Rare Books
Civil War diary (1862-1865) of Bishop William Henry Elder, Bishop of Natchez
Image not available
You might also be interested in
Image not available
Civil War Journal of William S. Trask, 1862-1865
Manuscripts
The manuscript fills a copy of pre-printed The Daily Journal for 1861 (New York: Francis & Loutrell). The portion from July 8 to October 11 (ff. 81-129) is blank.
mssHM 48927
Image not available
Henry Breidenthal Civil War diary
Manuscripts
Breidenthal's diary that covers the month from October 10 to November 12, 1861, when the 3rd Regiment was attached to Reynolds's command at Cheat Mountain, W. Va. Breidethal, being and a devout Christian and possessing of an indomitable if somewhat morose personality, set to out devote his spare time to writing a diary in large part to avoid "the society here" that he found was "not congenial to my tastes." (He dismissed "the general character of our soldiery" as "lowbred" and their aspirations "rising but little above the instinct of the animal creature.") The daily entry contain detailed expositions on his Bible reading, including political implications of the Scripture, (Breidenthal was a passionate abolitionist who counted "our complicity with African Slavery -- a crime of sufficient enormity to sink this great nation" as one of the great sins and regarded "Bible defenders of the American slavery" as "false prophets"); his opinions on the books he was reading (he studiously avoided "trashy novels" and "obscene books," preferring sermons by Henry Ward Beecher, a biography of Cavour, or a "Life of Balaam, by Rev. Hatfield"); political news, including discussion of Fremont's proclamation of Aug. 30, 1861; and camp life, especially entertainment (of which he heartily disapproved, being particularly troubled by the widespread gambling, "not edifying conversation and vulgar songs" as well as dancing and smoking); regimental gossip and jockeying for promotions. He also recounts, in great detail, the inquiry into the death of a soldier killed by a sentinel too scared to give the required challenge.
mssHM 68485-68486
Image not available
Henry Boyer Civil War diary
Manuscripts
Diary kept in Lexington, Kentucky. Laid in: tariff of prices on goods exposed to sale by the sutler.
mssHM 30479
Image not available
William S. Elder letterbooks
Manuscripts
Two letterpress copy books of outgoing letters sent by William S. Elder between 1890 and 1904 from Deadwood, South Dakota. The first volume, which covers March 1890-December 1899, primarily focuses on Elder's law practice, including his activities as a land agent, debt collector, mediator of mining claims, and probate attorney. The cases described in his letters involve clients from Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas, and New York. Occasional references are made to the American Express Mine, the Brookline Mining Company, and the Imperial Gold Mining and Milling Company. Some notable items include a letter outlining Elder's own potential mining plans in the Black Hills (February 7, 1899), his opinion on the prohibition of liquor sales (June 11, 1890), and a letter on property issues surrounding the Burlington and Missouri Railroad (August 12, 1890). The second volume, dated February 1903-April 1904, also includes references to Elder's legal cases, some involving clients from Pennsylvania and Germany and including references to divorces and mining issues. References are made to the Gold Hills Mining Company, Reliance Gold Mining Company, Homestake Belt Gold Mining Company, the American Express Mine, The Black Hills and Kansas Oil and Gas Company, and the Columbus Consolidated Company. The majority of the volume revolves around Elder's own mining interests with the Imperial Gold Mining and Milling Company and the Black Hills Copper Company, as well as his investments in developing the Black Hills Trust and Savings Bank. Many of the letters - including those to clients, investors, and associates - describe Elder's various money-making schemes to finance his mining operations, the outlook for which was initially dire. Elder wrote to an associate in Arizona in August 1903 that "...things are in pretty bad shape here, as you know; our mill is closed down, our mines are closed down, we have no developments going on and we are in debt." But conditions seem to have improved by April 1904, when Elder wrote to a New York colleague that "...after a long, hard battle I believe we are going to make money out of our mining company." Included throughout both volumes are approximately 15 letters, dated 1898-1903, dealing with Chinese-American business owners and Chinese immigration issues. The majority of these letters were written by Elder to agents in Port Townsend, Washington; to the Director of Immigration in Portal, North Dakota; to the Collector of Customs in San Francisco; and to the Secretary of the Treasury in Washington, D.C. Legal matters discussed include the detention of American-born or legal resident Chinese unable to prove their citizenship claims (see April 21, 1898, May 7, 1898, November 4, 1899, and September 29, 1903), the procurement of travel documents allowing Chinese-Americans, most of them business owners, to visit China and return to the United States (see November 7, 1895, May 22, 1903, July 20, 1903, August 11, 1903, and August 21, 1903), debt claims among Chinese-American merchants (see August 31, 1899, September 29, 1899, and November 14, 1899), and questions on Chinese immigration and residency issues (see August 20, 1903, and December 2, 1903).
mssHM 78058-78059