9 September 1786

Washington, George, 1732-1799

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Francis Mercer

Washington replies to a letter from Mercer, noting that he would have replied sooner, but he had a fever. Expresses his plan to never enslaved another person again, and his wish that slavery be abolished by "slow, sure & imperceptible degrees." Discusses financial matters, mentioning a debt he owes Governor George Clinton of New York, which was supposed to have been repaid within twelve months of "the Peace" (1783). For what remains of the loan, Washington is paying seven percent interest. Mentions another, higher debt he owes to an unspecified individual, and that repayment of this…

GLC03705

1839-1844

Jones, William, fl. 1823-1860

Manuscript document signed

Title: [Plantation Book]

Plantation account book of William Jones, the owner of a cotton plantation in the vicinity of Jonesville, Liberty County, Georgia, near Savannah. Also mentions planting rice, but cotton appears to be the main staple of the plantation. Gives a nearly day-by-day account of the operation of his plantation. The book was kept as a record of planting, harvests, weather, preparation of ground, allocation of slave labor, crop yields, prices realized, and other agricultural matters. Provides extremely little on Jones's personal life. No systematic listing of slaves on the plantation is provided, but…

GLC03703

21 September 1838

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848

Autograph letter signed

Title: to editor of Quincy Patriot

Written as Member of Congress. A report to his constituents regarding petitions made concerning the right to petition and its suppression through the Gag Rule, abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia and the slave trade in the US, his opposition to the admission of Texas, a condemnation of the "fraudulent" Treaty of New Echota which removed the Cherokee Indians and a bill for suppressing duelling between representatives. Pages are stained.

GLC03707

22 May 1863

Townsend, E. D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893

Printed document signed

Title: [General Orders No. 143 regarding the organization of African American troops]

Establishes a bureau for organizing and recruiting African American troops. Issued by Townsend as Assistant Adjutant General based upon the orders of Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War. Excerpts include: "III. Boards will be convened at such posts as may be decided upon by the War Department to examine applicants for commissions to command colored troops, who, on application to the Adjutant General, may receive authority to present themselves to the board for examination. IV. No persons shall be allowed to recruit for colored troops except specially authorized by the War Department; and no…

GLC03721.01

19 May 1831

Clay, Henry, 1777-1852

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Switzer

Written from Ashland, Clay's estate, to Switzer at Union Bridge, Frederick County, Maryland. Replying to a request from Switzer, Senator Clay discusses his opinions on colonization and slavery. Refers Switzer to an address he gave to the Colonization Society of Kentucky in 1829. Argues for leaving the decision of emancipation up to individual states. Attests that slavery can only be justified in America by necessity, if at all, and that Congress has no power to establish a system of emancipation.

GLC03725

27 June 1864

Cochran, S.C., fl. 1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to William M. Stone

Cochran writes to Major Stone at Mobile, Alabama. Draws Stone's attention to the case of James L. Godbold, "who before the passage of the last Exemption Act applied for exemption from military service under the 20 negro law, & paid $500." Notes that Godbold has not received exemption, and deserves a refund of the $500 he paid. Requests Godbold's receipt, which was previously sent to Stone. Also mentions the "meat-law." Contains a Confederate stamp.

GLC03740

February 14, 1820

Tyler, John, 1790-1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Spencer Roane

Written by Tyler as Republican Congressman from Virginia to Roane as Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Writes to Roane about issues surrounding the Missouri Compromise debates. Tyler was concerned with Northern arguments that claimed Congress could restrict slavery in the Territories through their Constitutional powers. Says he is worried "about the nature of the power which is attempted to be exercised by Congress[.] you and myself cannot fail to agree in pronouncing it a bold and daring assumption - warranted neither by the constitution or the principles of justice."…

GLC03670

19 May 1876

Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Christopher C. Sniffen

Douglass writes to Sniffen, secretary for President Ulysses S. Grant. Informs Sniffen, "it will be convenient for me to call at the Executive Mansion on Monday Morning, and if I learn nothing from you meanwhile requesting otherwise I will call on Monday at eleven o. clock am."

