Coming up next on American History tv, the National Archives posts independent researcher john emond as he reads letters from civil war soldiers, placing the letters in the context of the war as well as the soldiers daily lives, defined by personal hardship disease, and death. This is about one hour and 20 minutes. I think we are all settled in. Welcome. I work in the National Archives. I work i welcome you to this program. We have an ongoing lecture series to teach you about the records of the National Archives and how to use them for historical research. We are pleased to have john emond here with us today. The title of the event is civil war voices. A bit more about the know your records program, we also do researcher newsletters, if you provide your email address i will send you that newsletter automatically. It we do a genealogy fair and wheels of have a Genealogy Program taken place at the National Archives building in washington dc. That happened several times a month. So, with that, i will turn give the biography for mr. Emond. He retired in 2011 at the 30 years in government. Most of it in contract Technology Transfer and project management at nasa. He is a member of the Maritime Committee with the Maryland Historical society. He is a collector of historical artifacts from the American Revolution and civil war. Including several civil war soldiers letters which he will refer to in this presentation. A program that will be approximately one hour long. We will take questions and answers at the end. Thank you, i hope you enjoy. Before i get started, because this is a program that highlights the National Archives, a bit of further information on my background. As a collector of americana, from the revolution through the civil war, i wanted to find out more. If there was an object with the name on it, i wanted to find out what was behind the name. I began to get involved with the archives to find out more about those instances where a story could be found. Other peach people approached me, as well. Many of the files i came across our routine, nothing extraordinary. But there are more. The stories that come out are truly extraordinary. That is part of the fun. You never know what you are going to find. Until you actually delve into it. That is the basis of how i got involved with the archives. It is a magnificent repository. As we begin, civil war voices from the archives. The civil war, for all intents and purposes, be and with the confederacy against fort sumter, in 1861. It ended, although confederate armies were still in the field with lees surrender in a farmhouse in appomattox, virginia, april 9, 1865. The cost of war it self was incredible. Extraordinary. Roughly two to 2. 2 Million People served the union army. Many died of disease, many died in battle. 250,000 died of disease. On the confederate side, 700,0001,000,000 men served the confederacy. 164,000 died of disease. 94,000 died in battle. About 600,000 deaths by battle or disease. If you look at the population in 1860, it was 31 million. Compare that to the population in 2012 of 312 million. What that means is, as a ratio against the overall population with 6000 deaths during the civil war against the population of 31 million, if that equated to todays figures, that would mean in a population of 312 million in 2012, 6 million would have died. That is the magnitude, the scale of what the civil war meant to so many families, north and south. Next slide. It is said, battles are planned by generals and fought by privates. During the civil war, that was clearly the case. For both the union side, and the confederates. This is their story you will here today. It is not really of the major generals and major campaigns but it would is what it was like for the soldiers in the field. My presentation highlights the journey we are going on today. We will start from the dramatic, the coming storm, the beginning of the war itself. Adulation to anger, two soldier stories. One from massachusetts, and the other from pennsylvania. As they had on their journey south, what it was like to go from adoring crowds to a sullen group, sometimes even a mob. Families divided, we will hear what it was like to have not only a country divided, but a family divided. A slave no more. The issue of slavery was a central area of the civil war. Return to war, how an individual who was captured, escaped, and promised his family he would not go back into military service. Why he did so, in a letter to his family. Why he breaks his promise not to rejoin the military, and his reasons to do so. A confederates view of battle, a yankees view of battle. Then we move on to historical tidbits from the archives. Lincolns substitute. I will get more to that. I was curious, when someone asked me to realize research lincoln substitute, i had no idea what he was talking about until i did the research. Then, i will ask you to weigh in. What would you do . A soldier charged with desertion. Should that person be executed for what he did . And another instance, evacuating a military post. Should the officer have ordered his post abandoned . Why or why not . We will get your vote on these. And then, to lighten up the theme of death, there are funny stories that have emerged by the research i have done at the archives. One of them is called in action. I am not sure what it was about union kernels, but there were some real characters. Another that i recently found, a great story that i knew had to come into this presentation. You cant make these things up. I captioned it, ok, but you are no ringo starr. And there is another, hey yank throw it over. What happens when there is an informal truce between battle, when confederates and yankees interact. And the most humorous event i have seen, the wedding. We will go into that. I will conclude the discussion as we get to the end of the war, and the most poignant aspects of stories i have come across. One of them is david kings letter of remorse. It is the most chilling i have ever encountered. William keith, as the war winds down, a letter from appomattox. He was there. Lastly, wisdom for the ages. Charles smiths reflections. A passage