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THE COLONEL JOSEPH SMOLINSKI PAPERS

The Colonel Joseph Smolinski Papers consist of correspondence, ephemera and an autograph collection arranged in 69 folders in one box. Colonel Joseph M. Smolinski served in the Union Army During the Civil War and lived thereafter in Washington, D.C. until his death in 1908. He donated many items to Georgetwon University at the turn of the century including these papers, a collection of books and two marble tables. The Papers consist of some correspondence to Colonel Smolinski, a scrapbook of clippings and ephemera and an autograph collection. A great majority of the correspondence is in response to Smolinski's requests for autographs from Archbishops and Congressmen. Autographs in the Signatures Series include Brigham Young, Chester B. Arthur, Rutherford B. Hayes, Hannibal Hamilton, Horace Greeley and Lucretia Mott.

Colonel Smolinski was the son of General Joseph Smolinski (1807 - c.1890), a famous and much decorated military strategist from Poland. General Smolinski was born in Warsaw in 1807 and served in Poland's famous fighting regiment, the fifth of the line, in the Revolution of 1830 - 31. For his brave participation in many bloody battles, he was granted the coveted cross, "Militari Virtuti," which the Russian government took away from him after the war was lost by the Poles. After the defeat of the Polish army, he went to France, where he received a commission as a Lieutenant and saw active service for some years in Algeria. During the Crimean War, in order to fight against Russia, he enlisted into the Turkish Army as Major and was promoted to the rank of Colonel. He was decorated by the Sultan with the insignia of the Imperial Order of the Midjidie. He also received from the British a gold crossas special testimony to his bravery. General Smolinski moved to Quebec and eventually to Washington, D.C., where he gained his citizenship and worked for the Tresury Department. Several items in the collection belonged to General Smolinski, including letters to him from the Princes Adam and Witold Czartovyski, Princess Czartovyska and General Zamoyski.

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Extent: .5 linear feet Number of Boxes: 1 Date Span: 1818 - 1900 Provenance: Gift of Colonel Joseph M. Smolinski, c.1896 - c.1908. Processed by: Michael J. North Date: 9 April, 1991

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Abbreviations

ALS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autograph Letter Signed

ANS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autograph Note Signed

DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Document Signed ACCESSION DATA: Gift of Colonel Joseph M. Smolinski, c.1896 - c.1908.
BULK DATES: 1865 - 1890
SPAN DATES: 1818 - 1900 EXTENT: 1 box

SERIES


SERIES: 1. Correspondence Series

SERIES DESCRIPTION: Correspondence to Joseph Smolinsky.

SERIES: 2. Signature Collection Series

SERIES DESCRIPTION: Signatures collected by Colonel Joseph Smolinski, with a few taken from the John G. Shea Papers.
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