Thomas P. Cochrane Papers and Photograph
1898-1899
WVM Mss 1702
1.6 linear ft. (2 archives boxes and 2 oversized flat boxes) of papers and 1 photograph (1 folder).
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
(Map)
Papers and a photograph pertaining to the service of Thomas P. Cochrane, an Eau Claire, Wisconsin, resident who served as 1st lieutenant with Company E, 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the Spanish-American War. The collection is organized by materials pertaining to his general military service and his command of a special detachment that occupied the town of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, during the Spanish-American War. General military service includes a personal diary, letters written to his parents, telegrams, certificates, newspaper clippings, and some veteran related materials. The personal diary includes daily entries from July 20, 1898 to October 19, 1898, covering the time Cochrane was overseas during the war. Early entries (July 20-27) describe leaving South Carolina, life on the ship, and arriving off the coast of Puerto Rico. Entries from July 28-August 8 describe the assault and occupation of Ponce, Puerto Rico, and provide great detail about his unit's activities. Cochrane also provides details on his participation on the assault on Coamo, Puerto Rico, describing tactics and hourly events (August 9). Daily entries after August 9 become shorter, but do discuss being part of the occupation force, soldiers being sick, and the death of a solider and Cochrane's anger with the captain over the handling of the soldier's death (August 23-25). Entries become more descriptive after September 22, when Cochrane is assigned special duty at Barranquitas. Entries describe the town, its citizens, working with local officials to maintain order, and his eventual departure from Puerto Rico in October. Letters to his parents discuss conditions and activities in training camps in the United States and his time stationed in Puerto Rico. The letters from Puerto Rico discuss the weather, scenery, quality of food, leisure activities, involvement in the Battle of Coamo and details of his assignment as a representative of the Peace Commission in Barranquitas. Many of the letters describe the prevalence of sickness, especially malaria, among the soldiers. There is also mention of the death of two soldiers, Samuel P. Bartlett and Dwight C. Brace, due to typhoid fever, and discussion of funeral preparations and informing family members. Letters to Cochrane include two sent by family members of the soldiers who died thanking Cochrane for his kindness in the matter. Telegrams are to Cochrane and pertain to his efforts to recruit more soldiers from Eau Claire just prior to Company E leaving for Puerto Rico. Also included are certificates for promotion in both the Wisconsin and Minnesota National Guard, newspaper clippings about the war and general biographical information about Cochrane, Spanish translation books, memorandums and other assorted veteran related documents, and a cyanotype of the Officer's Club located at Camp Douglas, Wisconsin. Manuscripts in the special assignment to Barranquitas include telegrams, proclamations, orders and reports, official records, muster rolls, and other related documents pertaining to Cochrane's time as the commanding officer of the peace detachment in the town. The telegrams were sent to and from Cochrane and other officers pertaining to orders and happenings in the town. Proclamations include handwritten documents issued by Cochrane assuring the citizens of the town that the United States was there to help maintain order and transition them from Spanish rule, along with a proclamation from the town welcoming the troops. The collection also includes town records procured by Cochrane upon arriving at Barranquitas that include public building inventories, lists of public officials, town tax records, and items pertaining to criminal investigations. Of particular interest is the correspondence Cochrane had with residents of Barranquitas after the war. One letter in particular was written to Cochrane in 1903 describing the poor living conditions in Puerto Rico and that the current administration was no better than the Spanish. The series also features three muster rolls for the detachment that include the names and ranks of soldiers, pay information, and the members of various smaller missions performed while in Barranquitas.
English
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