Augustus Martensen (given name Carl Friedrich Augustus von Martensen), was born in Kiel, an independent town in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany, in 1822. At 26, he joined the Army of Schleswig-Holstein where he served in the artillery brigades during the First War of Schleswig (1848 to 1851). It appears that he emigrated to the United States at some point after Schleswig-Holstein was returned to Danish control by the Treaty of London in 1852. By 1855, Martensen was living in Litchfield County, Connecticut. There he met and married Rosine Seiz, the young widow of Johann Peter Schering, another German American émigré who had served in the Army of the United States from 1847-1848 during the Mexican War. Schering died in August of 1854; Rosine married Martensen the following March, and two months later the Martensens claimed the bounty land allotted to Schering as a U.S. veteran under an Act of Congress in 1850.
Augustus and Rosine had three children:
When the Civil War erupted after the firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861, Martensen immediately joined the First Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers as a Private under Capt. Marcus Coons. The Regiment was soon reconfigured, and Martensen was honorably mustered out as his unit was joined to the New York Cavalry Volunteers in July 1861. He served under Coons in the New York Cavalry Volunteers, rising from Private to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant Colonel in Second Regiment of New York Cavalry before he was killed in action on June 17, 1863, likely on the way to Gettysburg.
There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested..
Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
The Martensen collection is divided into six sections:
Items within Civil War letters by Augustus Martensen are ordered chronologically. Civil War letters (fragments) are ordered by accession number. Letters received by Augustus Martensen are ordered chronologically. Other letters are ordered by accession number. Documents and Miscellaneous items are ordered chronologically.
Augustus Martensen Papers, Ms. Martensen, Brown University Library.
The Papers of Augustus Martensen consist of approximately 107 items from the period 1822-1923. The collection includes fifty-five Civil War letters in German by Martensen, primarily to his wife Rosine and their children, and to his siblings in Germany, as well as letters received by Martensen and various family members from friends, relations, and fellow soldiers.
Martensen's letters present details of a Union soldier's life, describing hardships endured by soldiers and officers, the attitudes of Southern civilians, the use of Negro slaves by the Union army, the poor quality of army supplies, and the attitudes of Union soldiers, along with troop movements and battles. The majority of the documents relate particularly to Augustus Martensen's military career in Schleswig-Holstein and the United States. However, a number also document Rosine Martensen's efforts to obtain a widow's pension (as well as dependents' pensions on behalf of her children), and her efforts to maintain the family property, after his death.
The Martensen Papers were a gift of
Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: