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John Ericsson
A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress

Prepared by Audrey Walker 
Revised by Patrick Kerwin 
2003
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress 
Washington, D.C.
Contact information: http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress 
Manuscript Division, 2003


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Collection Summary

Title:    Papers of John Ericsson , 1821 - 1890 (bulk 1842 - 1886 ) 
ID No.:    MSS19877 
Creator: Ericsson, John, 1803-1889 
Extent:    1,500 items ; 11 containers ; 4.4 linear feet ; 6 microfilm reels 
Repository:    Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington,
D.C. 
Abstract:    Engineer and inventor. Correspondence, writings, design
specifications, articles, memoranda, technical notes, financial and legal
papers, drawings, printed matter, and miscellany relating primarily to
Ericsson's activities in marine engineering, especially his work on screw
propellers and his design of the steamship Princeton and the ironclad
Monitor. Includes correspondence of Ericsson's biographer, William C.
Church.

Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of
person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed
alphabetically therein. 
Names:
Ericsson, John, 1803-1889 
Adlersparre, A.--Correspondence 
Browning, S. B.--Correspondence 
Chandler, William E. (William Eaton), 1835-1917--Correspondence 
Church, William Conant, 1836-1917--Correspondence 
Dahlgren, John Adolphus Bernard, 1809-1870--Correspondence 
Delamater, Cornelius Henry, 1821-1899--Correspondence 
Elworth, Hjalmar--Correspondence 
Ericson, Nils--Correspondence 
Fox, Gustavus Vasa, 1821-1883--Correspondence 
Griswold, John A. (John Augustus), 1818-1872--Correspondence 
Haswell, Chas. H. (Charles Haynes), 1809-1907--Correspondence 
Horsford, Eben Norton, 1818-1893--Correspondence 
Ingersoll, Robert Green, 1833-1899--Correspondence 
Jones, William Gore--Correspondence 
Ogden, Francis Barber, 1783-1857--Correspondence 
Oscar II, King of Sweden, 1829-1907--Correspondence 
Paulding, Hiram, 1797-1878--Correspondence 
Sargent, Epes, 1813-1880--Correspondence 
Sargent, John Osborne, 1811-1891--Correspondence 
Seward, William Henry, 1801-1872--Correspondence 
Smith, Joseph, 1790-1877--Correspondence 
Stockton, Robert Field, 1795-1866--Correspondence 
Welles, Gideon, 1802-1878--Correspondence 
United States. Navy --History--19th century 
Monitor (Ironclad) 
Princeton (Steamship) 

Subjects:
Anti-submarine warfare 
Armored vessels 
Destroyers (Warships) 
Floating batteries 
Hydrometer 
Marine engineering 
Naval architecture 
Ordnance, Naval 
Propellers 
Pyrometers 
Shipbuilding 
Solar energy 
Warships 
Warships--Turrets 
United States--History, Naval--19th century 

Occupations:
Engineers
Inventors

Administrative Information
Provenance:
The papers of John Ericsson, engineer and inventor, were given to the
Library of Congress by Agnes M. Church in 1945 and 1955. Additions
were received as a deposit of the Naval History Society, 1913, and by
purchase, 1975.

Processing History:
The papers of John Ericsson were processed in 1980. The finding aid was
revised in 2003.

Transfers:
Photographs have been transferred to the Library's Prints and Photographs
Division where they are identified as part of these papers.

Copyright Status:
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of John Ericsson is
governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).

Microfilm:
A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on six reels.
Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division concerning
availability for purchase or interlibrary loan.

