Tag Archives: prisoners-of-war

5 January 1862: “…we are not Barbarians, if we are “Rebels”!

Item description: Letter, 5 January 1862, from Jeremy Francis Gilmer, a Major of Engineers in the Confederate States of America Army, to his wife “Loulie,” Louisa Fredericka Alexander Gilmer. Gilmer wrote of the wintry weather and the relative softness and scratchiness … Continue reading

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20 November 1861: Raising the Black Flag, “Such an event must fill every thoughtful mind with the gloomiest forebodings.”

Item description: newspaper article, “The Black Flag,” Weekly Standard (Raleigh), 20 November 1861, page 1, column 4. Item transcription: The Black Flag. In modern times, the black flag has never been raised, except as the ensign of the pirate—the heartless … Continue reading

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12 November 1861: “Will Lincoln back out or will he not? Upon this depends the future character of this struggle.”

Item description: In this piece from 12 November 1861, the editors of the Wilmington Daily Journal examine which way the current war will unfold. They ask if it will be “confined to the operations of large bodies acting strategically for … Continue reading

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4 October 1861: “He has many admirers & strangers who visit the island, exhibit great eagerness to get a sight of him.”

Item description: Diary entry, 4 October 1861, of Thomas Sparrow, captain of Company A, 7th North Carolina Infantry (“Washington Grays”), written while Sparrow was imprisoned at Governor’s Island, N.Y. The entry continues a thread from the previous day, giving an … Continue reading

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3 October 1861: “An improvement in the treatment of the prisoners at the Castle & the Baltimore political prisoners. Taken out to walk & sun, twice a day.”

Item description: Diary entry, 3 October 1861, of Thomas Sparrow, captain of Company A, 7th North Carolina Infantry (“Washington Grays”), written while Sparrow was imprisoned at Governor’s Island, N.Y. Thomas Sparrow (1819-1884), a native of New Bern and resident of … Continue reading

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29 August 1861: “And it is stipulated and agreed by the contracting parties, on the part of the said United States Government, that the officers and men shall recieve the treatment due to prisoners of war.”

Item description: The Weekly State Journal of Raleigh, North Carolina, published these “Articles of Capitulation” between Union and Confederate forces after the Battle of Hatteras Inlet. Signed on 29 August 1861, the agreement stipulates that the forces and “all munitions … Continue reading

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29 July 1861: “I enclose a photograph of my son, though very poorly taken. If dead it may be the means of designating his body.”

Item description: Letter, dated 29 July 1861, from David King, M.D., of Newport, R.I., to Col. William Porcher Miles, C.S.A., regarding the fate of his wounded son, Theodore Wheaton King, a private with Company F of the 1st Rhode Island … Continue reading

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18 July 1861: “…it will be gloomy enough for me to see them come and know that you are left behind if you are…”

Item description: Letter from Lucinda M. [Hayne?] to her husband Albert B. Penno, a private in Company D of the 1st Regiment of Rhode Island Volunteers. The following words are written on the front of the envelope included with this … Continue reading

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