Monthly Archives: April 2011

30 April 1861: Articles from The Daily Journal (Wilmington, North Carolina)

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Item description: A selection of articles from The Daily Journal (Wilmington, North Carolina) for 30 April 1861. Topics include: the sale of a slave family; reaction to secession from merchants in New York; packages and mail sent to soldiers; discord … Continue reading →

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29 April 1861: “The slavery question is the cause of all this trouble, 8 Southern states have seceded from the Union, if the North and South can’t agree, they had better separate.”

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Item description: Entry, dated 29 April 1861, from the diary of Mary Jeffreys Bethell reflecting on war news and commenting on her sons’ enlistment in the Confederate Army. Item citation: From the Mary Jeffreys Bethell Diary #1737-z, Southern Historical Collection, … Continue reading →

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28 April 1861: “The troops are under arms and performing duty as though we were in a state of siege.”

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Item description: Bryan writes to his father after his arrival at Norfolk. Because many troops that guarded the river, he was encouraged to “take to the rail.” In the midst of the secession crisis, Bryan reported many uniformed soldiers.  He … Continue reading →

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27 April 1861: “For the last five or six days eight or ten have left per day and many more are only waiting to receive money– to leave”

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Item description: A petition by students to University of North Carolina Board of Trustees on behalf of the first-year, sophomore, and junior classes requesting the suspension of college duties so that students can prepare for war. Transcription of item: http://docsouth.unc.edu/true/mss06-08/mss06-08.html … Continue reading →

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26 April 1861: “If I have to go to the wars I will never go unless you are first my bride…”

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Item description: Love letter from John Halliburton to his fiancee Juliet. At the conclusion of the letter, Halliburton describes the scene at the University of North Carolina as many of the University’s students depart for military service. Item citation: From … Continue reading →

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25 April 1861: “I belong to the Charlotte Grays, Company C, First North Carolina Regiment…”

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Item description: Entry, dated 25 April 1861, from the published diary (copyright 1913) of Louis Leon. In this his first entry of the diary, Leon describes his enlistment in the Confederate Army and his experiences in the first few days … Continue reading →

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24 April 1861: Articles from the The Hillsborough Recorder

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Item description: A selection of articles from The Hillsborough Recorder (Hillsborough, North Carolina) for 24 April 1861. Topics discussed are: the editor’s position on secession, the Fayetteville Arsenal, the Orange Greys, and militia law. Item citation: The Hillsborough Recorder. 24 … Continue reading →

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23 April 1861: “I write this letter to ask and to beg you to let me come home.”

Posted on 23 Apr ’11 by

Item description: John Steele Henderson wrote his father with the hopes of being allowed to join the military. As a student at Alexander Wilson’s School in Alamance County, North Carolina, Henderson told of the large numbers of students leaving daily … Continue reading →

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22 April 1861: “Everybody here is talking about war. Many have gone to hunt it up.”

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Item description: This letter from John Wesley Halliburton to his fiancee and future-wife Juliet Halliburton, written several weeks before his graduation from the University of North Carolina in 1861, describes an incident where he delivered a pro Union speech at … Continue reading →

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21 April 1861: “who knows what may be before us, but whatever comes, it is woman’s lot to wait and pray…”

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Item description: Diary of Sarah Lois Wadley, 1859-1861, near Amite in Tangipahoa Parish, Monroe and Oakland in Ouachita Parish, La.  This entry, dated 21 April 1861, describes a Sunday afternoon near her family home in Louisiana, an accident resulting in … Continue reading →

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