Preferred Citation:
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following
information: Container or reel number, John Ericsson Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Biographical Note
Date Event 
1803 , July 31 Born, Vermland Province, Sweden 
1815  Commissioned to make drawings for the Gota Canal Co. 
1815 - 1820  Assistant leveler and leveler at various stations of the Gota
Canal Co. 
1820  Ensign, 23d Regiment Rifle Corps, Swedish army 
1821  Commissioned second lieutenant 
1825 - 1826  Constructed a condensing flame engine of ten horsepower 
1826  Went to London, England 
1827  Commissioned captain and later resigned from the Swedish army 
1828  Designed steam fire engine for which he received the gold medal of
the Mechanics Institute of New York in 1840
Made the first application to navigation of the principle of condensing
steam and returning water to the boiler in the ship Victory
Designed self-acting gun lock later applied to wrought iron gun of the
Princeton 
1829  Designed and constructed the steam locomotive Novelty 
1830  Introduced "link motion" for reversing locomotive engines 
1833  Introduced the "caloric" engine 
1833 - 1834  Experimented with submerged propellers 
1836  Invented and patented the screw propeller
Married Amelia Byam 
1837  Built steam vessel with two screw propellers 
1838  Constructed the Robert F. Stockton, an iron screw steamer 
1839  Came to the United States 
1841  Furnished designs for the first screw-propelled warship, the
Princeton, commissioned in 1844 
1851  Exhibited inventions at United States division of the World's Fair in
London
Developed design and plans for the Ericsson, a ship propelled by "caloric"
engines, completed in 1853 
1854  Developed plans for a submerged armored vessel with guns in
revolving shot-proof cupola placed centrally on deck 
1861  Built Monitor, an armored ship embodying the features designed in
1854 
1869  Constructed thirty steam gunboats for the Spanish government 
1881  Devised the Destroyer, a submarine torpedo boat 
1883  Erected "sun motor" which ran on solar energy at New York 
1889 , Mar. 8 Died, New York, N.Y. 

Scope and Content Note

The papers of John Ericsson (1803-1889) span the years 1821-1890, with
the bulk of the material falling within the years 1842-1886. The collection
consists of correspondence, design specifications, articles, memoranda,
technical notes, financial and legal papers, drawings, and printed matter. 
Ericsson's papers relate mainly to his designs and scientific pursuits
following his emigration from England to the United States. Early letters,
mainly correspondence with Robert Field Stockton, concern Ericsson's
"caloric" engine and the development of the screw propeller as a means of
propulsion for ships. In 1841 by contract with the United States Navy,
Ericsson designed the Princeton, the first screw-propelled warship with
motive machinery below the water line. His papers include
correspondence, specifications, and notes relating to the construction of
this ship, an early effect in modern naval construction.

The collection reflects Ericsson's continued interest in naval warfare. An
earlier design for an armored vessel which Ericsson sent to Napoleon III in
1854 is included in his papers. After 1861 the papers contain numerous
letters and other documents pertaining to the design and construction of
the Monitor, the ironclad ship which defeated the Merrimac in 1862 and
inspired the United States and other maritime nations to build armored
monitor fleets. The progress of seafaring countries in accepting the
ironclad vessels as components of their navies can be traced in Ericsson's
correspondence.

After the Civil War, Ericsson turned his attention to the vulnerability of
armored ships and revived his earlier idea of a system of submarine attack
using submerged lighter weight torpedo boats which featured speed and
guided torpedoes as countermeasures to the impregnability of the ironclad
ships. His plan was embodied in a boat which he called the Destroyer, and
his papers from the late 1860s to 1888 contain letters detailing his efforts
to sell the system to the United States and other maritime nations. Letters
to S. B. Browning, his agent in London for all European countries except
Sweden, depict Ericsson's strategy for creating interest in the Destroyer in
England and eventually persuading the British Admiralty to purchase a
vessel for test trials. Other topics related to naval defense include gun
installations, floating batteries, revolving turrets, development of fleets,
and the general outfitting of ships of war.

Letters to editors of scientific and naval journals describing Ericsson's
designs and often responding to critiques made by other scientists and
naval officers are interspersed throughout the correspondence. References
to his work on solar energy can be found in several letters in the latter part
of the 1860s. The specifications and technical notes file contains other
papers relating to his designs and ideas, including materials on the
pyrometer, the hydrometer, and other apparatuses which he exhibited at
the 1851 World's Fair in London, as well as notes on various engines with
which he was associated. Many of the letters are in Swedish, particularly
the family correspondence. Correspondence from 1889 to 1890 consists of
letters addressed to Ericsson's biographer, William Conant Church.

Correspondents include A. Adlersparre, S. B. Browning, William E.
Chandler, John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren, Cornelius Henry Delamater,
Hjalmar Elworth, Nils Ericson, Gustavus Vasa Fox, John A. Griswold,
Charles H. Haswell, Eben Norton Horsford, Robert Green Ingersoll,
William Gore Jones, Francis Barber Ogden, Oscar II, King of Sweden,
Epes Sargent, John Osborne Sargent, William Henry Seward, Joseph
Smith, Robert Field Stockton, and Gideon Welles.

Organization of the Papers
The collection is arranged in six series:

Diaries, 1841-1842 
Family Correspondence, 1860-1883 
General Correspondence, 1821-1890, n.d. 
Writings File, 1833-1880, n.d. 
Financial Records, 1844-1889, n.d. 
Miscellany, 1836-1887, n.d.


April 15, 2004