Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

Essick's diary details his activities with the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry in and around Washington, DC, particularly drills, parades, and the doldrums of camp life and army food.

Essick's diary details his activities with the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry during the regiment's entire three month service, expect for the four weeks when Essick was ill. The 4th Pennsylvania saw little action and Essick's diary focuses on drills, parades, and the doldrums of camp life and army food. A continuing thread of the diary is the topic of uniforms, including descriptions of the efforts undertaken to provide uniforms to the troops of the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry.

John L. Perley, a baker from Newburyport, was among the first to respond to Lincoln's call for recruits in April, 1861. His three letters to his wife describe the executions of deserters, a failed expedition up the Ashepoo River, and an account of skirmishes during the raid toward Baldwin, Fla. during the Civil War.

Perley's three letters to his wife, Jenny (Jane), are each outstanding. Each has its highlights, describing some of the more sensational aspects of a soldier's experience. In the first, Perley describes of the brutal execution of three men who had been captured while attempting to desert. In the second, he provides details on the failed expedition up the Ashepoo River; while in the third, he provides a stirring account of skirmishes during the raid toward Baldwin, Fla. In this last, Perley includes a description of the close-range killing of a Confederate officer who refused to surrender peacefully: "I asked him to surrender every time before i fired and he only threw down his armes after he had five bullett holes threw him from my revolver. I was sorry to have to kill him but it was his life or mine and he fell and I did not ... I should be proud of the honor that has bin bestowed upon me for what I have done if I was only happy but I am not."

This collection contains 3 letters that Private John Speer wrote to the Ihrie family while serving with the 2nd Pennsylvania Artillery Regiment in 1865. He discussed his experiences in the army and anticipated the end of the Civil War.

This collection contains 3 letters (11 pages) that Private John Speer wrote to the Ihrie family while serving with the 2nd Pennsylvania Artillery Regiment in 1865. He discussed his experiences in the army and anticipated the end of the Civil War. His letters are addressed to his aunt, uncle, and cousin, who lived in Lisbon, Indiana. Speer described military actions and other aspects of military life, attempted to describe his feelings during a charge, and listed the battles in which he had participated; he also discussed his political views, including his support for the Republican Party.

This volume contains an anonymous journal of a voyage from Kennebunk, Maine, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio, between December 9, 1852, and January 24, 1853, as well as poetry, short stories, and essays composed by a second unknown writer between May 1857 and February 1887. One poem and one story concern the Civil War, and the author composed biographical essays about prominent individuals, families, and other topics.

This volume contains an anonymous journal of a voyage from Kennebunk, Maine, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio, between December 9, 1852, and January 24, 1853 (21 pages), as well as poetry, short stories, and essays composed by a second unknown writer between May 1857 and February 1887 (117 pages). One poem and one story concern the Civil War, and the author frequently composed biographical essays about prominent individuals, families, and other topics.

The first 21 pages, titled "Journal of a voyage from Kennebunk to New Orleans," are made up of daily diary entries composed during a voyage from Maine to Louisiana and from Louisiana to Ohio. The author embarked from Kennebunk, Maine, onboard the Golden Eagle (commanded by Captain Nathaniel Thompson) on December 9, 1852, and made daily observations about life at sea. As the Golden Eagle approached Florida in late December, he described the scenery in the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, and coastal Louisiana. On one occasion, the ship encountered a boat transporting slaves to New Orleans. The author arrived in New Orleans on December 28, where he wrote about some of his experiences in the city, such as a visit to the cattle market. On January 12, he boarded the steamer Yorktown for a journey up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to Cincinnati. He noted the cities passed along the way, such as Vicksburg and Memphis, and described southern plantations, making note of their use of slave labor. On January 15, he reported that the Yorktown had taken a newly purchased African American family onboard, who entertained the passengers with dancing and music. By the final entry, dated January 24, 1853, the author had just passed Evansville, Indiana.