that is flowery in victoria on a, it is flowery but it has as much meaning today as it did when it was written. We are still part of the sesquicentennial. Men most certainly were dying in the conflict, it was by no means over yet. As far as the coming storm, you have a situation in the late fall of 1860. Lincoln has been elected president. The country is on a nice a knifes edge. Things are changing, and they are changing fast. No one knows what is going to happen. This area in particular, maryland being a border state, had southern sympathies and northern sympathies. There was uncertainty as to what would happen if maryland chose to secede. In virginia, there was speculation i have a newspaper from alexandria, the speculation there before the war broke out is, if washington invades northern virginia, maryland will invade washington. So, no one knew what was going to happen. All they knew was that life as they knew it was about to change, romantically. Change to magically. Here is where we going to our change dramatically. First letter. Theyre in mind, South Carolina seceded from the union on december 20, 1860. There was no Confederate Flag at this point, but the state flag of South Carolina was the palmetto flag. Circular objects that were pinned to a hat, symbols of prosecession leafs. This is relevant to the letter. December 7, 1860. Dear friend bob, how are you . Important business claimed the attention here of anyone, i. E. Saving the country, to put down secessionists here in my state. I believe every hope is gone. Maryland will be as hot for secession as any other state, in less than one month. The people almost all go for this union to throw off all northern role and set up for themselves. Me, i am for the union. Fugitive slaves should be returned, and so on. But as long as he shows favorite to negroes, i will fight to the knife. The boys in baltimore can fight. The Southern Army will be invincible on their own grounds. There are thousands will fight for the union. They are organizing into companies. I hear cockades are is plenty as june bugs in july. The palmetto flag is very clear, this is a southernleaning expression. Palmetto flags wave from two establishments from alltime. And at night, from several places. Something is in the wind although i do not know what it is. Yours, george. Then, war breaks out. Call to volunteers. North and south, if you look at pension files and military records in the war, you see a lot of times, the call to service for three months. Both north and south thought it was going to be a short war. It turns out that short war resulted in four years of struggle. We have a situation where armies that are organized in the north start off with adoring crowds. Our brave boys heading forth to a glorious victory. They found it was different. Early in the war, there was an angela in. Adulation. There were parades through crowds that were cheering on their brave boys. On the righthand side, it may be hard to make out, that is rioting in baltimore, april ninth, 1961. A different greeting for the Union Soldiers heading through. We will do background on that. The soldiers are heading into baltimore, they had to change trains at pratt street to board another train to continue their journey to washington. As they marched from one train station to another, crowds gathered. Insults and bricks were hurled. Rioting lookout, shots were fired. Several soldiers and civilians were killed. Im about to tell you two stories. One soldier came from massachusetts, the other from pennsylvania. They write about their experiences at the start their journey, the adoring crowds, more food than they can possibly eat. This is what happens as they go through to a border state, and the situation changes dramatically. Adulation to anger. 16th massachusetts infantry, baltimore, it august 20, 1861. Dear mother, 43 hours from boston. From home to maryland, it was a triumphal march. Your soldier boy got many a sweet kiss from the jersey girls. Elizabethtown, princeton trenton, all the large places, there was a perfect rush to see us and bring us food and drink. We arrived in philadelphia at 9 00 in the evening. They have a place else in the side of the street, and every passing regiment is fed. It is a splendid city. The people like soldiers. Thousands flocked to see us. Old massachusetts was cheered. Many a shake of the hand and a kiss, and a hearty rod bless you. In a hearty got bless you. We left for baltimore at 12 00 at night. Now, the scene changes. We got into baltimore yesterday about 11 00. We were received without a cheer or other expression. People looked on in sullen silence. We marched through baltimore. One of marshall kanes storehouses, where powder was hid, is used by a commissary to store our bread. He was a police chief. The city is spread out before us. The Washington Monument looks fine. Workman henry fort mchenry can be seen. The Provost Marshal is here, and has warned us to eat or drink nothing. A quick part about fort mchenry, at that point, it was well armed and staffed. Cannons were mounted and manned. They were not pointing out to the chesapeake bay. They were pointing towards baltimore. There was an armed camp making sure that if any insurrection broke out in baltimore, it would be put down. At that moment, fort mchenry was not there to defend the city but was ready to attack the city in case of insurrection. July 2, 1861. Asa smith. This is after bull run, when both north and south realized this is not the issue of war. He was medically discharged due to wounds. He was wounded in action. Another soldier. Sergeant jacob winan, company h, ninth pennsylvania reserve washington d c. Dear father, i am sorry i have not had time to write. I have been busy since i left pittsburgh. We left at 8 00. We arrived at huntington at five or 6 00. When we got there, people were loaded out with baskets of bread, coffee, and milk. The regiment cheered with the good people of huntington. Cars were ready to take us to baltimore. I got up at daylight. I looked out, and was admiring the country in maryland. We were about 25 miles from baltimore and we had to wait for trains from baltimore. There