Date Original
1862-1875
Description
This collection contains Belitha Powell's Civil War diary with biographical data and other material. The diary reflects his period of enlistment from May 21- October 26, 1862, during which time he was stationed at Camp Mercer, Georgia; Camp Van Dorn, Georgia (located near Savannah); Charleston, South Carolina; and James Island, South Carolina.
Biographical/Historical Note
Belitha Powell was a noted Houston, Texas, physician who served as a surgeon and medical director for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He was born May 3, 1832, in Berlin, Maryland, and died June 13, 1893, in Houston, Texas. As the son of a ship owner, he made several sea voyages to Central and South America before choosing to study medicine in Philadelphia. He received his degree in 1853 and moved to Monroe, Louisiana, during the height of a yellow fever epidemic. In 1857, he married the former Sallie E. Harvey of Louisiana, and they had three daughters and one son. Dr. Powell enlisted at the outbreak of the Civil War and became a major in the 4th Battalion, Louisiana Infantry. He was transferred to the Trans-Mississippi Department in late October 1862 and charged with overseeing all hospitals in this theater (Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, the Indian Territory, and Louisiana); he was also promoted to medical director for a large military hospital in Mount Lebanon, Louisiana. When the war ended, Powell relocated his family to Houston, Texas, and established a new practice in the midst of another yellow fever epidemic. He also served as the surgeon for the Texas Central Railroad after its establishment in 1879. He retired in 1892, died a year later, and is buried in Houston's Glenwood Cemetery.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Georgia; South Carolina
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000164
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Belitha Powell papers, MS.000164
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Belitha Powell papers, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
