September 1779

Walton, George, 1740-1804

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Benjamin Lincoln

Written by Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Colonel in the First Georgia Battalion who was severely wounded and captured during the Battle of Savannah in December 1778, to Lincoln as commander of the Southern Department. Walton sent Major Habersaw to British General Augustine Prevost to request relief for American prisoners in Sunbury, but Habershaw was denied entry into Savannah. In response, Major Lane was sent with this letter to Lincoln to request relief. Hopes the prisoners can be exchanged for British prisoners or made prisoners at large in America. Says that the…

GLC01019

3 April 1865

Eden, R.C., fl. 1865

Newspaper

Title: Grant's Petersburg progress. [Vol.1, no.1 (April 3, 1865)]

Union occupation newspaper announcing the capture of Petersburg: "Petersburg Ours! We are here! Hallelujah!" Prints the official surrender correspondence, describes Black celebrating as the "colored population." Brief report that Union forces had taken Richmond that same morning.

GLC01022

June 9, 1864

Lee, Robert E., 1807-1870

Letter signed

Title: to Jefferson Davis

Written less than a week after the Battle of Cold Harbor, June 1-3, 1864, where Union General Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates. Lee attempts to anticipate Grant's next move and warns of another major engagement. Lee notifies Davis of his plans to check Grant's advances by sending General Jubal Early to deal with Union General David Hunter, and General Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee to handle Union General Philip Sheridan. These moves forced the Union generals to abandon the valley. Lee seeks information through captured prisoners and newspaper reports about union troop strength and…

GLC01026

August 16, 1814

Wood, Eleazor D., 1783-1814

Letter

Title: to unknown

Draft of a detailed report of the attack on Fort Erie that had been repelled on August 14, 1814. Wood commanded forces in the battle. Letter written at Fort Erie to a superior officer.

GLC01043.04

October 19, 1864

McLaws, Lafayette, 1821-1897

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Colonel Ray

Forwards an application, "Of the Officers of the 9th Ga [Georgia] Battallian of Arty [Artillery] for transfer to Siege batteries Savannah." Analyzes the conditions at different forts and batteries in Georgia and South Carolina in preparation for the defense of Savannah against Union General William T. Sherman's advance. States that the report will show that an increase in the heavy artillery force is urgently needed. Lists the forts and batteries and the ammunitions at each, the minimum number of men required, and the number needed to provide sufficient relief. Also covers the conditions of…

GLC01073

June 24, 1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Maj. John Dix

Letter written in pencil on mourning stationery. The letter discusses the dispatch from Grant, Kirby Smith, and Gen. Banks.

GLC00876

20 April 1775

Fullam, Phinehas T., fl. 1775

Autograph document signed

Title: [Attesting to Battle of Concord]

Fullam apparently was a postrider for a Committee of Safety, who, like Paul Revere, was employed to spread the news of Lexington and Concord and bring reinforcements. Says he saw the Battle of Concord with his own eyes and that he confirms about 200 died on both sides. Says 1500 regulars with artillery are on the march and that he is "to inform all the Troops that are on their March to Resort there as fast as possible." Later Fullam served in the Massachusetts militia.

GLC00869

24 April 1863

Sandoz, Joel H., fl. 1840-1864

Newspaper

Title: The Opelousas courier. [Vol. 11, no. 23 (April 24, 1863)]

Union occupation newspaper published by Opelousa. Telegrams describe changing conditions of who is winning the battle in Jackson. Poem dedicated to the Union Army and Navy. Fugitive slave ad. Gray floral and tile pattern on wallpaper verso.

GLC00899

14-15 July 1863

Ackert, Charles J., fl. 1863

Newspaper

Title: The Port Hudson Freeman. [Vol. 1, no. 1 (July 14-15, 1863)]

Necessity newspaper printed on pinkish brown scrap paper by Union soldiers. "First federal edition" printed on one side dated 14 July 1863. The other side is dated 15 July and is marked volume 1, no. 1. Reports on the victory at the battle at Vicksburg, the possession of Fort Hudson.

