Special Collections
DOCUMENTS OF THE CIVIL WAR
A few items from the Civil War period have made their way into the Special
Collections of the Rockefeller Library and are featured for the 150 anniversary
of the Battle of Williamsburg (May 6, 1862). They include a military commission,
a Union Army safe conduct, a report of looting in Williamsburg and surprisingly,
two looted items that found their way back to the Peninsula many years after
the the conclusion of the Civil War. Find more information about Civil
War Williamsburg.
The Battle
“The Army of the Potomac
Arriving at Yorktown from Williamsburg,” Illustration, page 572, Harper’s
Weekly, September 6, 1862
Burns, A. James R. Battle
of Williamsburgh. New York, 1865. A Union soldier wounded at the Battle
of Williamsburg published his reminiscences of the campaign, hospital experiences,
etc.
Union Troops in Williamsburg and Charles City County
Helen M. Anderson Letter
to General McClellan, March 6, 1862. Mrs. Anderson objects to soldiers breaking
into her house and stealing property.
Printed safeguard signed
by Gen. George B. McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac, granting
protection to: “Hill Carter, Esq., his family, & property, for his
kindness to the sick & wounded of this Army left at his house.” July
12, 1862. Shirley Plantation Research Collection.
Prentice, George D. Biography of
Henry Clay. Hartford: Hanmer & Phelps, 1831. This book was stolen by
a soldier from the home of Mayor Robert M. Saunders, who had fled with his family
after the Battle of Williamsburg.
Ruins of the West Advance
Building, Governor’s Palace. D.H. Anderson, photographer, Dovell Collection.
“Goods & Chattels
of Hen’y Jerrard, late deceased”. Martin’s Brandon, January
8, 1689. This document was taken by a Union soldier and sent to a friend as
a souvenir of Virginia.
Confederate Virginia
Keepsakes from the Carters of Shirley Plantation are the following items:
Naval commission for Robert
Randolph Carter signed by President Jefferson Davis, March 3, 1863. Shirley
Plantation Research Collection.
Carte de Visite signed by Robert
E. Lee given to Mrs. Robert Carter by Mrs. Robert E. Lee. Shirley Plantation
Research Collection.
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