Participating in the Remembering Lincoln Digital Project

by Marian Matyn

At the end of July, I received notification from the Remembering Lincoln digital project of the Ford Theatre that they had discovered a number of manuscripts in our collection related to reactions to President Lincoln’s assassination. They found the manuscripts because they were cataloged in OCLC, the national online catalog. Would we be interested in participating in their website, they asked? Absolutely, I replied.

What is the website all about? Remembering Lincoln is a digital project of the Ford Theatre. It provides access to letters, diaries, newspapers, sermons, mourning ribbons, and other primary sources that show how people across the world felt when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated -- mourning him, not mourning him, or other sentiments altogether. Some items discuss hearing the initial news, mourning rituals, his funeral, or later forms of memorials. There are also teaching modules for various grade levels. Check out the site here. 

The five items I added to the Remembering Lincoln website are listed in SmartSearch (the CMU Libraries on-line catalog) and are listed below:

Farley Letter from the
Doris L. King Family Papers

A handwritten letter (4 p.) to Jane (Young) Metcalf Betts from her aunt Harriet Farley in Burr Oak, Saint Joseph County, Michigan, April 23, 1865, describing her feelings about and the town’s reaction (gathering, mourning, and sermons), to the death of Lincoln. The letter is in the Doris L. King Family Papers, 1822, 1877.

An unsigned, handwritten letter (1 p.) to "Friend Lib" [probably the widow Elizabeth, Mrs. Levi Smith] from a Union soldier in or serving at Harper Hospital Detroit, Michigan, April 20, 1865, describing how two Union soldiers rejoiced in hearing of Lincoln’s death and were punished. The letter is in the Levi Smith Family Papers, 1851, 1903.

McClure Correspondence

A third document is a handwritten diary entry of August 12, 1865 of Quincy A. Moore of Ohio, describing his visit to the Dan Rice Circus in Bellefontaine, Ohio, where he saw a tableau of President Lincoln’s assassination, 1 page, in 1 volume. The item is a one item collection: Quincy A. Moore (d. 1877) Diary, 1865, 1869

A handwritten letter to his parents from J.D. McClure in Memphis, Tennessee, April 1865, emotionally describing how the Secessionists (demons) who killed Lincoln will be punished. This letter is a one item collection: J.D. McClure Correspondence, 1865.

A letter from Reuben Yarick at Washington, D.C., to his brother John Yarick, describing his fears and feelings about the assassination of President Lincoln and visiting the body in the White House. This is one letter in the John Yarick Papers, 1854-1864.

John Yarick Papers

For each item linked to the Ford Theatre site, there is a template that donor of digitized documents fill with information, including a long and short title, description of contents and size, item type, material type, transcription (which in some cases was quite time consuming), various sizes and types of scans of the item, location and identification of creator, a list of searchable terms selected from a standardized vocabulary list, information about use, proper citation, institution, and relevant institutional links. I added the Clarke’s Civil War bibliography, which I compiled years ago, but is still relevant and gives an idea of the breadth of our Civil War sources. And I offer a big thank you to Bryan and Casey for scanning all those documents various ways so I could upload them.

Soldiers' Views of the End of the Civil War

by Casey Gamble and Bryan Whitledge. Thanks to Victoria Fisher and Lindsay Gabriel for their research assistance.

W. Doherty Letter

This year, April 9 marks the 150th anniversary of General Lee's surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. This event brought an end to the Civil War. We dug into our Civil War Collection and found several diary entries and letters home from soldiers mentioning the surrender and the fact that the end of the war was in sight. Here, we are featuring a selection of these intriguing documents.

Hance Morgan was a Union soldier from New York who began his service in 1862. During his years in service, he was with many different NY regiments. In the days prior to the surrender, Morgan notes that his regiment was moving toward the site of the surrender and that they crossed the Appomattox River.

On April 9, Morgan remarked, "9 A.M. hear Cannonading a few miles ahead stop to rest. 12 N[oon] move on again haul into Park about 2 oclock, see a flag of truce wagon pass, said to convey Genl Lee. 4 P.M. Genl Lee Surrenders to Grant. Unconditionally. very great Enthusiasm amoung [sic] the Union Troops. Every Genl is cheered as he passes. Salutes are being fired by [Artillery]. our Battery with the rest."

T. Carter Diary

In another document, George Slaven, a member of the 18th Regiment of Pennsylvania Cavalry remarked "I was in camp the day was quite rainy. [T]hare [sic] was a salute fired this morning for the surrender of Gen Lee."

In a third document, Theodore Carter of the 26th Michigan Infantry didn't have much to mention on April 9. The next day, his diary reads, "[N]ews of the surrender of Gen. Lee and his whole army of northern Virginia salute of two hundred guns from the forts around." Seeing that the War was coming to an end, Carter writes on April 11 about the practical matter of disposing with his military store credits before he can no longer purchase goods: "Bought pair of socks envelopes and comforter and paid out the last cent am feeling a great deal better today."