The volume also contains a commonplace book, in which the writer composed 117 pages of poetry, short stories, and essay. Several poems are translations of German poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Ludwig Uhland, and others appear to be original compositions. Among the latter is "Our Native Land," a patriotic verse written in March 1863, and additional poetry dated June 1869. The author wrote one short story in March 1862. An essay, "the Presentiment," consists of recollections of a war-era soldiers' relief society worker and a story respecting a woman's premonition of her own death. Biographical sketches and essays comprise most of the remaining material and are often annotated with small edits. Persons of interest include Horace Walpole, William Cowper, Nassau family members, Michael Faraday, Sir Philip Sidney, Norman Macleod, Dr. John Brown, and Henry of Navarre. Other essays concern the "Besor brook" in Judaea, the rivers of Babylon, and the telegraph.

A financial account between Charles Thompson and Nathaniel L. Thompson, settled in Kennebunk, Maine, on January 1, 1856, is laid into the volume.

This collection consists of incoming letters sent to Mary Averell Knap of Brownsville and Ogdensburg, New York, between 1850 and 1862, and letters sent to her granddaughter, Lydia Averell Hasbrouck, of Ogdensburg, New York, in 1885 and 1886 by her cousin, Thomas Whitney Brown. The correspondence concerns daily life, occasional references to the Civil War, literature, and Brown's attempts to gain admission to the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University).

The Knap-Whitney family letters consist of approximately 88 letters. The correspondence addressed to Mary Averell Knap includes 4 outgoing and approximately 75 incoming personal letters dated between 1848 and 1864. Her parents, friends, cousins, and other family members commented on their daily lives, with occasional references to the Civil War. Mary Knap's father, Thomas Knap, informed his daughter about his life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1850, and occasionally discussed the sermons he heard. After 1850, Mary's correspondents primarily included her cousins and friends. In the mid-1850s, Maria M. Campbell (later Smith), a cousin, wrote about her education and social life at St. Mary's Hall, Burlington, New Jersey, and in October 1858 discussed her relocation to Fort Mason, Texas (resultant from her husband's affiliation with the United States Army's Second Cavalry). Susie P. Willene wrote of her life in "Frankford," and in one letter she shared her distaste for recent political developments in South Carolina, despite her southern heritage (June 22, 1855). Other friends reported social news, such as marriages and, in one instance, the author's secret engagement. Knap also received letters from several men, including one written in German.

Though Mary Knap continued to receive letters throughout the Civil War, her correspondents primarily focused on personal matters, such as her cousin Will's efforts to establish a forge at Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania. Others described a visit to an army encampment in Washington, D.C., and mentioned a soldier's aid society.

Mary A. Knap also wrote 4 letters to George Whitney in 1857, about her life in Brownsville and his unreciprocated romantic advances.

The correspondence sent from Thomas Brown Whitney of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to his cousin, Lydia Averell Hasbrouck of Ogdensburg, New York, includes 8 letters dated from 1885 and 1886 and 1 letter dated in 1940. He shared family news and stories, and commented on his daily life. An avid reader, he frequently discussed literature and literary figures, such as Lords Tennyson and Byron, and occasionally copied poetry into his letters. Whitney enjoyed fencing, and drew several figures fighting in his letter of December 26, 1885. After September 1885, the letters concentrate on his desire to attend College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and he wrote of his studies, college entrance exams, and classes in Latin. On April 6, 1886, he voiced his concerns about "hazing and general fighting" at Princeton. His letter dated March 23, 1940, reflects on a bout of "grippe" and attitudes towards the Second World War, including German anti-war sentiment.

Levy & Cohen's views of the rebel capital and its environs contains 26 photographs of historically significant monuments, locations, and structures in Richmond, Virginia, in 1865 after the conclusion of the Civil War.

Levy & Cohen's views of the rebel capital and its environs contains 26 photographs of historically significant monuments, locations, and structures in Richmond, Virginia, in 1865 after the conclusion of the Civil War.

