circa 1860-1865

McSherry, Henry F., fl. 1837

Header Record

Title: [Collection of Henry F. McSherry] [Decimalized .01- .40]

37 letters and documents pertaining to Assistant Surgeon of Martinsburg, [West] Virginia, who served in the U.S. Navy throughout the war. Letters from his family contain good wartime content, from Union supporters in the South. Includes July 1860 Navy Department commission issued to McSherry; a poem dedicated to two local Confederate soldier brothers who "fell in the battle of Manassas… standing side by side. At the same instant, both, mortally wounded"; a telegram from McSherry's father dated May 17, 1861, which simply states "Do not resign." Letter of 5/1/1865 has observations of Lee and…

GLC09324

15 July 1865

Van Wyck, C.H., fl. 1865

Broadside

Title: General Orders No, 3

Brig. Gen. commanding Military District of Western South Carolina during the Southern Occupation period, orders equal rights for the newly freed black population. Recounts incidents of abuse of freedmen and threatens punishment if such acts continue: "Like offences will be severely punished some very wicked men by disregarding the rights of the freedmen render necessary the presence of military power to prevent that which they ought not do however obnoxious it may be, every man is free and must be treated as such you cannot expect the sudden change in your system of labor to work smoothly."

GLC09325

29 May 1865

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875

Printed document

Title: [Amnesty Proclamation]

Circular issued by the Department of State, signed in type by William H. Seward as Secretary of State: "A copy of the President's Amnesty Proclamation of this date is herewith appended. By a clause in the instrument, the Secretary of State is directed to establish rules and regulations for administering and recording the amnesty oath, so as to insure its benefits to the people and guard the Government against fraud,"

GLC09326.01

17 June 1865

Ordway, Albert, fl. 1865

Document

Title: [Transmittal notice]

Transmittal letter from Ordway, Lt. Col. 24th Mass., serving as Provost Marshal of the Department of Virginia, pertaining to the President's amesty proclamation.

GLC09326.02

1866-1868

Woodward, York A., fl. 1866-1868

Header Record

Title: [Collection of York Woodward] [Decimalized .01- .18]

15 letters written by a Freedman's Bureau Superintendent, from January 1866 to February 1868. Many are from Abingdon, VA, and reveal the personal responses and official actions of a Pennsylvania veteran who served throughout the Occupied South as a government agent. "Our court met and adjourned till 2 o'clock we disposed of 4 cases I am yet Monarch of all I survey. The folks pass me by on the other side of the way, but if they have any trouble. I am the one they apply to the farmers have been plowing nearly all the week; it looks strange to see people at their farms work in the month of Jan…

GLC09327

13 January 1812

Printed document

Title: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Thirteenth American Convention for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery...

"Minutes of the Proceedings of the Thirteenth American Convention for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, and Improving the Condition of the African Race Assembled at Philadelphia..." Reports on schools for African-Americans, kidnapping, arrests of fugitive slaves, the African slave trade and the detention of ships engaged in the trade, and prints correspondence with London's African Institution. Representatives of the Manumission Society of New-York, the Abolition Societies of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey attended the meeting, chaired by Thomas Pym Cope, prominent Philadelphia…

GLC09328

4 November 1874

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

Autograph letter signed

Title: to C.H. Howard

To C. H. Howard, an editor/publisher in Chicago, acknowledging receipt of six copies of a "little Letter" he had written. "I very rarely write anything for a newspaper. Almost all my articles appear first in Circulars." He cannot promise to write any further articles; Smith died less than two months later.

GLC09329.01

2 May 1829

Clay, Henry, 1777-1852

Document signed

Title: [Decree]

Decree issued by the Kentucky Circuit Court at Fayette, awarding payment to Clay, who held the mortgage on a property including slaves, which must be sold to pay him. Clay adds an addendum specifying that a young girl not listed on the mortgage be treated as if she had been: "…it being desirable that the mother should not be separated from the child, we do hereby agree that the said child shall be sold with the mother."

GLC09331

1 December 1859

Broadside

Title: [Abolitionist broadside]

Abolitionist broadside endorsed "Distributed in the streets of Boston Thursday evening Dec.1, 1859, the day before the execution of John Brown." Bold text reads: "Let their epitaphs remain unwritten until the not distant day when no slave shall clank his chains in the shades of Monticello or by the graves of Mount Vernon." Brown was hanged on Dec. 2, 1859.

GLC09332

12 February 1863

Logan, John Alexander, 1826-1886

Printed letter

Title: To My Fellow Soldiers (Circular Letter)

Gen. "Black Jack" Logan encourages his Union troops, writing from "Headquarters, 3rd Division, 17th Army Corps" in Memphis, TN: "The day is not far distant, when traitors and cowards North and South, will cower before the indignation of an outraged people. March Bravely Forward! Nerve your strong arms to the task of overthrowing every obstacle in the pathway of victory until with shouts of triumph the last gun is fired that proclaims us a United People under the old Flag and one Government. Patriot soldiers!"

