1862-1865

Manuscript

Title: Register of sick and wounded soldiers Ward H Armory Square Hospital

"Ward H" written on cover. First four pages contain bookkeeping notes from October 1862. Rest of the document contains lists of patients at the hospital from December 1862 through August 1865. The last few pages contain various notes. Each sick or wounded soldier is listed according to date admitted, name, rank, regiment, company, age, bed, result, discharge date, whence received, and the name of their disease or injury. Most patients were admitted for illnesses. Those with battle wounds come mostly in large groups, shortly after major nearby battles. In one month during the…

GLC04485

February 23, 1862

Gordon, George Washington, 1836-1911

Autograph letter signed

Title: to James Akin

Informs Akin, "I am a prisoner of war & so is your son Walter- were surrendered at Fort Donelson- He has been seperated from me & sent to Chicago- was well & looking well when he left- " Includes various instructions related to financial and family matters. Asks Akin to look after his family while he is absent.

GLC04510

31 May 1863

Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to David Dixon Porter

Written from Headquarters, Department of the Tennessee, near Vicksburg, Mississippi. Grant orders Admiral Porter to direct the Marine Brigade to debark at Haynes' Bluff, Mississippi, and to send as many steamers as possible to obtain reinforcements from Memphis, Tennessee.

GLC04464

circa October 1777

Seymour, Thomas, 1735-1829

Autograph letter signed

Title: to unknown

Written by Seymour as Lieutenant Colonel of Cavalry under General Horatio Gates to an unknown recipient. Writes in a jubilant tone about American victory over General John Burgoyne's army at Saratoga. Says the British and Hessian troops surrendered as prisoners of war. Claims Burgoyne's previous taunts against the Americans were "so great that he will live but a little time, to hear his proclamations & manifestos retorted upon him." Believes Sir Henry Clinton's army that was moving from New York toward Burgoyne will now retreat southward. Says Gates will soon take possession of Fort…

GLC04495

1864

Stephens, Ashbury L., 1843-?

Map

Title: [Manuscript Civil War map of General Sherman's Atlanta campaign]

Shows the route of Sherman's march from Chattanooga, Tennessee starting on 4 May 1864 and culminating with the siege of Atlanta on 8 September 1864. Drawn in black, red, yellow, and green ink on linen.

GLC04498.01

September 17, 1847

Beauregard, Pierre Gustave Toutant, 1818-1893

Letter signed

Title: to John Quitman

Co-signed by Lieutenant M. Lovell, Adjutant General. Describes the falls of Mexico City and Chapultepec in detail and praises his supporting officers. Also discusses the rebuilding of sand bag parapets. Mentions having been wounded.

GLC04499

1836-1871

Gibson, Randall Lee, 1832-1892

Header Record

Title: Archive of Confederate general & family, primarily pre- and post-war re: plantation, slaves, military maneuvers, reconstruction. [decimalized]

Randall Lee Gibson and Family archive, divided into two sections: Randall Lee Gibson correspondence (.001-.039 and .025B) and Gibson family correspondence (.040-.105). The collection contains letters, military documents, financial documents (including bills of slave sales) and a carte de visite. The collection shows some child-rearing and education practices in southern Louisiana in the ante-bellum South. Other Gibson materials in the Gilder Lehrman Collection include GLC0026 (ALS to Col. T. O'Hara, 1/11/1863), GLC00821 (ALS to John C. Breckinridge, 9/26/1863), GLC01810 (ALS to James Seddon,…

GLC04501

7 July 1862

Van Buren, Daniel T., 1826-1890

Autograph note signed

Title: to John M. Cuyler

Suggesting that contrabands, formerly enslaved people who had escaped to the Union army, be tasked with collecting corpses. "It is suggested that Contrabands be Employed to bring down & put in the waggons the dead bodies which, Emit these foul discharges over the clothes of these soldiers, and also that they accompany the bodies to the graves for the purpose of lifting them from the waggons at that place." The original complaint regarding the "foul discharges" is noted on the docket. Written at Fort Monroe

GLC04511

14 August 1775

Laurens, John, 1754-1782

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Henry Laurens

Written by Laurens as a law student at Middle Temple in London to an unknown recipient. Says he can get this and maybe another letter through without it being intercepted by British government officials. Writes extensively on his opinions of the revolution in America. Says "there does not seem to me, to be Virtue enough in this Country to save it - the Ambition of a few, and their deep laid Schemes for establishing arbitrary power, will cut her off from her Strength and Support, and effect a total Separation of the Colonies from the Mother Country." Says he has read the recipient's's and his…

