Caspar Trepp Papers
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Language of Materials
Abstract
This collection consists of the correspondence and other documents of Caspar Trepp, Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st Sharpshooters regiment (also known as Berdan's Sharpshooters). Materials include correspondence, returns of supplies and ordnance stores, receipts, dispatches, muster rolls, reports on target practice, and maps showing the regiment's positions in battle. Also included are papers related to court-martial proceedings brought against Trepp by Colonel Berdan. Portions of this collection relating to the Civil War have been digitized and are available to on-site researchers and to users affiliated with subscribing institutions via EBSCOhost.
Biographical note
Swiss-born Caspar Trepp (1829-1863) served in the Foreign Legion before emigrating to the United States. He first appears in the New York City directory as a "carpenter" in 1859 (according to his obituary, he was a professional architect). In 1861, he joined the Union Army, serving first as Captain, and later Lieutenant Colonel, of Company A, 1st US Sharpshooters (also known as Berdan's Sharpshooters).
The US Sharpshooters were a celebrated unit of expert marksmem recruited from various states. The unit was officially organized by Hiram Berdan, a talented inventor and one of the country's top marksmen. But some scholars have suggested that it was Trepp who originally proposed the idea of a rifle regiment, while Berdan supplied the clout and influence necessary to win political approval. Support for this idea is found in the writings of Trepp's fellow Swiss sharpshooters, and in the European-style tactics and camouflage uniforms of the unit.
Whatever its origin, there was growing friction between the two men which culminated in Colonel Berdan filing charges of cowardice against Trepp in 1863. Aside from his own testimony, however, Berdan could produce no evidence to support the charges against Trepp, who was acquitted of all charges at his court-martial. Trepp then filed counter-charges against Berdan, who had been separately charged with cowardice by another officer. Although Berdan was likewise acquitted, the consensus seems to be that there was some foundation for the charges against him.
Trepp was killed by a Confederate sniper's bullet at the Battle of Mine Run (Virginia) on November 30, 1863. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Arrangement
The folders are arranged by material type, and then chronologically where possible.
Scope and Contents
The Caspar Trepp Papers consist of correspondence and other documents relating to his work as Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st Sharpshooters Regiment.
Two folders of correspondence include a report of the part taken by a Sharpshooter regiment at the Battle of Chancellorsville, reports on target practice, letters from the Swiss Consul in Washington (some written in Romansh) and other letters dealing with regimental operations. There are also a number of letters concerning Trepp's court-martial and feud with Colonel Berdan. A few personal letters are also included.
Additional folders contain official papers and notes relating to the court-martial proceedings against Trepp and Berdan; field maps showing the regiment's positions in battle; accounts of ordnance and ordnance stores; muster rolls and clothing returns; regimental directives and military orders; and other miscellaneous documents including a Southern propoganda envelope retrieved during battle and an 1848 certificate issued to Trepp in German. Portions of this collection relating to the Civil War have been digitized and are available to on-site researchers and to users affiliated with subscribing institutions via EBSCOhost.
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
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Location of Materials
Provenance
Gift of Christine S. Trepp, 1932.
Sources
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Correspondence, 1858 May - 1863 April
Abstract
This collection consists of correspondence and other papers of Caspar Trepp, Lietuenant Colonel of the 1st Sharpshooters Regiment. It includes returns of supplies and ordnance stores, receipts, despatches, muster rolls, reports on target practice, an invoice for recruiting expenses, and other official documents, as well as som personal letters and notes.