1865

Kimmel, & Forster, fl. 1864-1865

Print

Title: Columbia's noblest sons

Print of Columbia crowning an image of George Washington and an image of Abraham Lincoln with laurel leaves. To the left of Washington are images from his presidency and the American Revolution, and on the right of Lincoln are images from his presidency and the Civil War. At Columbia's feet are broken shackles, an eagle, and cannons. She is stepping on a lion, which might represent the British Empire. Marked "Lithog. & print by Chr. Kimmel & Forster 254 & 256 Canal St., N.Y." Copyrighted by Henry & William Voight and published by "Manson Lang, 512 Broadway, New York."

GLC02597

January 18, 1863

Southgate, William Wallace, 1834-1896

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. W. Southgate

Written by a soldier in the 12th Vermont Militia. Argues that soldiers generally oppose the emancipation of enslaved people. Mentions James Ewell Brown [Jeb] Stuart's Cavalry charge upon them but says it did not turn into anything as they were rerouted. Envelope dimensions 6.5 x 10.8 cm. Graphic language warning: Includes expletive racial slurs when referring to Black people.

GLC02617

2 January 1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Printed document

Title: General Orders no. 1: Emancipation Proclamation

Army printing of the final version of the Emancipation Proclamation, three pages, accompanied by General Orders no. 7, 10, 22, 24, 30 and 35. This is the first six pages of a compilation of General Orders for 1863. Printed in 1864.

GLC08525

23 September 1862

Raymond, Henry J. (Henry Jarvis), 1820-1869

Newspaper

Title: The New-York times. [Vol. 11, no. 3432 (September 23, 1862)]

Contains a printing of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on first page and more coverage on page four. Also includes news about the Civil War, guerillas in Missouri, the defeat of General Bragg's rear guard in Kentucky, the battle of Iuka, and news from Europe.

GLC08520

1871

United States Mint

Object

Title: [Medal of Abraham Lincoln to commemorate the Emancipation Proclamation]

Medal series of the U. S. Mint. Bronzed copper. High relief image of Lincoln based on Barber portrait. With words "Abraham Lincoln President of the United States." On verso, "Emancipation Proclaimed Jan. 1, 1863."

GLC08764

3 January 1863

Greeley, Horace, 1811-1872

Newspaper

Title: New-York daily tribune. [Vol. 22, no. 6786 (January 3, 1863)]

Prints the Emancipation proclamation on page four. This is among the early printings of the Proclamation in a newspaper. Other news includes the Battle of Murfreesboro with map, attack on Vicksburg, and other Civil War news. Includes article on U.S. relations with Mexico.

GLC08748.03

circa 1863

Pamphlet

Title: An Appeal to the Federal Soldiers

Written by "A New Englander, Now A Confederate Soldier." Dated from first line: "Two years of our sanguinary conflict..." Says he is going to lay aside "weapons of strife" and reason together on the lessons the war can teach. Says it was ill-will and sectional prejudice that led to the South's secession. Claims "Slavery was the apparent, though not the real cause of the war. That real cause lay in the diveristy of our interests." Claims the differences between urban commercialism and agrarian staple production caused the war. Says "Your politicians seized upon abolitionism…

GLC08676

2 January 1863

Fergus, Daniel, fl. 1863

Document signed

Title: [Receipt for purchase of slave]

Certifies receipt of $1900 from William R. and John Curtey[?] for a slave named Ward. Signed a day after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect.

GLC08544

1889

Stroyer, Jacob, 1849-1908

Pamphlet

Title: My life in the south.

Biography of Stroyer, an freedman raised on a plantation in South Carolina and freed in 1864 by the Emancipation Proclamation. Stroyer was minister of the African Methodist Episcopal church in Salem. The introduction contains letters of support for Stroyer, who wrote this biography to raise money to further his education. Third edition. Printed by Salem Observer Book and Job Print, Salem, Massachusetts.

GLC00267.083

August 4, 1863

Geary, John White, 1819-1873

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Edgar Cowan

Geary writes to Cowan, a United States Senator from Pennsylvania, in attempt to obtain a recommendation for his promotion to Major General. He cites his qualifications and the achievements of his brigades. He declares "I have received four honorable wounds, and have never left my command for a single hour (Except once when my left arm was badly shattered) to devote even one moment to my own private affairs, or like many that you and I could name, parade ... around Washington to make political capital and ensure promotion." Discussing his opinions on current policy, he states that "Patriotism…

GLC00673

January 1, 1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Document signed

Title: Emancipation Proclamation [California printing, Cheesman copy]

One of three color lithographic broadsides. Printed by L. Nagel and copyright by "F.S. Butler, 1864." Presented to Lincoln for signing by David Williams Cheesman. Signed on back: "Property of Mrs. Maria Cheesman/ Phoenix/ Oregon." See Eberstadt, "Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation," New Colophon (2d Series, 1950) no. 19. The broadside, according to Eberstadt, was "executed by a fourteen-year-old boy. Benjamin F. Butler, who was a California pioneer of 1849 and established the first lithographing plant on the West Coast, may have been the boy's father." (p. 337)

GLC00742

24 September 1862

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Printed document

Title: General orders no. 139.

Preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation published for the Army War Department printing, removed from a compilation of general orders. Noted on pages 117-120 are the orders that all people enslaved in the south will be freed. Beginning on Page 120 but not complete is General Orders No. 140, order respecting Special Provost Marshals and defining their duties. Printed circa 1863.

GLC01024

1 January 1863

Broadside

Title: Chronicle-extra.

News-sheet printing the Emancipation Proclamation with news from New Orleans, New York and Louisville. Heading states, "Slavery Forever ABOLISHED in the United States of America!!"