GLC04343.01

circa January 31, 1862

Barstow, Simon Forrester, 1817-1882

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Samuel Hooper

Barstow, Captain and Assistant Adjutant General, writes to Hooper, a United States Representative from Massachusetts. Complains he is constantly interrupted while writing. States, "I regretted nothing more in leaving Washington than my inability to return your pleasant visits & to pay my respects to Mrs Hooper & your family. But the news came Sunday of the attack on Romney & I started at once to join Lander. Since then our experience has been varied. Shelled in one town, frozen almost in crossing the mountains, arriving in Romney in time to withdraw the troops, a twenty hours…

GLC04418

10 April 1863

Jackson, Thomas J. "Stonewall", 1824-1863

Manuscript

Title: [Account of Jackson's Valley Campaign]

Very detailed account of Jackson's Valley campaign of 1862. Written and signed by Chilton, with later additions in Jackson's own hand. Written at the Head Quarters of the Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. Bound on top.

GLC04428

24 March 1776

Washington, George, 1732-1799

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Josiah Quincy

Written just one week after Continental forces captured Boston. Thanks Quincy and the nation for their praise, saying "To obtain the applause of deserving men, is a heart felt satisfaction - to merit them, is my highest wish. If my conduct therefore...hath merited the approbation of the great Country, I shall esteem it one of the most fortunate & happy events of my life." Despite the joy of his victory, Washington cautions that the Americans must remain on guard. Worries about the British fleet at "Nantasket Road." But is more afraid of spies, "There is one evil I dread, & that…

GLC04442

19 August 1776

Adams, John, 1735-1826

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Samuel Holden Parsons

Written by Adams as a delegate to Continental Congress from Massachusetts to Parsons, who became a Brigadier General on 9 August 1776 and was to take part in the fighting at the Battle of Long Island on 27 August 1776. References Parsons's letters of 13 and 15 August 1776 and says his recommendations for appointments in the army will be considered by the Board of War, which Adams sat on. Also references Parsons observations of officers Patterson, Shepherd, and Brooks, but says he is unfamiliar with all of them. Says the issues of promotion make him "so vexed sometimes as almost to resolve to…

GLC04424

15 May 1864-18 May 1864

Lee, Robert E., 1807-1870

Autograph manuscript

Title: [Draft message to the Army of Northern Virginia prior to the Battle of Spotsylvania].

First draft of an address to the troops of the Army of Northern Virginia, written on the verso of (a clerical) telegram to Lee from General John D. Imboden at Sharpsburg. In an effort to rally morale, Lee recounts recent Confederate victories, reminds the men of the cause for which they have taken up arms and the gravity of the current situation, calls upon the memory of fallen comrades, and invokes God's blessing for their cause. Imboden's telegram relays news about engagements in the Shenandoah Valley, including Imboden's stop of General Franz Sigel's advance, which Lee mentions in his…

GLC04429

15 July 1777

Lee, Francis Lightfoot, 1734-1797

Letter

Title: to Mann Page

Written by Lee as Virginia delegate to Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence to Page also as a Virginia delegate to Congress. Reports the fall of Fort Ticonderoga. Mentions letters from General Arthur St. Clair updating the evacuation of the fort. Lee says he does not know the reason for St. Clair's withdraw, but it was because Burgoyne's army of 9,000 troops greatly outnumbered St. Clair's army of 2,500. Says Burgoyne is moving down to Albany and that "the whole country [is] in consternation." Claims that the commander of the Northern Department, General Philip…

GLC04368

February 11, 1862

Rowan, Stephen Clegg, 1805-1890

Letter signed

Title: [Congratulatory address to his men after capturing Elizabeth City, North Carolina]

Congratulating his men on the Union's naval victory and capture of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. During this battle the Union also destroyed what little was left of the Confederate navy, for the time being. Applauds his men's "coolness, gallantry and skill." Commends their "strict observance of the plan of attack, and the steady but onward course of the ships without returning a shot until within 3/4 of a mile of the Fort." Congratulates them for "refraining from trespassing in the slightest degree upon the private property of defenseless people in a defenseless town." Believes "the…