GLC03893.01

8 June 1803

Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826

Autograph letter signed

Title: to James Oldham

Discusses construction materials and methods used at Monticello. Suggests that it would be better to use riven pine slabs than linen. Includes a drawing of six parallel lines to show how the boards can be laid out. Mentions that if Oldham needs more help than just Lewis (a slave), contact Mr. Gabriel Lilly, who will do the job for less money than Mr. John Perry, who charges one dollar a day.

GLC03897

24 December 1823

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848

Letter signed

Title: [Instructions to James Brown, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to France]

Written by Quincy Adams as Secretary of State to Brown as American Ambassador to France. Lists 14 items he included with instructions, including: a commission for his post, a letter of credence to King Louis XVIII, full powers for negotiating commerce and navigation issues, a cypher to send coded messages, a letter of credit to the banks in Amsterdam to carry out his duties and draw his salary, various legal books, a passport, full powers to negotiate an end to slave trade, and a letter for Albert Gallatin, who he was replacing in France. Spells out salary and expense issues in detail and…

GLC03922

29 June 1854

Young, Brigham, 1801-1877

Letter signed

Title: to Thomas L. Kane

Young writes to Colonel Kane, an abolitionist and friend. Praises his acquaintance with Kane, and Kane's knowledge of the Mormon people. Thanks Kane for his assistance in a legal case, the "May case," noting "...it is no remedy at all, to put a man to death unjustly, and then punish his executioners, but actually makes matters worse." Remarks that President Franklin Pierce has not acted regarding the case, but Young doesn't think the prisoner will be hanged. Thinks Congress should spend more time developing the railroad than deliberating the slavery question: "Whether the principle [of…

GLC03888

15 October 1885

Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895

Signature

Title: [Clipped signature]

GLC03893.02

December 1866

Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905

Autograph manuscript

Title: [draft account of cavalry operations of Army of Northern Virginia]

Draft account of cavalry operations sent to Robert E. Lee, detailing actions of Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry division during May through June 1864, from Grant's crossing of the Rapidan River through the death of General J.E.B. Stuart. Details movement of his forces, battles fought, and general events during the time period. Laments the death General Stuart. Also discusses Union African American troops, whom he accuses of committing "outrages."

GLC03917

1897-1916

Mosby, John S., 1833-1916

Header Record

Title: to Sam Chapman re: letters on slavery, the war, Lincoln, Grant, Lee, Stuart [decimalized]

A collection of letters from John Singleton Mosby, of Warrenton, Virginia, to Samuel Chapman of Covington, Virginia, most written on stationery of the Department of Justice. (Other recipients are noted in the inventory.) The letters discuss the Civil War, Reconstruction and American attempts to reevaluate the war, its causes and actors. Many of these letters are written while Mosby served as an Assistant Attorney for the Department of Justice (1904-1910). Mosby's letters demonstrate his conciliatory attitude towards the North. He supported President Grant's legacy of reconstruction, and…

GLC03921

9 October 1904

Mosby, John S., 1833-1916

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Gaston

Discusses Senator James T. Heflin's remarks on assassination of McKinley. Also writes that black voters hold the balance of power in some states and that Roosevelt would be re-elected. Written on Department of Justice letterhead.

GLC03993

29 November 1865

Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Aaron Rawlins

General Sherman states that he will travel to Little Rock, Arkansas, on 30 November 1865, and will leave Colonel R. M. Sawyer, Assistant Adjutant General of the Military Division of the Mississippi, in charge in his absence. Reports that he sent General Joseph J. Reynolds three African American regiments ordered to Sherman by General Lorenzo Thomas. States that Reynolds plans to muster out and discharge all volunteers in his department. Hopes to muster out the 100th Regiment of Colored Infantry, as it exceeds the needs of his department. States that General Edward Ortho Cresap Ord…

GLC04039

1 November 1841

Garrard, Theophilus T., 1812-1902

Autograph document signed

Title: [Document regarding Garrard's debt to Daniel Garrard]

Cites the details of several sums Theophilus owes Daniel Garrard (one of Theophilus's brothers and his father were named Daniel). As surety, Theophilus conveys the right, title, and interest of a tract of land in Clay County, Kentucky, to Daniel (the land is known as "the saltworks tract"). Also presents Daniel with "the Abner Baker place," crops, farm animals, and slaves (including Andy, Bill, and George) until the debt is paid.

