| Summary: | After the Civil War, Dustan, a New York native and former Union soldier, moved to Alabama and served as a member of the state legislature; a member of the Alabama Constitutional Convention in 1867; and a major-general in the Alabama state militia. The letters in this collection discuss politicians and politics in Alabama; the elections of 1869 and 1876; African American voters; campaign management; and political patronage. Correspondents include George E. Spencer; M. Wickersham of Mobile; W. E. Clarke of Demopolis; and James Gillette, chief supervisor of the 1876 election in Alabama. Interspersed with the letters are leaflets, election records, and speeches, including one made that appears to have been made before an African American audience.
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