William Doherty, a Canadian fighting in the Michigan 5th Cavalry wrote a lengthy letter home on April 10, 1864, from near Winchester, Virginia. He writes to his family, "You are perhaps aware that this state [Virginia] is one of the head states of the rebellion but I believe the confederacy is gone under. General R. E. Lee surrendered his whole army yesterday to Grant. Salutes of 200 guns are being fired all over the union and I think peace will soon be proclaimed."

D. Follmer Diary

Finally, an April 9 diary entry from J. D. Follmer of the 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry is among the most comprehensive of these examples. Follmer remarked on the abrupt end to fighting on April 9. He mentions, with great detail, how his unit was chasing enemy forces and about to return attack before news of the surrender came:

"The whole Brigade under Col. Young was formed for a charge, a portion began to advance when an officer rode between the lines with a white flat saying Lee had surrendered, ordering at the same time to cease firing. During the day our boys who had been captured returned and among them came Genl Gregg. Every one seems very happy. Bands are playing their gayest pieces and all are rejoicing that this war is over.

"Every fellow is writing home or to his best girl and if our mail bag holds all the letters sent, it will be a big one. Went down to Disputant Station to see Genl's Lee & Grant. Saw Grant, but Lee had gone away ere I got there."

These young men's experiences, preserved in their diaries, are among the thousands that have survived over 150 years. It is their words that help to shape our view of the end of one of the bloodiest chapters in American history.

The Road to Andersonville on WCMU this Sunday

The Road to Andersonville: Michigan Native American Sharpshooters in the Civil War, a documentary produced by David Schock and premiered at a Clarke Historical Library event in April, will be shown on WCMU - the PBS affiliate from Central Michigan University - this Sunday, August 4 at 4:00 pm. If you were unable to attend the premier of the documentary or would like to watch the film again, make plans (or set your DVR) to see this story of the service of the 139 Native Americans in Company K, First Michigan Sharpshooters.

This documentary was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council.

The Road to Andersonville

 by Frank Boles

On the evening of April 10, approximately 100 people attended the premiere of The Road to Andersonville, a documentary regarding the service of the 139 Native Americans during the Civil War in Company K, First Michigan Sharpshooters.

In 2010, members of the Anishinabe Ogitchedaw Veteran and Warrior Society traveled to Andersonville, Georgia in order to perform traditional burial ceremonies for the seven men from the Company who died and were buried at the Confederate Prisoner of War camp located there. The documentary tells the story of Co. K from two perspectives – the story of those who traveled to Andersonville in 2010 and the remembrances of descendants of the men who served in the company as well as a narrative by two historians who have studied the company.

For the men of Company K, simply serving was a challenge. Native Americans were originally excluded by state law from being recruited into Michigan military units. Eventually, wartime necessity led the State to lift the ban on Native American recruits, and Co. K, largely made up of men from the Little Traverse Bay area, became one of the few Native American units to serve the Union cause.

Company K, like all of the First Michigan Sharpshooters, saw hard service. The men of Company K fought bravely and well. One example of the bravery shown by the men of the Company was Pentwater Chippewa Antoine Scott, who was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism at the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864.

Fifteen of the men who served with the Company became prisoners of war at the infamous Confederate prison at Andersonville. Eight died. Seven were buried at Andersonville, while the eighth died in transit to another POW camp, and lies in an unknown grave. The trip in 2010 was both a recognition of these men’s valor and sacrifice as well as a spiritual quest to perform the traditional rituals believed to assist them in their passage through the western gate.

We are especially grateful to David Schock, the film’s producer, for the effort he has invested in telling this story. Thanks also to Dave Herek and Chris Czopek, who served as historical consultants, and the members of the Anishinabe Ogitchedaw Veteran and Warrior Society, who traveled to Andersonville to perform traditional ceremonies over the graves of their fallen brothers, and who honored us with their presence and opening ceremony at the film’s premiere.

The documentary telling the story of Company K was made possible, in part by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council. For more information about the film, please contact the documentary’s producer, David Schock, at schock@charter.net.

Company K, First Michigan Sharpshooters

On Wednesday, April 10 at 7:00 pm, the Clarke Historical Library is pleased to welcome Dr. David Schock for the premiere of his documentary The Road to Andersonville - a film about a Native American unit in the Civil War. Company K, First Michigan Sharpshooters was made up largely of Native Americans from Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay region. The film will be followed by a discussion with Dr. Schock.

Image from http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com

This presentation is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council.

The documentary will be shown in the Park Library Auditorium and will be followed by a reception in the Clarke Library. This event is free and open to the public.

Paul Taylor Speaking Engagement Cancelled

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the next event in the Clarke Historical Library Speaker Series - a talk by Paul Taylor about his award-winning biography of General Orlando Poe - has been cancelled. This event was originally scheduled for March 26, 2012. We will work to include Mr. Taylor in a future Clarke Historical Library Lecture Series.

However, with the assistance of the Library of Michigan Foundation, we have the opportunity to host an additional lecture this semester. Sara Fitzgerald will speak about her 2012 Michigan Notable Book Award-winning book, Elly Peterson: "Mother" of the Moderates. This event will take place on Thursday, April 26 at 7 pm in the Park Library Auditorium.