Adjutant McHenry Howard of Steuart's brigade, Col. Thurston had drawn a "plat of the battle of May 5" but the drawing was not published with his account by the Southern Historical Society. Howard made a copy of Thurston's map and it is included in his book, "Recollections of a Maryland Confederate soldier and Staff officer" but I wonder if Thurston's map was any more detailed.

Do you know if there is a scan or reproduction of Thurston's original plat available anywhere?

Do you live near Baltimore, Md? If so, it would appear that the Maryland Historical Society has possession of Howard's personal papers, including documents related to his memoir. See https://www.mdhs.org/findingaid/john-eager-howard-papers-1662-1919-ms-469.

I live in Baltimore, and I am intrigued by this archive. I'm prety sure the arhive is closed by COVID19 right now, but will probably reopen later this year.
 
This monumental collection known as the OR is vital to any research, though, as it has already been stated, there are some serious limitations and I never delve in without taking more than a few grains of salt with me. Yes, commanders, exaggerated some events, ignored others, and out right lied when it benefited them. Other commanders were as honest as the day is long, often to there own detriment, but their own character would not let them do otherwise.

If every regimental report made it into the finished publication it would be more than twice as large as it is. Some commanders did not turn in subordinates reports while others demanded them and made them part of the record. Forrest was one for turning in a limited amount of documentation; for instance, his is the only Confederate report of Brice's Crossroads and only a few others are included in the Confederate account of Tupelo/Harrisburg. It does not mean the reports were not written and quite often the original, unpublished, reports can be found in archives and university collections.

Don't think the OR is the full collection of all reports and correspondence from the war. It is only a small fraction of what can be found in the National Archives. Battle reports and correspondence which did not make it into the collection can be found in the regimental records. Likewise the records from brigades, divisions, departments, etc. The records for just a single regiment can fill a half dozen or more large boxes. And its all free for the viewing. It takes dedication and patience but there is a veritable treasure drove of unpublished material waiting for you in the National Archives. The same goes for State Archives and university collections.

In short, the OR is a great place to start, but there is so much more out there.
 
Do you live near Baltimore, Md? If so, it would appear that the Maryland Historical Society has possession of Howard's personal papers, including documents related to his memoir. See https://www.mdhs.org/findingaid/john-eager-howard-papers-1662-1919-ms-469.

I live in Baltimore, and I am intrigued by this archive. I'm prety sure the arhive is closed by COVID19 right now, but will probably reopen later this year.
Howdy - No, I live in Texas - a bit of a drive to get to Baltimore. Thanks for the link to the Maryland Historical Society - I'll get on there and do some digging around.

I found a scan of McHenry Howard's Recollections on Google Books with a reproduction of his copy of Thruston's plat of the Wilderness battlefield at https://books.google.com/books?id=5e717kjFdPIC&pg=PA277#v=onepage&q&f=false

My ancestors at the Wilderness were members of the 50th Virginia Infantry of Jones' Brigade which was overrun by elements of Warren's V Corps during the initial actions of the battle, 5 May 1864. Two of my gr grandfather's cousins were captured and a third, the regimental flag bearer - Joseph H. Pickle, was killed while holding the flag. Private J. N. Opel of the 7th Indiana Infantry was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for the Capture of the 50th Va. flag.

Memoirs of surviving Confederate veterans of Jones' brigade describe how they were able to return to their original positions by the end of the day and had recovered and buried their dead that evening. So, I'm pretty sure Joesph is still there; buried near where he died. The Thruston map shows the area - Saunders Field - where the May 5th fighting occurred.

I've been collecting memoirs, reports, maps, and drawings that describe the Saunders Field area of the Wilderness Battle field and the disposition of the brigades and regiments. I was hoping that Thruston's original map might be more detailed than the copy Howard made. I think the original Southern Historical Society documents are now archived at the American Civil War Museum (the former Museum of the Confederacy) and have sent them an inquiry.
 
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