GLC00902

16 October 1862

White, Jonathon C., fl. 1862-1863

Newspaper

Title: The Weekly junior register. [Vol. 1, no. 43 (October 16, 1862)]

Several articles and ads are in both English and French. Content includes "Late News" on the Battle of Corinth, Butler's order from occupied New Orleans, requiring all adults who have not taken the oath of allegiance to report to the nearest Provost Marshal with a descriptive list of all property for taxation and for a certificate citing them as an enemy of the United States, news of a telegraph line connecting Washington and California, report of planned protest in New York against Lincoln's [preliminary] Emancipation Proclamation. An editorial examines Northern motivations. Printed on outer…

GLC00846

4 July 1873

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

Printed document

Title: Let crushed Cuba arise! Substance of the speech of Gerrit Smith, in Syracuse, July 4th 1873.

Smith writes, "In our Fourth of July celebrations there are two events, which, far above all other events, we come together to celebrate. One of these is the deliverance of our country, nearly a century ago, from political despotism, and the other is the practical recognition by our nation, a few years since, of the grand doctrine that 'all men are created equal.'"

GLC04717.63

3 October 1862

Jones, John, fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his wife

Mentions serving the army for a year. Writes about the Emancipation Proclamation and Abraham Lincoln: "The name of Abraham Lincoln will be handed down to prosperity as one of the greatest benefactors of his country, not surpassed by the immortal Washington himself." Predicts the Union will be victorious. There are many sick soldiers. Writes about the mail he received. He is waiting to get paid before visits home. Finishes the letter with a discussion of religion.

GLC05981.09

24 September 1862

Jones, John, fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his wife

He heard that the western army is in combat. Talks about the Negro Companies in the Civil War. Discusses the Emancipation Proclamation. Writes about a train accident. He hopes to be home by spring.

GLC05981.08

December 22, 1862

Shifflet, Hillary, 1823-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Jemima Shifflet

Shifflet was unhappy to hear that his wife is "striping tobacco for I donte want you to hav to work for noboddy but your self." He has "but one oald shirt and hit [it] is full of holes and no socks a tall." He asks for descriptions of the children and about how things are going at home. He tried to get home for Christmas but he "will hav to take sowbelly and hav a crackers for my Chrismas dinner." He reports that "our men had a mity hard fight in virginia" and claims that "the war wood bin over if oald lincoln had let the negro question alone." He continues "if he [Lincoln] were "in hell…

GLC02174.06

February 13, 1863

Shifflet, Hillary, 1823-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Jemima Shifflet

Shifflet went out with a forage team today and they are "as tired as I am of the war." He declares that "this onholy war wood a bin over if oald Lincoln wood a let the negros alone I wish he had forty the blackest negroes in the South tide to him." He describes his shock at how the soldiers steal from local farmers and was especially upset when it happened to a "poor widow woman with fore little children…she beg[ged] them to not take her things for her little children wood starve if tha took her provishion but tha went ahead and took."

GLC02174.08

6 October 1862

Jackson, Henry, fl. 1861-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Richard H. Jackson

He received a letter from Frank A who said Richard requested he call on his father. He also received a letter from John A. who had been slightly wounded and said Richard was doing well. He mentions the Emancipation Proclamation and says he feels positive about it.

GLC07705.231

10 October 1865

Armstrong, J. A., fl. 1861-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Richard H. Jackson

He is glad to hear that RIchard and Fred Snow are doing all right now. He asks Richard what he thinks of the Emancipation Proclamation.

GLC07705.401

1861-1877

Gage, William H., fl. 1861

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Unknown

Begins in the middle. There are pages missing. He spent some time in Indianaoplis and was then welcomed back by the patients of the hospital. He mentions Lincoln's message and proclamation. He saw the statue of freedom raised to the dome of the hospital.

GLC07205.086

19 October 1862

Swisher, Daniel, fl. 1861-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to sister [Lydia A. Bishoff]

Swisher traveled towards Winchester to follow the Rebel army. They wiped them out of Charlestown and came back to camp again. He is tired by hard marching in the rain. Swisher tells Bishoff he would come home if he could, but he can't. He then explains that he is waiting to see whether "Mr Abram" is going to put his proclamation into effect, for if he does, Swisher is "not agoing to stay." But "as long as I am Fighting for the right Cause I would Rather Die at the point of the Enemys Bayonets than to Have the name of A Deserter," he says. He and Dick are tent mates and have agreed that…

GLC03523.40.17

23 October 1862

Shafer, David H., fl. 1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to [Lydia A. Bishoff]

Shafer reports that times are fine at present, for the men can go anywhere that they please inside of the pickets which are placed 2-3 miles from camp. But there are not as many apples and cakes and pies as they had previously at Camp Willey. Also, there are hardly any women, even though there were "any amount" of women at Camp Willey. The men have to work one day out of the week in the entrenchments, but they do not work "to hurt our selves" and they are allowed "one dram a day." He worked yesterday, and George and Fred worked today. There is quite a stir amongst the soldiers who "don't…

GLC03523.40.18

27 April 1862

Norton, Levi W., fl. 1861-1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to wife

Meeting a man named Church at 9AM; Church promised to be his tour guide for the day. They went to the Smithsonian Museum. Saw so many things that it would be impossible to even attempt to describe them all. Saw the coat, pants, and gloves that John Franklin, the British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer, wore on one of his expeditions to the Arctic region. One room is devoted to paintings and sculptures, and another room is a gallery of Indian paintings and portraits. Went for dinner at a restaurant and Church suggested they go to Alexandria if it is not too late. Greatly wanted to…

GLC09006.13