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  • Letter from Peter A. Dey to Samuel B. Reed, April 25, 1864

    In this letter from April 25, 1864, Peter A. Dey, Chief Engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad, writes to Samuel Reed informing him that the Board of Directors has assigned him to survey the land between the Great Salt Lake Valley and Green River in Utah. He states that "President [Brigham] Young has volunteered to furnish you party and transportation for your work." Dey gives detailed descriptions of the areas through which the line will most likely have to be run, telling Reed that "it will be safe to sacrifice distance and straight lines to cost of construction."

  • Letter from Peter A. Dey to Samuel B. Reed, December 10, 1864

    In this letter from December 10, 1864, Peter A. Dey, Chief Engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad, writes to Samuel Reed describing the way in which Reed should prepare his survey report for the Railroad's directors. Dey also mentions that Reed has his full support and that he (Dey) voiced this sentiment to members of the Board.

  • Letter from Jennie Reed, May 26, [1865]

    In this letter from May 26, 1865, Jennie Reed writes to her cousin Adda discussing various family matters and some of her activities during her stay in Burlington, Iowa. She notes that her husband, Samuel Reed, is in Mount Pleasant, Iowa that day and will soon go "out on the line for a month."

  • Letter from Sally A. Kendrick to Jennie Reed, August 2, 1865

    In this letter from August 2, 1865, Sally A. Kendrick writes to Jennie Reed, wife of Samuel Reed, discussing the war's end. She states that she is glad it ended "in the right way," with the abolishment of slavery. She also details her congregation's attempts to start a church hospital now that the military hospitals are all closed, and describes her work as a nurse during the war. Kendrick also notes that she has a nephew at Fort Laramie who is in charge of a company of former Rebels, and requests Mr. Reed make a visit if his work ever takes him out that far.

  • | Annual report

    Report from Division Engineer Samuel B. Reed to Chief Engineer Peter A. Dey Describing Survey from Green River to Salt Lake City, December 24, 1864

    In this December 24, 1864 report, Samuel B. Reed describes his surveys and explorations of the land from Green River, Utah to Salt Lake City. He gives his recommendations for the route of the Union Pacific Railroad line, including the availability of timber for railroad ties and coal to power the locomotives.

  • | Annual report

    Circular to the Bondholders and Creditors of the Southern Railroad Company, of the State of Mississippi

    This September 11, 1865 circular reports on the condition and financial status of the Southern Railroad Company after the Civil War.

  • | Book

    Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

    In these excerpts from her memoir, Harriet Jacobs writes of the segregation and prejudice she faced in the North almost immediately after escaping from slavery.

  • | Book

    The Congressional Globe [excerpts]

    In these excerpts from a Senate debate over regulations for a District of Columbia street railroad, many typical arguments for and against public segregation are aired in language that also reveals attitudes towards race and equality as the Civil War continued.

  • | Government report

    Testimony of Major Erasmus L. Wentz, Superintendent of Norfolk and Petersburg R.R

    Major Erasmus L. Wentz, supervising work on the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, testifies as to the quality of contraband labor over that of Irish workers. Wentz notes that the contrabands work for less pay.

  • | Illustration

    The Men of the Eighth Massachusetts Regiment Repairing the Bridges on the Railroad from Annapolis to Washington

    This image from the May 11, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts members of the Eigth Massachusetts Regiment repairing bridges on the railroad from Annapolis, Maryland to Washington, D.C.

  • | Illustration

    Seventh Regiment on Board the "Boston," En Route for Annapolis

    This image from the May 11, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts members of the Seventh Regiment aboard the steamship "Boston," en route to Annapolis, Maryland.

  • | Illustration

    The "Lady Davis," Two Guns, Captain Enger, Ship of War of the Southern Confederacy

    This image from the May 18, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the "Lady Davis" steamship, a warship of the Confederate States of America.

  • | Illustration

    Rhode Island Artillery Landing

    This image from the May 18, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts Rhode Island artillery being unloaded from the steamship "Bienville" at the Washington, D.C. arsenal.

  • | Illustration

    Harper's Ferry, as Evacuated by the Confederate Troops

    This image from the July 6, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts Harper's Ferry after its evacuation by Confederate troops.

  • | Illustration

    Destruction of the Railroad Bridge Over the Potomac

    This image from the July 6, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the destruction of the Potomac railroad bridge near Harper's Ferry by Confederate troops.

  • | Illustration

    Terrible Railway Accident on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad

    This image from the October 12, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a railway accident on the Ohio and Mississippi railroad.

  • | Illustration

    Alfred R. Waud, "A Guerrilla", 1862

    When guerrillas attacked Union forces, the northern public was outraged. Confederate guerrillas and partisan rangers attacked the railroad and telegraph systems, opening up the war to civilians and exposing the remorseless nature of the national conflict. Their activities played a central role in the war.

  • | Illustration

    "Repairing Railroad, etc"

    The U.S. Military Railroads rebuilt the South?s railroads in the closing months of the war. African American railroad workers cut timber, broke rock, and hauled gravel for the grading. Their experience on the railroads as trackmen and laborers, as well as firemen and brakemen, continued after the war. In 1880 over 50 percent of all railroad workers in Virginia were black; in Pennsylvania, by contrast, railroad workers were almost uniformly white.

  • | Illustration

    Keywords appearing in all Union officers? correspondence in the 1862 Peninsular Campaign

    Keywords appearing in all Union officers? correspondence in the 1862 Peninsular Campaign; the larger the word, the more often it appeared in their writings. Compiled from U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (Gettysburg, Pa.: National Historical Society, c. 1971?1972), Vol. 11 (Part III), 1?384. (Voyeur Tools [copyright 2009] Steffan Sinclair and Geoffrey Rockwell, v. 1.0; graph by Trevor Munoz and the author [September 2009]. This image was generated using Wordle, under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.)

  • | Illustration

    Intersection of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad with the Manassas Gap Railroad

    This image from the March 29, 1862 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a scene of destruction at Manassas Junction in Virginia during the American Civil War.