GLC09333

25 May 1863

Breese, Kidder Randolph, 1831-1881

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Eugene Mack

During the Vicksburg bombardment, the Union naval commander on board the flagship Black Hawk sends urgent orders to gunner Eugene Mack. "The bearer of this brings fifty men detailed to work the mortars. Man as many as possible with them and relieve our men. Let one of the old mortar men attend on each boat until these Soldiers are sufficiently instructed to work them.... I want as many of our men sent back as can be spared as it will take all our force to keep the mortars supplied with ammunition.... All the iron mortar boats will be sent down as fast as possible and they are to be put in…

GLC09334

27 August 1798

Adams, John, 1735-1826

Autograph letter signed

Title: Dear Sir

As President, sending a"petition of Parson Smith for a Pardon of a very serious crime.… request you to inclose the Papers to the Secretary of State and Attorney General for their consideration. If they and you agree in advising me to pardon the Criminal, I may perhaps do it, but not other wise."

GLC09335

March 25, 1781

Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, marquis de, 1757-1834

Letter signed

Title: to Joseph Vose

To Col. Joseph Vose at Annapolis, re French Admiral Destouches's setback by the British fleet in the Chesapeake: "I have received certain intelligence of a very severe action having been fought between the [British] Fleet and his Most Christian Majesty [the French].… a very heavy cannonade was heard near Cape Henry which lasted for some hours." With Free Frank.

GLC09336

26 March 1781

Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, marquis de, 1757-1834

Letter signed

Title: to Joseph Vose

To Col. Joseph Vose, preparing to retreat after news of victory of British fleet: "make every preparation to march the troops by land to the Head of Elk…. I request you will use every Endeavour to persuade the people that we are going to join Gnl [Nathanael] Greene's Army - I shall set out to morrow for Annapolis where I expect to find the troops either gone (if the General has so ordered) or in a perfect Readiness to March."

GLC09337

1781-1782

Vose, Joseph, 1738-1816

Header Record

Title: [Collection of Joseph Vose] [Decimalized .01- .12]

Archive of 8 letters to and by Colonel Joseph Vose, who commanded a regiment in Marquis de Lafayette's Light Division, and fragments of three muster rolls. Most pertain to the 1781 campaign.

GLC09338

23 February 1781

Smith, Wallace S., fl. 1781

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Joseph Vose

As Lafayette's Aide-de-Camp, to Colonel Joseph Vose, commanding a regiment in Lafayette's Light Division. "The Marquis De La Fayette requests that the troops if the wheather is not too severe when you receive this may move to Pompton Plains immediately."

GLC09338.01

14 March 1781

McHenry, James, 1753-1816

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Joseph Vose

As Lafayette's Aide-de-Camp, informing Col. Vose that British vessels may be near mouth of the Chesapeake intent on upsetting the plan of combined French and American operations in Virginia. "At present we do not apprehend any danger."

GLC09338.02

15 March 1781

Smith, William Stephens, 1755-1816

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Joseph Vose

Lafayette's Adjutant re the planned spring campaign. Unless French ships arrived and established naval supremacy in the Chesapeake it would be "impossible to move the troops to this place" but Vose should remain "in the most perfect readiness to move at an hour's warning." With Lafayette Free Frank.

GLC09338.03

15 March 1781

Smith, William Stephens, 1755-1816

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Joseph Vose

Nearly exact copy of 9338.03. With Lafayette Free Frank.

GLC09338.04

27 March 1781

Vose, Joseph, 1738-1816

Letter signed

Title: to Henry Sims Lee

Copy of a letter from Vose to Governor Henry Sims Lee of Maryland asking for logistical assistance in his planned retreat to Head of Elk, Maryland, after the defeat of Admiral Destouches's fleet by the British on March 16. "Having received orders from the Marquis to be in readiness to move by land to ward the head of Elk I don't think it can be don with a less quantity of horses & wagons than is sett forth in the return. I would be glad to have your Directions on the matter of percureing them."

GLC09338.05

20 April 1781

McPherson, Major General, fl. 1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Joseph Vose

Lafayette's Aide-de-Camp giving directions to Colonel Vose for his regiment's advance toward Richmond, Virginia. "Halt, till further orders at the Meadow Bridge."

GLC09338.07

21 October 1783

Manuscript document

Title: to Joseph Vose

Invitation for Colonel Vose and any nine of his officers to dine with General Henry Knox.

GLC09338.08

October 1782

Vose, Joseph, 1738-1816

Document signed

Title: [Muster roll fragment]

Muster roll for Colonel Vose's 1st Massachusetts Regiment for October 1782. "Proof of the Inspection and Muster...as compared with the regimental Insepction Return." Fragment, approx. top third of sheet.

GLC09338.09

25 September 1852

Broadside

Title: [Slave sale]

Charleston slave sale by Louis D. De Saussure: "On Thursday…will be sold at Ryan's Mart, in Chalmers Street,…a prime gang of 25 Negroes, accustomed to the culture of Sea Island Cotton and Rice." Lists the enslaved people by with their names, ages and occupations. Ryan's Mart, one of most famous slave markets in the South, is the only known building used as slave auction gallery still in existence in South Carolina, and America's oldest slavery museum.

GLC09339

13 March 1855

Document

Title: 178 Sugar and Cotton Plantation Slaves!... [Slave sale catalogue from Waverly and Meredith plantations]

By J. A. Beard & May-…13th and 14th March, 1855… Will be Sold at Auction, at Banks Arcade, Magazine Street, in the City of New Orleans…" Catalogue of slaves, listed by families, individually described: "No. 1 field hand, fine axman, sawyer and hewer"; "nimble of foot in the dance"; "good seamstress, house servant, nurse and cook." Beard was the largest slave auctioneer in New Orleans.

GLC09340