GLC03996

6 August 1802

Leclrec, Charles, 1772-1802

Autograph letter signed

Title: to General Donatien Marie Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau [in French]

Dated 18 Thermidor, year ten. Written during the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804). Leclerc, French commander at Haiti, informs Rochambeau that General Antoine Richepanse has reestablished slavery in Guadeloupe, and there are slight signs of unrest. Predicts that the insurrection is in its final stage. Advises using examples of severity to inspire terror. Written on Armee de Saint-Domingue stationery. LeClerc died of Yellow Fever in November 1802; Rochambeau was his successor.

GLC04032

1855-1886

McNear, Franklin E., fl. 1855-1886

Book

Title: Autograph book and letter from Abraham Lincoln [Decimalized .01- .02]

GLC04035

1855-1886

McNear, Franklin E., fl. 1855-1886

Book

Title: Collection of autographs, quotations, and letters.

Consists of eighty-four signatures, most of which were obtained by McNear between 1860 and 1861. Incorporating numerous historical figures, the book includes autographs from (among others) Horace Greeley, James Buchanan, William Lloyd Garrison, Charles Sumner, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Ward Beecher, and Frederick Douglass. 83 pages contain signatures, and page numbers are written in pencil in the bottom right corner of each page. The book contains several autograph letters by various correspondents, including Hannibal Hamlin (p. 13); William H. Seward (p. 89); and P.T. Barnum (p. 137), as…

GLC04035.02

February 21, 1783

Paca, William, 1740-1799

Autograph letter

Title: to George Washington

Written by Paca, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, as Governor of Maryland to General Washington. Signature has been clipped and added. Says there is reason to believe the British crown has prohibited offensive operations on the continent. Claims that if that is true, it has been violated by armed vessels in the Chesapeake. Says a party under Wheland landed and plundered the town of Benedict, Maryland. Mentions that Colonel Plater's negroes were plundered. Wants Washington to know about these violations so he can bring them up in any future negotiations with British officers.

GLC03937

1863-1864

Slayton, Chester, fl. 1863-1864

Header Record

Title: [Collection of Chester M. Slayton, B company, 25th regiment, Michigan, infantry] [decimalized]

The Asa W. Slayton and Chester M. Slayton collection contains letters primarily written to Asa Slayton. This collection also includes two speeches written by Asa. Friends and family wrote these letters to Asa during Civil War and in the ten years following the war. Chester M. Slayton wrote four of these letters during his participation in Sherman's March to the Sea. (#1-4) These letters described the battle of Kennesaw Mountain (#1,2). He also describes the battle of Marietta, Georgia (#4). These letters give insight into the daily activities of a soldier in the engineering department.…

GLC03955

16 December 1856

Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Silas Ketchum

Senator Sumner informs Ketchum, "Of course, I cannot identify the child to which you refer. There was a little girl quite white, a slave in Washington, whose freedom was purchased through my agency, & afterwards sent to Boston, where I presume she now is. She was sometimes called Ida May, & was about 10 years of age." In a post script, writes, "Of course, the proslavery democratic papers deny everything that tells against Slavery. They deny the wrongs of Kansas!"

GLC03980

May 4, 1757

Livingston, Philip, 1716-1778

Document signed

Title: [Witnessing 200 pound bond for manumission of slave]

Legal document for the posting of a bond for the manumission of the slave Ann. Signed as witnesses by the Aldermen and Justices of the Peace for the City and County of New York: John Cruger, Simon Johnson, Francis Gilpin, Philip Livingston (the Declaration of Independence signer), Leonard Lispenard, and William Coventry. Ann was previously owned by Eve Scurlock, a tavern keeper, who had recently died. Her will freed Ann. John Vanduersen, a cordswain, and Peter Burger, a cooper, paid the bond necessary to manumit her. Posting a bond was a condition of freedom for slaves after the revolt in…

GLC03943

7 September 1865

Meade, George Gordon, 1815-1872

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Edward Davis Townsend

Major General Meade requests information regarding "the organization of the Division of Colored troops formerly belonging to the 28th Corps" from Townsend, the Assistant Adjutant General. Inquires regarding the status of the command of Brigadier General Payne (possibly Charles Jackson Paine). Instructs Townsend to send his reply to Major General [Thomas Howard] Ruger. Written in ink with several pencil notations.

GLC03946