Seeking Federal civil court case Duchamp v US

Foreign citizens who incurred damages from Union Army were entitled to sue the Federal government for reparations. My ancestor was a French citizen running a drug store in St. Martinville, LA and the Union Army raided his store for supplies; he sued the US Government in Federal Court and was awarded damages. Could you please direct me to where to start looking for the transcripts of the trial, which includes the opinion for the award; I had once seen the document but need to obtain a copy now. For instance, DC Archives or which office? Is there an index of cases that would help me find the particular case: Duchamp vs. the US? Thanks for your time and efforts.

0 Ceri McCarron over 3 years ago

Dear Mr. Capuder,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Congressional Jurisdiction Case Files, 1/10/1884 - 5/19/1943 in the Records of the U.S. Court of Claims (Record Group 123) and the Congressional Jurisdiction Case Files, 1884 - 1944 in the Records of the Court of Claims Section (Justice) (Record Group 205) that are arranged by the U.S. Court of Claims case file number and may contain the trial transcripts you seek. The series United States Court of Claims Docket Cards for Congressional Case Files, 1884 - 1943 (M2007) in Record Group 123 acts as an index to these two series. For instance, Ducamp may be listed on Roll 2. For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) at archives1reference@nara.gov. Please review the Southern Claims Commission Case Files for further explanations.

We also located the series titled Letters Received, 1805 - 1889 in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1917 (Record Group 94) that includes the digitized file unit 1882 - File No. 3025 - Duchamp, Eugene. The file unit is available using the Catalog.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT1. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!
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