University of Arizona

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Tenodor Ten Eyck Papers

Portrait of Major J.L. Robinson, October, 1890

Tenodor Ten Eyck (1819-1911) was an infantry major who served in the United States Civil War and on the frontier.

The collection consists mostly of diaries and biographical material relating to Tenodor Ten Eyck, from 1860-1890. The nine diaries cover different stages in his adult life; most have typed transcriptions. Those from 1860 chronicle his adventures in Colorado during the gold rush. The 1862-1863 diaries record his incarceration by Confederates in Libby Prison, Richmond, VA. The 1865 diary recounts the end of the Civil War. Those from 1866-1868 cover service in the Dakota Territory at Fort Phil Kearny, including his experience with the Fetterman Fight in 1866. Also present is a prospectus and illustrations for Frances C. Carrington's 1910 book, My Army Life on the Plains, which describes the Fetterman Fight. Original photographs in the collection depict Ten Eyck in uniform and in later years; also other military officers and family members. Among the biographical and family materials are Ten Eyck's U.S. Army commissions, printed on parchment and signed with the names of Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Benjamin Harrison. Personal reminiscences, postcards and letters are from various Ten Eyck family members, up to 1950. Memorabilia consist of Ten Eyck's powder horn, powder box, and snow glasses worn at the Fort.