Manuscripts Department
Library of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION
#M-4273
GEORGE H. JOHNSTON PAPERS
Inventory
Abstract: Papers, 1861-1871, relating to the Civil War
activities of U.S. Army Capt. George H. Johnston. The
majority of the material dates from January-July 1863
and deals with the occupation forces centered at New
Bern, N.C., and St. Helena Island, S.C.; the relief
expedition by Union forces to Washington, N.C.; and
the planned, but aborted, expedition against
Charleston, S.C., in the spring of 1863. Included are
personal letters between Johnston and his wife Amanda
in which he discussed black soldiers and the command
attitude toward their use; official letters to and
from Brigadier Gen. Henry M. Naglee; other
correspondence; bound volumes of general orders,
special orders, and correspondence initiated by
Naglee, which includes a letter book documenting
Naglee's position during a command dispute with Major
Gen. J. G. Foster and Major Gen. David Hunter; and
newspaper articles, most of which are about George H.
Johnston or Henry M. Naglee.
Online Catalog Terms:
Foster, John Gray, 1823-1874.
Hunter, David, 1802-1886.
Johnston, Amanda, fl. 1863.
Johnston, George H., fl. 1863.
Naglee, Henry M. (Henry Morris), 1815-1886.
New Bern (N.C.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
North Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Saint Helena Island (S.C.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
South Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Afro-Americans.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Occupied
territories.
United States. Army--Afro-American troops--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States. Army--Officers--Correspondence.
Size: 90 items (1 reel of microfilm).
Provenance: Purchased from the Birmingham Public Library,
Birmingham, Ala., in May 1981.
Access: No restrictions.
Processing Note: This collection was processed with support
from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers,
or their descendants, as stipulated by United
States copyright law.
Table of Contents:
Description
DESCRIPTION
Microfilm copies of papers of Captain George Henry Johnston
held by the Birmingham Public Library. The papers cover the
period of occupation of various costal areas of North and South
Carolina during the Civil War. Included in the correspondence
are several items that describe First Bull Run and the final
phases of General George B. McClellan's Peninsular Campaign. The
majority of the material dates from between January and July 1863
and deals with the occupation forces centered at New Bern, N.C.,
and St. Helena Island, S.C. Two major combat expeditions are
also among the items planned and discussed within the papers:
the relief expedition by Union forces to Little Washington, N.C.,
in April 1863; and the planned, but aborted, expedition against
Charleston, S.C., during the spring of 1863.
These papers do not provide a full chronological description
of the expeditions. They have been divided into five major
groupings as follows:
1. Personal Correspondence: Letters between George H. Johnston
and his wife, Amanda, covering 6 February 1862 (possibly
misdated and actually 1863) to 22 May 1863, with remarks about
African-American soldiers and the command attitude toward
their use.
2. Official Correspondence: Letters to and from Brigadier
General Henry M. Naglee, covering 14 February 1863 to 19 June
1863, with initial orders outlining the expedition to
Charleston, S.C.
3. Miscellaneous Correspondence: Items from 21 January 1862 to
April 1863 including the official printed report of Little
Washington, N.C.
4. Bound Volumes: Volumes including general orders, special
orders, and correspondence initiated by Brigadier General
Henry M. Naglee from January to July 1863, and a letterbook
documenting Naglee's position during a command dispute with
Generals Foster and Hunter.
5. Newspaper Articles: Undated clippings from a variety of
Boston area newspapers dealing with the career of George H.
Johnston from later 1861 to 1871, including a heavy
concentration of articles on the Peninsular Campaign and
Brigadier General Henry M. Naglee's removal from command at
Port Royal, S.C.