Most images include typewritten titles and copyright statements as well as captions on their versos which outline the subject's historical significance and relation to the Civil War. Some photographs show duplicate views and/or have repetition of content in their verso descriptions. There is one photograph that measures 17 x 14 cm, ten that measure 13.5 x 19 cm, while the remaining fifteen photos are of standard carte de visite size.

Specific monuments that are represented in this collection include the Tomb of James Monroe in Hollywood Cemetery and Thomas Crawford’s Virginia Washington Monument shown prior to its completion. Specific structures represented include the Virginia Executive Mansion, ruins of Richmond Arsenal (Virginia Manufactory of Arms), ruins of Gallego Flour Mills, Treasury building (Lewis F. Powell Jr. United States Courthouse), Virginia State Capitol building, Virginia State Penitentiary, and Chimborazo Hospital. Other images show scenes of a burnt district, Capitol Square, a shipyard, Drury’s Bluff, Rocket’s Landing, James River, and what remains of Petersburg Railroad Bridge. One particularly noteworthy image is titled “Portico of Executive Mansion,” which shows Governor Francis Harrison Pierpont “in company with Messrs. W. W. Weng, Treasurer of Virginia, W. D. Massey, P. M. of Alexandria, Va., and Colonel Hart of the Governor’s staff." Another image shows Union soldiers outside of their tents with a handwritten notation on the verso stating “Headquarters of First Penna Reserve Artillery, Lt. Col. Brady, Richmond Va. June 1865.”

Lewis Hickok's journal contains brief daily entries for 1863, describing his service during the seige and occupation of Vicksburg in the Civil War.

The diary of Lewis T. Hickok is a product of the flux inherent in military service during the Civil War, the alternation between long days of boredom and moments of intense excitement. Through very brief entries for each day in 1863, Hickok sketches a picture of service centered almost exclusively on the siege and subsequent occupation of Vicksburg. Since Hickok (and the limited space available in the diary) unintentionally imposed a two- or three-sentence limit on each entry, the diary sheds little light on any particular topic, however, since he wrote every day, it provides good documentation of the movements of the regiment, and, along with his occasional side comments, an intriguing picture of a quixotic individual who apparently could never quite conform to military life.

The inside cover of the diary also includes the name of John Kidston, a recruit who died in Battle on May 18, 1863. The reason for the inclusion of Kidston's name is obscure.

The Pennsylvania Civil War pollbook collection contains pollbooks documenting the absentee voting of residents of four Pennsylvania counties during the Civil War, who were in Company C, 11th Pennsylvania Infantry; Company E, 198th Pennsylvania Infantry; and a detachment at Camp Biddle near Philadelphia.

The Pennsylvania Civil War pollbook collection contains three poll books with records of the 1864 election, held October 11, 1864, for soldiers in the field voting by absentee ballot in Pennsylvania.

The book for residents of Westmoreland County within Company C, 11th Pennsylvania Infantry, documents many aspects of the election. These include its location (Fort Dushane in Dinwiddie County, Virginia), the names of the poll officials, the names and residences of the 15 soldiers who voted, and the number of votes received by various candidates. The offices up for election were U.S. Representative, State Representative, Prothonotary, Clerk of Quarter Sessions and Oyer and Terminer, County Commissioner, Director of the Poor, County Auditor, and Trustees of Academy.

The book for voters of Philadelphia and Delaware Counties within Company E, 198th Pennsylvania Infantry, contains similar information for their election, held at "Camp near Petersburg." It includes the names and addresses of 31 voters, as well as names of candidates and number of votes each received for the following offices: U.S. Representative, State Representative, State Senator, Sheriff, Register, Clerk of Orphans' Court, Coroner, County Commissioner, Director of the Poor, County Auditor, Reviewer of Taxes, and City Commissioner.

The pollbook for residents of Wyoming County, within a detachment at Camp Biddle, contains the voting record of just one man, Albert Strong of Northmoreland Township.

