History Commons^™

Perry Collection (Mss 676), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 676. Letters, papers, photographs and scrapbooks of the Perry family, principally Gideon Babcock Perry, rector of Grace Episcopal Church, Hopkinsville, Kentucky and his children, Reverend Henry G. Perry, Chicago, Illinois, and Emily B. Perry, Hopkinsville.

Color Sergeant Andrew J. Tozier, 20 Maine Medal Of Honor Winner, James A. Christian

Maine History

Sergeant Andrew Jackson Tozier’s seizing of an abandoned rifle to defend the 20th Maine’s national flag at his lone, advanced position would earn him a Medal of Honor. As Tozier left no personal diary, or personal letters written during the war, scholars must instead turn to archival military records, published regimental histories, contemporary newspaper accounts, and the diaries and letters of Tozier’s regimental comrades. Using these sources, the article herein sketches a portrait of the man General Joshua Chamberlain lauded as “an example of all that was excellent as a soldier.” More broadly, perhaps, it depicts the experiences of a …

Johnston, Joseph E., 1875-1970 (Sc 3382), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3382. Letters of Joe E. Johnston, Pleasureville, Kentucky, to Mary Ellen Richards, Franklin, Kentucky. He discusses his activities, his book Life Begins at Eighty, and his father, Captain I. N. Johnston, an escapee from Virginia’s Libby Prison during the Civil War. Includes clippings about Johnston and his father.

Living Through Rat Hell: The Lives And Escape Attempts Of Soldiers At Libby Prison, Blake Davis

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

This paper examines the lives and experiences of the men who survived the horrors of the Confederate prisoner of war camp, Libby Prison. Located inside the Confederacy’s capital city, the camp housed captured Union officers from its establishment in 1862 until the fall of Richmond in 1865. Under the command of the Major Thomas Turner and the dreaded Warden Richard Turner, Libby foreshadowed the horrors of concentration camps which would be run by other Germans eighty years later. Unlike a normal officer’s prison, the conditions faced by the officers at Libby were incredibly deplorable. By the war’s end, the camp …

Under The Enemy Flag: Prisoner Of War Experiences: An Interview With Angela Zombek And Michael Gray, Ashley Whitehead Luskey

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Over the course of this year, we’ll be interviewing some of the speakers from the upcoming 2018 CWI conference about their talks. Today we are speaking with Angie Zombek, Assistant Professor of History at St. Petersburg College. Dr. Zombek is the author of numerous articles and essays, including “Paternalism and Imprisonment at Castle Thunder: Reinforcing Gender Norms in the Confederate Capital,” which appeared in the scholarly journal, Civil War History in September of 2017; “Citizenship – Compulsory or Convenient: Federal Officials, Confederate Prisoners, and the Oath of Allegiance,” in Paul J. Quigley’s edited volume, The American Civil War and the …

Special Collections Roadshow At Gettysburg College: William B. Mccreery’S Pow Memoir, Megan A. Sutter

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Episode Two of Special Collections Roadshow at Gettysburg College explores Colonel William B. McCreery’s Prisoner of War memoir and uses the text as a segway to discuss Libby Prison and POW experience. Filmed and edited by Val Merlina, ’14

Prisoner Experiences: Memoirs Of Libby Prison, Megan A. Sutter

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Numerous books have been written on the contested topic of Civil War prisons and prisoners of war. Scholars struggle with who to blame for the outrageous and horrible conditions of the prisons. Some speculate that the Southerners were crueler to their captives while others say the opposite. As well, scholars question whether the conditions of the Southern prisons were better or worse than the prisons in the North. [excerpt]

And With The Sound The Carols Drowned: Captives In Bleak December, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Christmas was coming, and a knot of officers of the 87th Pennsylvania suddenly found their December a bit brighter. Nine boxes had been sent along to the officers, packed to the brim with, "all kinds of necessaries and delicacies, such as will be conducive to our comfort and health while in our present condition." And the soldiers were pleased.

Any soldier would be pleased to have a pair of warm socks, a stack of stationary or a can of preserved vegetables from home. But these men were doubly pleased.

The letter of gratitude they wrote to the Gettysburg Compiler was …

“A Very Brutal Man”: Lewis Horton, David Todd, And Prisoner Torture, S. Marianne Johnson

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

In the late summer of 1861, just after the battle of Bull Run, Union seaman Lewis Horton was captured while serving on the U.S.S. Massachusetts and taken to Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. In transport, Horton would recall being shackled to his comrades and marched through the streets for people to jeer at and being forced to spend a night in a building used for convict slaves. Hobnails, Horton remembered, had been hammered partly into the walls and floors of the building, making it too torturous to lie down or lean against the walls. Once he arrived in Richmond, Horton …

Hamilton, Andrew Graff, 1835-1895 (Sc 1858), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1858. Information, chiefly published items, related to Hamilton's role in the escape of Union prisoners from Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia in 1864. Also, details concerning his 1895 death.

Letter From Thomas S. Armstrong To Francis P. Porter, Thomas S. Armstrong

Harvey Collection Letters

Thomas expresses exasperation at his continued imprisonment and mentions of "horrors" of prison life he will not describe.

Letter From Thomas S. Armstrong To Francis P. Porter, Thomas S. Armstrong

Harvey Collection Letters

Thomas indicates that prison life is tolerable, but he fears the potential for a disease outbreak.

Letter From Thomas S. Armstrong To Jacob G. Armstrong, Thomas S. Armstrong

Harvey Collection Letters

Thomas requests additional food and books for his studies.

Letter From Thomas S. Armstrong To Francis P. Porter, Thomas S. Armstrong

Harvey Collection Letters

Nearly 5 months into his prison term, Thomas expresses doubt about leaving soon. He relays details about Jacob's wounds from fighting Quantrell's raiders in Lawrence, Kansas.

Letter From Thomas S. Armstrong To Armstrong Family, Thomas S. Armstrong

Harvey Collection Letters

Thomas requests additional food and cooking supplies and mentions subject areas he is studying with fellow prisoners.

Letter From Thomas S. Armstrong To William Armstrong, Thomas S. Armstrong

Harvey Collection Letters

Thomas again requests a box of provisions, adding a few items, prison authorities are allowing prisoners to use Confederate money.

Letter From Thomas S. Armstrong To William Armstrong And Jane Armstrong, Thomas S. Armstrong

Harvey Collection Letters

Thomas lists items he wants his parents to send if he is not exchanged soon.

Letter From Thomas S. Armstrong To Jacob G. Armstrong, Thomas S. Armstrong

Harvey Collection Letters

Thomas assures his family that he is "as comfortable as any prisoner is likely to be" and lists the clothes that he has with him.

Letter From Thomas S. Armstrong To Francis P. Porter, Thomas S. Armstrong

Harvey Collection Letters

Thomas despairs at his prospects now that he is imprisoned. He requests a letter after being without contact for a month.

Letter From Thomas S. Armstrong To William Armstrong And Jane Armstrong, Thomas S. Armstrong

Harvey Collection Letters

Thomas writes his family as a "Federal Prisoner" at Libby Prison. He provides instructions about how to send letters to the fortress in which he is being held.