Search Documents

178 Documents foundEdit Search

Sort by: Title, Date, Type

  • | Contract

    Receipt for Sale of Slaves to the Mississippi Central Railroad Company, March 5, 1860

    This March 5, 1860 receipt lists the names, ages, and purchase price of 21 slaves sold to the Mississippi Central Railroad.

  • | Letter

    Letter from John McConihe to John Kellogg, August 11, 1860

    In this August 11, 1860 letter to John Kellogg, John McConihe writes of his speculation with gold rush miners and his anticipation of the appointment of a congressional delegate from the Nebraska territory. He also notes that a telegraph is being built in Omaha and that he feels this will lead to further settlement in Nebraska.

  • | Letter

    Letter from John McConihe to John Kellogg, September 21, 1860

    In this September 21, 1860 letter, John McConihe writes to friend and business partner, John Kellogg, about his beginning freighting business and his hopes for future prosperity in that area. He mentions the upswing in the optimism of Nebraskans about their future prosperity since the completion of a telegraph to Omaha.

  • | Letter

    Letter from John McConihe to John Kellogg, October 18, 1860

    John McConihe's October 18, 1860 letter to John Kellogg reports his frustration over the death of one of his mules on the supply wagon he has sent to the West and reports the close results of the election for a Congressional delegate. The telegraph line has been extended from Omaha to Kearney, and this, coupled with a stagecoach route from Omaha to Denver, indicates to him that Nebraskans "are getting to be of some account."

  • | Letter

    Letter from John McConihe to John Kellogg, December 23, 1860

    In this December 23, 1860 letter from John McConihe to John Kellogg, McConihe recounts the fate of the freight he sent to Denver and his plans to send another supply train west in February. McConihe also informs Kellogg of his plans to return to New York and expresses his confidence that the Union will "be patched up" in time for him to turn a profit the next year.

  • | Letter

    Letter from John McConihe to John Kellogg, March 15, 1861

    In this March 15, 1861 letter from John McConihe to friend and business partner John Kellogg, McConihe mentions a few general business transactions and tells of organizing another freight load to send to Denver.

  • | Letter

    Letter from John McConihe to John Kellogg, May 6, 1861

    In this May 6, 1861 letter from John McConihe to his friend and business partner, John Kellogg, McConihe tells of his lack of success in freighting goods to Denver (a failure he blames on the Civil War curtailing westward migration) and his decision to quit the venture. He also expresses his disappointment in the territorial government and about the handling of the Civil War. He closes the letter on a happier note, congratulating Kellogg on his impending marriage and graduation from the "Bachelor circle".

  • | Letter

    Letter from John McConihe to John Kellogg, July 12, 1861

    In his July 12, 1861 letter, John McConihe writes to his business partner, John Kellogg, lamenting his financial losses in his Denver speculation scheme and from the government's failure to pay him what he is owed. McConihe asks for Kellogg's patience in awaiting repayment and reports that he has joined the army as a captain to support himself.

  • | Photograph

    Eastern view of round house and depot, Orange & Alexandria Railroad

  • | Photograph

    Harper's Ferry and The Maryland Heights

    Harper's Ferry, an important railroad terminus at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, changed hands eight times during the Civil War. In this photograph, the landscape and the significance of the river valleys are particularly obvious.

  • | Photograph

    'The ruse of the whistles - the guarded track, Corinth, Mississippi, 1862'

  • | Illustration

    Railroad Junction near Corinth

    Corinth was at the junction of two railroad lines, the Mobile & Ohio and the Memphis & Charleston, and so was strategically important to both sides. This image was published shortly after the Seige of Corinth, in which the city was taken by Union forces.

  • | Illustration

    General View of Harper's Ferry and The Maryland Heights

    Harper's Ferry, an important railroad terminus at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, changed hands eight times during the Civil War. This image was published just weeks after the Battle of Harper's Ferry, during which Confederate troops were victorious.

  • | Illustration

    Exchanging Salutations with the Enemy

    Harper's Weekly featured regular illustrations of southern towns and battlefields for Northern audiences following the war. This image of Fredericksburg echoes a photograph by Matthew Brady.

  • | Photograph

    Fredericksburg from the river. Showing Confederate troops and bridge. (taken at a distance of one mile.)

    Similar in composition to the December 13, 1862 Harper's Weekly image, in this picture the close proximity of armies to one another is evident.

  • | 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.

  • | Letter

    Letter from Sarah Sim to Sister, October 29, 1863

    IIn her October 29, 1863 letter to her sister, Sarah Sim describes the deaths of her daughters, Helen and Mary, from diphtheria. She also mentions the recent birth of another son, and her struggles to maintain her own health while watching three sons under the age of three. With her childcare burdens, she fears that she will not be able to return to the East for a winter visit.

  • | Illustration

    The Army of the Potomac - The Great Depot of Supplies on the Railroad

    Northern audiences were hungry for information and images related to the war effort. Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia were focal points and thus often photographed and presented as illustrations.

  • | Payroll

    Payroll for William Rice, Carpenter, Knoxville, TN, August, 1865

    This carpenter's payroll from August, 1865 lists the time—in days—that William Rice spent working at various "general" tasks and details the compensation he received at Knoxville, Tennessee.

  • | Payroll

    Payroll for S. H. Hall, Machinist, Knoxville, TN, August, 1865

    This machinist's payroll from August, 1865 lists the time—in days—that S. H. Hall spent working on various engines and details the compensation he received.