The Gardner B. Clark papers consist of ten letters with his wife Mary, and one Special Order from Major General Burnside. In his letters, Clark writes of his feelings for his wife, the dead and wounded among his company, the upcoming draft in Michigan, and seeing fellow soldiers from Michigan. He also discusses a few experiences on the battlefield. In a letter from December 20, 1863, Clark voices his opinions on how the government is running the war:
"By what right have a few who hold the reins of the U.S. Government precipitated a long and cruel war upon thirty-million of their fellow beings. They say to preserve human liberty as our forefathers left it. Is it not just possible they are thrusting a worse bondage upon us than relieving us from tyranny. For certain it is the Military power that now rules[.] This Nation has no parallel, only in the history of the despots of the old world."
The order comes from Major General Burnside to the headquarters of the army of the Potomac's Camp near Falmouth, Virginia. The order is largely a morale-boosting call to the army, commending the "gallant solders" for their "many brilliant battlefield accomplishments and achievements."
Clark, Gardner B.
Rank: Capt.
Regiment: 1st Michigan Sharpshooters Regiment. Company C. (1863-1865)
Service: 1861 August 21-1864 September 9
Gardner B. Clark joined Co. C of the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters, organized in the state of Michigan on August 21, 1861. He mustered into Federal service in late September as a private at the Sharpshooters' Camp at Weehawken, New Jersey. The regiment participated in the defense of Washington, D.C., from 1861 to 1862 and then was integrated into the Army of the Potomac. His company fought at most of the key battles of the war: the Siege of Yorktown, the Battle of Williamsburg, the Seven Days Battle, Manassas, Antietam, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. Clark rose to the level of lieutenant by 1863 and was a captain by 1864. Clark was wounded at Gettysburg at "The Devil's Den" and was discharged on September 9, 1864.
Clark was born in Vermont around 1835. He married Mary Baxter on July 27, 1863. After the war they settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Clark worked for the local newspaper. Gardner and Mary had a son, Gardner B. Clark, Jr., in 1875. Clark Sr. was still living in Grand Rapids in 1894.