GLC04405

12 October 1864

Lydston, William, fl. 1813-1881

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mr. Forbes

States he was requested by H. P. Brothers to write to Forbes and send his watercolor drawing of the siege of Petersburg which he drew while watching the action that night. Gives a description of the siege and explains what is depicted in his drawing. " ... the cannonading, musketry and shelling lasted a full hour and a half. These shells were above, below all around and about us, but these are familiar scenes and one can trace at night the course of the shell in the air as the lighted fuse leaves a long trail in its course, you see them coming and going, but know not how they are timed, or…

GLC04406.01

28 September 1864

Lydston, William, fl. 1813-1881

Painting

Title: [Watercolor drawing of siege of Petersburg, Virginia]

Watercolor drawing on brown paper. Shows members of the band watching the siege from a distance. The sky is filled with missiles and explosions highlighted in white. See GLC04406.01 for the artist's description of the siege and his drawing.

GLC04406.02

circa April 1861

Perine, George Edward, 1837-1885

Sketch

Title: [Charcoal illustration of the bombardment of Fort Sumter, South Carolina]

Depicts the 12-13 April Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Illustrates cannonballs soaring toward the Fort, which was situated in Charleston Harbor. Reveals firing cannons emerging from windows of the Fort as smoke billows above the building. An American flag remains flying on the roof of the Fort. The outline of a city (possibly Charleston, South Carolina) is evident in the background. Possibly created by an eyewitness, and reveals similarity to other depictions of the battle that were published in Harper's Weekly.

GLC04408

July 1778

Clinton, Henry, Sir, 1730-1795

Letter signed

Title: to Lord George Germain

Written by Clinton as Command of Chief of British forces in America to Germain as British Secretary of State for the American Colonies. Detailed report of his recent activity. Says he evacuated Philadelphia on 18 June 1778. Details the problems of the retreat across New Jersey. On page three lists the units undertaking certain actions in the margin. Mentions tough crossing of the Raritan River. Believes Washington's army to have 20,000 troops. Says the Queens Light Dragoons repulsed the American calvary under Lafayette, which was the opening movements in the Battle of Monmouth. Describes…

GLC04283

14 October 1880

Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889

Letter

Title: to Marcus Wright

Written and signed by Varina Davis, for her husband. Responds at length to General Wright's questions concerning the conduct of General Joseph E. Johnston's defense of Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. With references to numerous letters, Davis explains his own decisions, comments on problems with supplies, and discusses the role of records in building, maintaining, and defending personal reputations. Many of Davis's official letters had scattered since the war, and so-called supporters of Davis had stolen quite a few, including much of the correspondence between Davis and…

GLC04269

1776

Faden, William, fl. 1750-1836

Map

Title: An Account of the Expedition of the British Fleet on Lake Champlain...

Nebenzahl, Battle Plans of the American Revolution, 47. Engraved map with no color.

GLC04304

01 July 1778

Faden, William, fl. 1750-1836

Map

Title: British camp at Trudruffrin [Penna.] from the 18th to the 21st of September 1777...

title continues: "...with the attack made by Major General Grey against the rebels near White Horse Tavern, on the 20th of September. Drawn by an Officer on the Spot." Engraved and Published by W. Faden. Depicts the positions of various regiments and physical landmarks. Battle of Paoli, PA. References: Nebenzahl, "Battle Plans of the American Revolution", 127; Winsor VI: 424; Snyder fig. 190. Written at Charing Cross train station in London.

GLC04312

1784

Faden, William, fl. 1750-1836

Map

Title: Plan of the Siege of Savannah...

Nebenzahl, Battle Plans of the American Revolution, 76.

GLC04316

1812

Seymour, Samuel, fl. 1812

Print

Title: Brilliant Naval Victory [engraving of the USS Constitution]

title continues: "With the U. States Frigate Constitution of 44 Guns, Cap'n. Hull, & the English Frigate Guerriere of 38 Guns, Cap'n. L'acres, in which action Cap'n. Hull lost 7 men killed, & 7 wounded, & his B. M.'s ship was sunk; besides her loss of 15 men killed, 62 wounded, & 24 missing; August 20, 1812. After closing the action was 30 minu[te]s." Depicts one ship flying 4 American flags, surrounded by smaller boats filled with soldiers, and another ship engulfed in flame, smoke billowing above it. Hand colored. Published by J. Pierre & F. Kearney in Philadelphia,…

GLC04523