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December 7, 1862 | Letter
Letter from Samuel B. Reed to Wife and Children, December 7, 1862
In this letter from December 7, 1862, Samuel Reed writes to his wife and family from Burlington, Iowa requesting news from home. He notes that many in the area "would sooner see both north and south irretrievably ruined than have a settlement on any other grounds than the utter extinction of slavery." Reed states that if the North can hold out for another year peace may be possible, but he does not expect it any sooner unless "through foreign intervention."
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November 2, 1862 | Letter
Letter from Erastus H. Reed to Jennie Reed, November 2, 1862
In this letter from November 2, 1862, Erastus H. Reed, one of the enlisted brothers of Samuel Reed, writes to Jennie Reed describing his new life as a soldier as "a stern reality." He offers details on his regiment's encounters (or lack thereof) with the Confederate Army, and complains about the hard marching they have been forced to endure. He requests supplies and news, and encourages "Sister Jennie" to write to him as often as possible.
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October 29, 1862 | Letter
Letter from Samuel B. Reed to Jennie Reed, October 29, 1862
In this letter from October 29, 1862, Samuel Reed writes to his wife to inform her that he has arrived in Burlington, Iowa. He describes his overnight trip on the train, stating that he rode all night in his seat as he "did not feel like paying a dollar" for a double booth in the sleeping car. He mentions meeting a family friend from St. Joseph [Missouri] while passing through Galesburgh who said "he may go to Chicago to reside if the war continues much longer." Reed states that "business has been loosely kept" in Burlington, and it will take him some time to get it organized and see to it all.
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October 8, 1862 | Illustration
Rebels Destroying the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
This image from the October 8, 1862 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts three men at Fair View, Maryland observing Confederate forces in the distance working to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
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October 4, 1862 | 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.
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September 29, 1862 | Letter
Letter from B.J. Earl to Jennie Reed, September 29, 1862
In this letter from September 29, 1862, B.J. Earl, Samuel Reed's brother-in-law, writes to his sister Jennie Reed requesting family news. He describes excitement over the war and enlistment in Pennsylvania and also details the progress of railroad construction in the area. He notes that their sister, Lettie, was forced to leave her home "on account of the Indian troubels in Minna" and asks if Samuel Reed's brother, Erastus Reed, enlisted in the war.
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September 21, 1862 | Letter
Letter from Samuel B. Reed to Jennie Reed, September 21, 1862
In this letter from September 21, 1862, Samuel Reed writes to his wife offering advice pertaining to the affairs of the family farm. He briefly mentions hearing of a treaty made with the Indians, but states that he has "no faith in treaties with them if the war with the south lasts." Reed also states that orders from Mr. Thielsen have caused him to delay his plans to visit home, but that he will return as soon as he can.
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September 7, 1862 | Letter
Letter from Samuel B. Reed to Jennie Reed, September 7, 1862
In this letter from September 7, 1862, Samuel Reed writes to his wife stating that he may be home for a visit within three weeks if the field work continues at the present rate of eleven miles per week. He expresses surprise at the fact that the army "from Kansas had retreated from Arkansas" and requests information as to the war's progress in "Virginia and elsewhere." Reed states that most business not pertaining to the army seems to have been suspended, and worries that someone "more ambitious than patriotic" may be able to influence the Union army and assume control of the government as a military dictator.
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September 1, 1862 | Letter
Letter from Samuel B. Reed to Jennie Reed, September 1, 1862
In this letter from September 1, 1862, Samuel Reed writes to his wife to assure them that he is safe from "all [Confederate] moving bands." He also comments on "the Indian troubles in Minnesota," stating that although he knows nothing of them he is not surprised to learn that there have been attacks on "the defenseless frontier on the north west" as there are many "fierce and warlike nations" which would relish an opportunity to attack whites.
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August 24, 1862 | Letter
Letter from Samuel B. Reed to Jennie Reed, August 24, 1862
In this letter from August 24, 1862, Samuel Reed writes to his wife describing the difficulty of his party's work. He states that "the life we are now living would well fit us for army servis," and relates joking with his men about joining the army as engineers, admitting that he "would be the first to back out if a serious proposition of that kind was made to us." Reed also gives an account of where the men in his party are originally from.
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August 12, 1862 | Letter
Letter from Jennie Reed to Samuel B. Reed, August 12, 1862
In this letter from August 12, 1862, Jennie Reed writes to her husband, Samuel Reed, from their home in Joliet, Illinois regarding rumors of a "large guerilla force near Hanibal" [Illinois]. She worries that Samuel may be "captured or killed or carried away a prisoner" and asks him to write her more often to reassure her of his safety. She also discusses the possibility of a draft and the harvesting and sale of the crops on their farm.
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August 10, 1862 | Letter
Letter from Samuel B. Reed to Jennie Reed, August, 10 1862
In this letter from August 10, 1862, Samuel Reed writes to his wife from Center Township, Iowa stating that he feels like he is "on the extreme borders of civilization." He describes the excitement over the war in the area, speculating that if enlistment throughout Iowa were on par with that portion of the state "it will not be necessary to resort to [a] draft." Reed also offers an anecdote of his party's progress just before leaving Ottumwa, Iowa, and notes that a son of Mr. Thielsen, aged 13, has joined his party.
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June 21, 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.
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May 12, 1862 | Map
New York Daily Tribune, May 12, 1862
This front page image illustrates the importance of maps of space and resources (including railroads) to readers of Civil War-era newspapers. Note the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad running up the center of the larger map; a number of other rail lines criss-cross the map.
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May 12, 1862 | Map
The Seat of War in Eastern Virginia
During the Peninsula Campaign, the New York Daily Tribune provides readers with a detailed picture of the eastern Virginia; the Table of Distances at the bottom of the map further informs readers about the space and landscape being described in reports and dispatches. Note the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad running up the center of the image; a number of other rail lines criss-cross the map.
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May 12, 1862 | Map
Norfolk and Vicinity
In the wake of the Battle of Hampton Roads, the New York Daily Tribune prints a map of the waterways and fortifications near Norfolk, Virginia.
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May 9, 1862 | Map
The Defenses of Yorktown
In the wake of the Seige of Yorktown (April 5 - May 4, 1862), readers of the New York Daily Tribune are provided with a map and description of the city's defenses, even as they read about the retreat of rebel forces from Yorktown.
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May 9, 1862 | Map
Movements near Corinth, Mississippi
Although small, this map illustrates the interconnection of railroads and battle lines in the South.
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May 6, 1862 | Map
The Seat of War in Eastern Virginia
This map from the front page of the May 6, 1862, New York Daily Tribune helped Americans unfamiliar with the geography of eastern Virginia sort out the landscape and resources associated with the names of towns and railroad junctions coming from newspaper reports. The constant flow of war information and visual representations like this map kept Americans abreast of far-away developments.
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May 6, 1862 | Map
The Battle of Camden, North Carolina / Fort Macon and Vicinity
Also known as the Battle of South Mills, the Battle of Camden depicted here took place April 19 and the seige of Fort Macon lasted from March 23 to April 26; both were part of General Ambrose Burnside's North Carolina Expedition. On May 6, 1862, these New York Daily Tribune maps provided readers with detailed images of fields of battle and transportation resources hundreds of miles of away - bringing images of warfare and the geography of an enemy region into their homes.
