Author Archives: dcbh

5 April 1863: Drawing of “Gunboat Princess Royal”

Posted on 5 Apr ’13 by

Item description: Drawing, dated 5 April 1863, of “Gunboat Princess Royal,” drawn by Herbert E. Valentine, a private in Company F of the 23rd Massachusetts Volunteers, who served in the United States Army between 1861 and 1864 in eastern Virginia, North … Continue reading →

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3 April 1863: “The house servant that you wanted to buy, when down, I have not seen one that is for sale that I thought would suit.”

Posted on 3 Apr ’13 by

Item description: Note, 3 April 1863, to Ann McNeely of Salisbury, N.C., from W.T. Gilmore about the sale of cotton and the purchase of a house servant. Item citation: From folder 6 of the Macay and McNeely Family Papers #447, Southern … Continue reading →

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1 April 1863: “…and there obtain from Lt. Col. Logan a sufficient force of negroes …”

Posted on 1 Apr ’13 by

Item description: Letter, 1 April 1863, concerning slaves who were being impresssed into Confederate service at Fort Beauregard, La.                                           … Continue reading →

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31 March 1863: “A man in the 23rd NC deserted to the Yankees on picket…”

Posted on 31 Mar ’13 by

Item Description: Letter, of 31 March 1863, from F.J. Haywood Jr.  The letter is addressed to “My Dear Captain” and relates bits of camp gossip and chatter about the sighting of a “Yankee Balloon,” a desertion across enemy lines, and … Continue reading →

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30 March 1863: “No charge for the corn am happy to have it in my power to accommodate you”

Posted on 30 Mar ’13 by

Item description: Letter, 30 March 1863, from R.C. Pearson, Morganton, N.C., to Thomas Ruffin, Graham, N.C. Item citation: From folder 454 in the Thomas Ruffin Papers #641 in the Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Item transcription: Morganton … Continue reading →

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28 March 1863: “I drop you a few lines to give you the sad news that brother Calvin is dead.”

Posted on 28 Mar ’13 by

Item Description: Letter, dated 28 March 1863, from Corporal William H. Proffit during his service in the Wilkes Valley Guards (Company B, 1st North Carolina Regiment).  In this letter Cpl. Proffit informs his family of the death of his brother, … Continue reading →

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27 March 1863: “It has been charged by both the ignorant and the evil-disposed against the people of our faith, that the Israelite does not fight in the battles of his country!”

Posted on 27 Mar ’13 by

Item description: This pamphlet contains a sermon delivered by Reverend M. J. Michelbacher of the Beth Ahabah Synagogue in Richmond, Virginia. In it he refutes claims that the Jewish people of the South are not actively supporting the Confederate cause … Continue reading →

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25 March 1863: “… I have full permission to marry from Mr. Castin I don’t like to have to beg but when I know it is my own owner from whom I am asking these favors it prompts me to do so…”

Posted on 25 Mar ’13 by

Item Description:  Letter, dated 25 March 1863, written by a slave named “Jimmey” working for the DeRosset family in an office in Wilmington, N.C., stating that his owner has given him permission to marry. ”Jimmey” is James W. Telfair, Jr. (born … Continue reading →

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23 March 1863: “…I was very much pleased with Lieut. Flournoy, found him very agreeable, though his attentions were much confined to Julia.”

Posted on 23 Mar ’13 by

Item description: Entry, 23 March 1863, from the diary of Sarah Lois Wadley. More about Sarah Lois Wadley: Sarah Lois Wadley was born in 1844 in New Hampshire, the daughter of railroad superintendent William Morrill Wadley (1813-1882) and Rebecca Barnard Everingham … Continue reading →

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22 March 1863: “The successful running the blocade has given a great deal of wealth to some people…”

Posted on 22 Mar ’13 by

Item Description: Entry, dated 22 March 1863, from Margaret Ann “Meta” Grimball’s diary describing the effect of blockade running on the local economy.  Grimball notes that her husband has sold his slaves, but remains in debt. From the Margaret Ann … Continue reading →

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