GLC00900.01

22 June 1864

Joy, George Mills, fl. 18301-864

Newspaper

Title: North Carolina times [Vol. 1, no. 44 (June 22, 1864)]

Union occupation newspaper. Contains a stories called "The Miser's Bequest" and "A Man Who Works Without Pay." Also comments on Ulysses S. Grant crossing a river to Covington and Harriet Beecher Stowe's "panegyric on President Lincoln." Includes Civil War articles, such as "The Success of Lincoln and Johnson a Death Blow to the Rebellion," referring to the election of 1864. Other articles comment on the movements of the Army of the Potomac, Yankee prisoners, and a mutiny, blockades, and "Southern Harmony." There is also a "Rebel Letter" and an article on the "Petersburg Capture." Prints laws…

GLC00900.02

August 24, 1864

Gilmer, Jeremy Francis, 1818-1883

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Victor von Sheliha

Letter marked unofficial. Gilmer writes as Confederate Major General about Lieutenant Colonel Sheliha's resignation and his appointment of a successor. He believes that it is unfortunate that Sheliha is resigning while Mobile, Alabama is besieged by Federal forces. "This is a serious step for any officer to take in the present condition of our affairs - and I regret that you should have thought it proper to take it ... even while the Enemy was knocking at the doors of Mobile ... " He explains that it was absolutely necessary to appoint a replacement immediately, " ... one who would struggle…

GLC00908

April 3, 1862

Bragg, Braxton, 1817-1876

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Eliza B. Ellis

General Bragg writes to his wife, Eliza, on the eve of the battle of Shiloh. He discusses preparing to engage the enemy, gives his own estimation of Union troop strength, and discusses Confederate deficiencies. He praises his own command as the best in the army. Bragg hopes to destroy the enemy forces nearby, then attack their reinforcements, which are only a few days off. Crossing the Mississippi River is their biggest obstacle, because the Union forces have all the boats. He writes that he wishes to share the fate of his army and his country.

GLC00910

March 28, 1863

Johnston, Joseph Egleston, 1807-1891

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Jefferson Davis

Johnston, Commander of the Department of the West, replies to two recent communications from Davis, President of the Confederacy. He states "At Mobile, in Mississippi, & in Middle Tennessee, we cannot foresee attack long enough before hand to be able to reinforce the Threatened Army from either of the others. At the two first the enemy's appearance May, & probably would be, the first indication of this intention to attack." He estimates the amount of time it would take to transport wagons, infantry, and horses from Jackson to Tullahoma. Possibly referring to General Simon Bolivar…

GLC00914

May 1, 1863

Benham, Henry Washington, 1813-1884

Manuscript letter

Title: Draft of battle report on an engineering operation

Battle report on an engineering operation. Letter clerically written near Falmouth, Virginia.

GLC00919.14

November 24, 1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Autograph letter signed

Title: to William H. Seward

Letter is on Executive Mansion stationery, and discusses news of the Siege of Knoxville. Four days after the address at Gettysburg.

GLC00940

September 18, 1862

Custer, George Armstrong, 1839-1876

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Colonel Colburn

Penciled letter written during the Battle of Antietam on stationary marked "Head Quarters, Army of the Potomac." He states "We have just captured one three inch gun and its Caisson on the road from the Hagerstown Pike to Sharpstown. Col. Hunt had better send out for it. We cannot take it with us." Note written just after Custer, without orders, led a company of men against a weak point in the Confederate line, routed them, and took a number of their cannons. While this action would prove irrelevant to the larger battle, it helped to establish Custer's reputation for bold action, a trait he…

GLC00932

September 20, 1863

Longstreet, James, 1821-1904

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Thomas C. Hindman

Writing in pencil, General Longstreet, commander of troops at Chickamauga, commends General Hindman on his troops' performance that day in battle. He instructs Hindman to "give them every encouragement and collect them as quick as you can." Referring to General Braxton Bragg, he writes "I have sent to Genl Bragg to ask him to send a Dvn to take your place When it reaches you you can retire to the road and prepare to renew the battle tomorrow." Envelope states "Kept and reserved by Maj. John C. Palmer staff officer of Gen. Hindmans now the property of Maj Palmers Grandson A. J. Gannon."