This collection is made up of one diary of Robert Waterston of Boston, Massachusetts, and a diary of his son, Unitarian minister Robert Cassie Waterston. Robert C. Waterston kept his diary from May 1, 1832, to March 27, 1833. He wrote about attendance at meetings for The Association for Religious Improvement, religion, literature, life, philosophy, travel in New England (with a corresponding mileage log and related expenses), and weather observations. The elder Robert Waterson kept his diary between February 10 and April 7, 1861. He reflected on national politics, the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, secession, and the Civil War. He also noted weather observations and provided frequent religious mediations.

This collection is made up of one diary of Robert Waterston of Boston, Massachusetts, and a diary of his son, Unitarian minister Robert Cassie Waterston. Robert C. Waterston kept his diary from May 1, 1832, to March 27, 1833. He wrote about attendance at meetings for The Association for Religious Improvement, religion, literature, life, philosophy, travel in New England (with a corresponding mileage log and related expenses), and weather observations.

The elder Robert Waterson kept his diary between February 10 and April 7, 1861. He reflected on national politics, the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, secession, and the Civil War. He also noted weather observations, provided frequent religious mediations, and included a log of letters sent and received. On the rear cover are "A Few of the Last Words of Baron Bunson", attributed to "Review Chretienne, 15 December 1860".

Thaddeus Carleton's journal provides continuous coverage of the daily activities of a family on the home front of the Civil War in New York.

The majority of entries in Carleton's diary concern the routine matters of daily life in a small New York town, including births, illnesses, and deaths, domestic chores, sending "goodies" to the soldiers, sleighing in winter, trading daguerreotypes, killing rats, and visiting friends and relatives. Other entries, though, enable one to track the course of the war and its effect on the lives of those on the 'home front.' Thaddeus is a faithful recorder of the names of local men who were casualties of the war, whether injured or dying in combat or suffering from disease, and he takes care to note the soldiers arriving home after being discharged or furloughed for convalescence or rest. Two soldiers returned home as prisoners 'paroled' by the Confederates, but Thaddeus suggests that, in reality, they may have deserted after their release. Throughout the journal, Thaddeus' greatest concern seems to be the well being of his relatives in the service.

Current events occasionally attract Thaddeus' attention. He responds strongly to news of the Emancipation Proclamation, the fall of Charleston and Vicksburg, the siege of Port Hudson, the anniversary of the fall of Fort Sumter, and the Battle of Gettysburg. While his reactions are somewhat stereotypical in their patriotism, his interest and desire to serve seem genuine. Many of the war reports he records in his journal turn out to have been nothing more than rumors (e.g., the fall of Richmond and the capture of Jefferson Davis), and following several such rumors, Carleton becomes considerably more cautious in accepting war stories. The red tape involved in soldiers' or relatives' applying for and receiving back pay and pensions is a recurring theme.

A few other incidents are noteworthy. On 22 May, a quack doctor who claimed to be the grandson of Ethan Allen and to be able to cure Thaddeus of his 'contracted cords' arrived in Churchville and offered to help. Having taken his fee, Dr. Allen took to the road, leaving the uncured Thaddeus understandably bitter when, on 20 June, he received word that Allen had been seen in a nearby town boasting of success in curing Carleton. The bloody suicide of Schuilar Bromley (29 May), young resident of Churchville, also attracted a fair amount of Carleton's attention for a time.

On the political front, Carleton's commentary on the Republican victory in the November elections is unusually tinged with emotion: "the poorest, meanest armed rebel in the insurgent army is a good man by the side of the best of [the copperheads]. for has he not the spunk to march up to the cannons mouth and boldly assert their claims, while they are, crawl around (copperhead) like and strike your back in the dark, but their punishment is drawing nigh."

While Thaddeus is not a naturally gifted writer, and while his writing in neither richly detailed, stirring, nor insightful, his journal provides a continuous and dense coverage of the daily activity of a family on the 'home front' in New York. While his reactions are often muted, in the end, because of the regularity of entries and the presence of an occasional more descriptive passage, a complete picture emerges of the experiences of a would-be soldier and his community.