The flowers in front of Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library. All photos provided by the author.
As someone who studies the American Midwest and Northern Great Plains, it surprised me to find research pertinent to my dissertation topic at Yale University.1 I scheduled a trip for mid-July to visit both the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the Sterling Memorial Library. I planned for this research trip to be more of a strategic investigation of one major manuscript collection: the papers of Alfred Sully. Sully, U.S. Army officer, led a punitive expedition against the Dakota people after the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, and his papers provided important contextual background knowledge on the actors in my dissertation. While I skimmed through several smaller collections, Sully’s papers offered crucial insights into his military career between the Civil War and Reconstruction years in the American West.2
Folders of the Alfred Sully Papers, particularly his correspondence.
When I arrived on Yale’s campus, my eyes were immediately drawn to the beautiful gothic and cathedral architecture. I booked a hotel room near both libraries, which made my walks to and from the archives a delight. I loved seeing the old buildings and experiencing the atmosphere around New Haven. While school was not in session, students of various ages visited and took tours throughout the campus, including at the Beinecke. One morning, as I drank a cup of coffee at Blue State Coffee, I heard locals have an informed discussion about contemporary politics. Even though an outsider, I felt closely entangled with the Yale community. These experiences gave me a sense of New Haven as a vibrant college town with much to offer for students, researchers, and visitors.
Walking through New Haven alleyways.
Windows of the Sterling Memorial Library with their gothic design.
Although I spent only two days researching at Yale, I found several pertinent sources for my dissertation. Most of that time I worked at the Beinecke Library, located next to the law school. Tall and modern, the exterior of the Beinecke looks drastically different from the more traditional gothic buildings nearby. Walking inside the library, visitors like myself find a large enclosed glass case of rare books. The library holds over 1 million books, and it’s quite something to see many of them in such a unique display. The library’s reading room offered great space to read through its many collections, small or large, without the pressure of hovering over other researchers.
Exterior of Yale’s Beinecke Library.
The Beinecke Library’s interior.
When I entered the Sterling Memorial Library, I felt as though I stepped into a cathedral. Seeing several stained-glass windows, beautifully designed archways, and tall ceilings conjured a feeling that I’ve never experienced at an archive. Below the windows, I noticed relief artwork that depicted various people, soldiers, and dignitaries. Dark wood fixtures juxtaposed the stone archways and hallways. Sterling Memorial not only signified an important library on campus, but as a sacred space for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to reflect on the deep history that Yale has to offer.
Interior of the Sterling Memorial Library.
The Sterling Memorial Library’s reading room and microfilm machine.
I viewed several unique sources during my two-day research trip. Besides Sully’s military career, I wanted to investigate him as an artist. Sully frequently drew, painted, or captured photos while out on campaign. Sully’s “Dakota Sioux Breaking Camp,” in my mind, offers a great visualization of how the Indigenous communities moved throughout the Northern Great Plains in the nineteenth century.
Alfred Sully drawing of Dakota.
In addition to Sully’s papers, I also examined the papers of the U.S. Army soldier, James Edgar Cady, who fought the Dakota during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. In one of his letters to friends back home, I noticed a vivid depiction of the Battle of Shiloh/Pittsburgh Landing printed at the top of the stationery.3 In the letter, Cady wrote about his arrival to Fort Snelling in St. Paul. I think the use of the image of Shiloh speaks volumes to how northerners wanted to immediately remember the bloody realities of the Civil War.
Once I completed my research, I returned to my hotel to organize scans on my external hard drive. Overlooking the town, I enjoyed the sunset view over New Haven with another notch in the dissertation research belt. The libraries at Yale provided a professional atmosphere for researchers and I highly recommend everyone take a look at their collections.
Letter with Shiloh depiction.
- My dissertation, “Roaming Home: Dakota Diplomacy and Belonging in the Canadian Northwest, 1812-1890,” follows the journey of Dakota people from Minnesota into British Canada during the nineteenth century. Throughout this period, thousands of Dakota people used border-crossing to support kinship ties, trade networks, diplomatic relationships, and warfare with the United States. After the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, the Dakota used the border as a method of survival from state-sponsored retribution by the U.S. government. As the Canadians accepted these refugees into their land, the Dakota built new homes and a sense of belonging that remains intact through today. If you’re interested in learning more, keep up with my Dissertation Journal at https://www.johnlegg.org/dissertation-journal.
- Yale purchased much of Sully’s papers from his grandson, Langdon Sully, after writing the biography, No Tears for the General: The Life of Alfred Sully, 1821-1879 (Sante Fe, NM: American West Publishing Company, 1974).
- While commonly known as the Battle of Shiloh, many U.S. soldiers initially considered the battle as Pittsburg Landing based on its geographic feature along the Mississippi River. During the Civil War, the U.S. Army often named battles after close-by geographic features. The Confederates, on the other hand, used town names or other physical structures. Initially, the Confederates called the battle Shiloh Church.
