American Historical Ephemera & Photography

10 1/4 x 12 1/4 in. ledger. 794 numbered pages, with 794 of them bearing entries spanning through 2 May 1885 through 3 July 1889. -- 9 1/2 x 12 3/4 in. ledger. 796 numbered pages, with 796 bearing entries spanning 30 September 1889 through 14 January 1895. -- 10 3/4 x 12 1/4 in. ledger. 993 numbered pages, with 92 pages of entries spanning 23 January 1895 through 30 September 1895, just two days before Poe's death.

Ledgers with leather-trimmed board covers and a mix of manuscript and typed entries on tissue paper. Heavy wear to boards and spine for all ledgers. Interior correspondence remains in generally good condition with expected toning, some dampstaining not affecting legibility of text, and creases to paper.

Orlando M. Poe graduated sixth in his class at West Point and embarked on a career with the Corps of Topographical Engineers. At the outbreak of the Civil War he served first under McClellan before serving as Chief Engineer of XXIII Corps and the Army of Ohio in which position he distinguished himself with his defenses of Knoxville. General William T. Sherman noted Poe's accomplishments and made him his Chief Engineer for the Atlanta Campaign and "March to the Sea." Poe proved to be indispensable to Sherman as he supervised construction of bridges, roads, and pontoons to keep the army moving. Following the war, Poe was breveted to Brigadier General for his service and continued to receive acclaim for his engineering feats. As Chief Engineer of the Upper Great Lakes and later Superintending Engineer he designed and oversaw construction of lighthouses in the extremely difficult terrain of the Great Lakes. General Sherman, while  commanding general of the US Army, once again called on Poe this time to serve as his engineering aide-de-camp from 1873 through 1884. 

The ledgers offered here cover the final phase of Poe's career in which he served as Superintending Engineer of improvement of rivers and harbors on Lakes Superior and Huron. It was in this capacity that Poe orchestrated what is thought to be his most significant accomplishment, the construction of the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie which opened shipping in the area and assisted in the creation of the US steel industry. Correspondence in the ledgers relates to this monumental construction project as well as other projects in which Poe was involved. A small amount of personal correspondence is also documented. Poe died on October 2, 1895, from injuries suffered while inspecting the Soo Locks and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.