is a strong guard along the railroads. All along the railroads, from maryland to baltimore, the roads were lined with burned down bridges, burned to slow the progress of federal troops heading south. We learned that we would have trouble in baltimore, so we work earnest with cartridges. We were furnished with cartridges. We got to baltimore 1 00. We found thinks quieter than expected. Nathan and i walked around the city. We were not molested. I found the city to be the most beautiful place i ever saw. We visited the Washington Monument. It is a splendid column of marble, surrounded by beautiful grounds. In our travels, we are greeted sometimes by cheers, but mostly as we pass a crowd, someone would come off for jefferson davis. Or, ask us if we were going to bull run. Bull run, a human fiasco, a union defeat. By asking if they were going to bull run, it was basically, are you going to get your but with again, yankee . So we went to the station. I was order to form the company as soon as possible. Just before he left, union men came to the station and furnished us some bread. Going from one station to another, we marched over the court that the massachusetts regiments did when they were attacked. We left about 10 00 and arrived in washington 6 00. July 27, 1861. After bull run. His term of enlistment was three years. After bull run all bets were all bets were off. , promoted to lieutenant promoted to captain in 1863. Interestingly enough, he was wounded in battle june 30, 1862. North and south. The battle of james river, the same as the other soldier. North and south a country , divided. Clearly, it was not just not only a country divided, but families were divided. The civil war split a number of families. Mary todd lincoln, Abraham Lincolns wife, had several brothers who were confederate officers. Jeb stuart, cavalry commander, his fatherinlaw was the union officer. In a letter dated 1862 from tennessee, john boston, 80 first ohio infantry, expresses his outrage at his wifes prosouthern father. I think it is a curious thing why your father does not write to you or me. I think their patriotism is not very strong, otherwise he would write. But he does not care one grain if you were dead or alive, and he would rather hear of my death and my coming home. He is afraid to hear cannons roar and rifles crash, for here fear that it would break his copperhead bones. His cowardly bones. He is mad at me for volunteering to serve my country. He would rather hang around the birds nest, then to leave and fight to protect the family. But let the poor devil go for the time being. If i should be so lucky as to come home, i will give him a soldiers blessing, and that will be a rough was satan, you may a rough blessing, you may be sure. There is a day when he will pay for all of this. John boston, enlisted 1862, ohio infantry. He was involved in a nut a number of battles. He died august 4, 1918. He died august 4, that means 1918. Clearly, john boston did get home. Perhaps he gave his fatherinlaw a soldiers blessing. To be sure. It would have been interesting to see how thanksgiving might have been dealt with their, with very lively discussions between the exsoldier and the southern sympathizing fatherinlaw. Clearly, one of the most divisive aspects of the war, one of the most perfect aspects leading up to the war, the whole issue of slavery. One of the most horrific aspects. Several documents in the National Archives recounted individual lives before and after emancipation. Before the proclamation, their life was referred to as slave time. For slave owners, breaking up a family might just be a business deal, a commodity. You buy and sell wheat, corn tobacco, you buy and sell human lives. This private was a slave before the war. After his death in 1864, his widow noted in a deposition, my husband was previously married in time of slavery. His wife was taken from him. She was sold to a distant land. He never heard from her or his child. Another document noted, he was married to colina moon, and her and her child were sold 15th of august, 1858. A family torn apart. But it is just business, it is just buying and selling commodities. Even a compassionate owner still had absolute control over the lives of slaves. Calvin buford, private. U. S. Colored infantry. Calvin and mary buford were married at the house of the master. Their last name was the same as their owner, richard buford. In shell because he tennessee, in shelby county, tennessee may, 1859. , they were married by a slave on the plantation with the knowledge and consent of their master. Alvin and mary buford were slaves of richard buford. They lived together until they were the fact is, they had to get his permission for that to occur. Slave names had nothing to do with natural ancestry, and everything to do with their life as a commodity to be bought and sold. Antwan williams, private. 68 u. S. Colored infantry before , receiving freedom as a slave he took the last name of his master, handed from one slaveowning family to another. Said soldier obtained his freedom a short time previous to enlistment. The reason why he enlisted under the name of williams is, that was his masters name. When he got his freedom, he went by the name of his master instead of that of his own father. There is someone who is entering into union service, to fight the confederacy. After the emancipation proclamation, to free the slaves. And he still is taking the name of his master, his former master. Even the events of not enough even the emancipation proclamation was not enough proof that former slave owners. Ira member Anton Williams was a slave belonging to me at the time of the emancipation. Id amended his certificate of enlistment. Emancipation has happened, that does not make any difference to slave owners. I want to see his enlistment papers. Otherwise, i will insert my right at being his owner. He then realizes, here is someone in uniform, armed. I guess he is no longer my slave. That is what it took, to have slave owners recognize, i no longer on them. Christopher columbus, company eight, fourth regiment, missouri infantry. A remarkable letter from him to his wi