Scope and arrangement
Frederick Townsend (1825-1897), the son of Isaiah and Hannah Townsend of Albany, New York, was a U.S. Army officer and Adjutant General of the State of New York. The collection consists of three letters to or about Townsend concerning military appointments for him; a letter to Townsend from his friend Edward Bayard Hill advising of his resignation as a Zouave to join another unit, May 9, 1861; a transcript of a letter to the Editor of the New York Daily Times on the “Defenses of New York,” emended and signed by Townsend, December 2, 1859; and a diplomatic certificate requesting safe passage for Sarah Rathbone, Townsend’s future wife, signed by Charles Francis Adams, London, 1863. Letters concerning Townsend’s military appointments are an 1845 letter from officers of the Van Rensselaer Guards electing him as their commander and an 1866 letter from U.S. Senator Ira Harris regarding Townsend’s nomination for a position; also, a letter from C.P. Van Ness to President John Tyler recommending Townsend’s admission as a cadet to West Point, 1843.