GLC00941

27 November 1865

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

Autograph endorsement signed

Title: to David D. Porter

Autograph endorsement signed of Sherman to Porter on a letter of Lewis Wolfery, a resident of Louisville, Kentucky to Sherman dated 23 November 1865. Wolfery writes to General Sherman to inform him that, on the recommendation of Copperhead Representative Burwell Ritter, James Wheeler, a former Confederate guerrilla who was tried as a spy, had been appointed to Annapolis Naval Academy over "two true Union boys," Tommy David Jackson and James Gore. Wolfery claims that Wheeler was, " ... a rebel soldier, one of the meanest types that while belonging to the army was back in the State,…

GLC00947

circa 1897

Edwards, Oliver, 1835-1904

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Russel Alger

Draft copy, no place or date. Edwards, Brevet Major General U. S. Volunteers, writes to Alger as Secretary of War. He discusses a medal wrongly awarded by the War Department to a private for the capture of General Custis Lee at the Battle of Sailor's [i.e. Saylor's] Creek, Virginia, April 6, 1865. He claims that David White of the 37th Massachusetts Volunteers actually should have received the medal instead of the private in the 121st New York Volunteers. He explains the battle and the circumstances of the capture. Date inferred from Alger's tenure as Secretary of War (1897-1898).

GLC00998

1863-1865

Pratt, Oliver D., fl. 1863-1864

Header Record

Title: [Collection of letters from Oliver D. Pratt to his brother Albert S. Pratt] [Decimalized .01-.12]

Includes nine dated autograph letters signed, and three undated or fragmentary autograph letters (two are signed). Pratt served in Col. L, 1st Battalion, 4th Massachusetts Cavalry. Includes fighting in Charleston, South Carolina, and Petersburg, Virginia. Dated August 7, 1863 - March 16, 1865 .

GLC01003.03

1862

Smith, Horace A., fl. 1862

Diary

Title: [Diary of Horace A. Smith, 3rd NY Cavalry]

Autograph manuscript signed. Smith served in Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd NY Cavalry, "Van Allen's Regiment." Diary kept in ink and pencil with later pencil pagination. Includes ink drawings of Camp layouts at Poolesveille, Md. and Harpers Ferry, Va. Concerns Maryland, Harper's Ferry, and the Shenandoah campaign. Mentions Jackson's Valley Campaign repeatedly (p. 196). With later note on the Assyrian Empire at end. Dated March 11-October 27, 1862.

GLC01004

1863-1865

Various

Header Record

Title: [5 Documents pertaining to the surrender of CSS Atlanta to Union ironclads] [decimalized .01-.05]

Documenting the surrender and prisoner transfers of a Confederate ironclad steamer. Webb was commander of the CSS "Atlanta," which surrendered to Union ironclads. Documents include lists of officers and crew. The CSS "Atlanta" was an ironclad ram stationed at Savannah, Georgia until 16 June 1863 when the Commander William Webb steamed downriver to attack Union monitors in the blockade. It was run aground and forced to surrender. Webb remained a prisoner until he was exchanged on 18 October 1864. The capture was widely publicized in Northern newspapers. Dated March 20, 1863-June 25, 1863.

GLC01007

July 21, 1781

Tilghman, Tench, 1744-1786

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Richard Varick

Letter discusses several wartime matters: George Washington's desire for Varick to build an unspecified fortification, a lack of intelligence from Nathanael Greene and the Marquis de Lafayette, and reports of "a partial action between the Marquis and Cornwallis." Also congratulates Colonel Varick on his actions at Poughkeepsie. Letter written in a light-hearted manner and composed at "Head Quarters." Tilghman was Washington's aide-de-camp.

GLC00816

September 26, 1863

Gibson, Randall Lee, 1832-1892

Letter signed

Title: to James Wilson

Colonel Gibson writes from the Headquarters of General Daniel Weisiger Adams's Brigade. He informs Wilson, Assistant Adjutant General of John Cabell Breckinridge's Division, of the details of the recent Battle of Chickamauga. He reports that Adams's Brigade is composed of the 13th, 16th, 19th, 20th, and 25th Louisiana Volunteers, the 32nd Alabama Volunteers, Austin's Battalion Louisiana Sharpshooters, Captain S. H. Slocomb's Battery, and Washington's Artillery. Relates "I was engaged in reforming my Regiment when informed, that, Brig-Genl D. W. Adams having been disabled by a wound, the…

GLC00821

November 13, 1894

McKinley, William, 1843-1901

Typed letter signed

Title: to J.B. Allen

McKinley appoints Allen to the Commission appointed by Congress to indicate the position of Ohio regiments in the battle of Antietam. Allen, 19 years old in the battle, fought with the 23rd Ohio Regiment. Letter written on State of Ohio, Executive Department, Office of the Governor letterhead.

GLC00802