This is a notice of a man’s discharge from the U.S. Army. Corporal Myron Kennedy, 19, of New York is discharged after nearly 3 years of military service.
This is a substitute soldier certificate, whereby a man (Siebert) has agreed to fight in the civil war for a sum of $300 in the place of another man who was drafted. This demonstrates the policy of the time whereby one could pay $300 or supply a substitute soldier to get out of going to war. During the war the Union experienced a manpower shortage and, as a result, President Lincoln signed the first conscription act in U.S. history on March 3, 1863 which drafted men between the ages of 18 and 35 into military service. For one week in July of 1863, the discontent with these laws culminated in a series of riots in New York City which resulted violence against African Americans and the destruction of P.T. Barnum’s museum of oddities. The riot was eventually quelled by Union troops.
Sevier served as the first governor of Tennessee, and as a US Representative. He was a commander during the American Revolution. In this letter, he directs the county sheriff to take George Howard if in his “bailiwick” to answer “a plea of trespass…to the damage of” John Hamilton in the amount of 1,000 pounds. Sevier signs as clerk of the court of pleas and sessions and has written out most of the document; Spruce Mackay, attorney for the plaintiff, has filled in days, months, names of parties and the offence, and signed at lower left. The document notes it is the fourth year of American Independence. Less than a year before he would be one of the heroes of the battle at Kings Mountain, S.C.
This letter, a fine specimen in Lafayette's hand, is in French. The Littlejohn Collection requires assistance in translating the content and further investigating the historical context in which the letter was written.
The reader will note that the item in question is dated July 4, 1830 and was composed at the marquis' residence, Chateau La Grange. From American National Biography (Oxford University Press, 1999, s.v. "Lafayette, Marquis de"):
"During the Restoration era (1815-1830), Lafayette
served several terms in the Chamber of Deputies, opposing Bourbon policy and
citing American political principles and the American experience as a model for
France. Chateau La Grange became a mecca for Americans, while at the same time
it was often a refuge for exiled revolutionaries from other European states,
for Lafayette was supporting liberal revolutions wherever they occurred, from
Poland to Latin America."(Emphasis added.)
And, more pertinent to the time period in which the letter was written:
"During the French Revolution of 1830, Lafayette
once more became head of the national guard. Again he sought to maintain order
and peace while a constitutional regime was created." (Ibid.)
The content of this manuscript is concerned with outlining and
discussing the accomplishments of Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887), especially in
regard to his work for the rights of African-Americans. There is no date on the items, but after comparison with other Bruce materials in the Littlejohn Collection, Bruce's signature appears authentic. To my eyes this looks like a fair copy of a speech, though that is merely an educated guess -- I have not tried to track this down in any contemporary reports of the time, though with the fact that Bruce was a sitting African-American Senator at the time of Beecher's death, it stands to reason that Bruce might have spoken in memoriam on some occasion.
The relations of Rev. Beecher the Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher to the colored race of the United States and the character and
importance of the influence he exerted in their behalf can be understood only
when we have adequately conceived of his capacity and character.
He was distinguished not only by the possession of great but
peculiar gifts, which left their impress upon all his achievements, and the man
must be correctly estimated that his work may be intelligently
appreciated. He possessed tender sensibilities, a rich fancy, a powerful
imagination, a ready and felicitous command of language, an impressive
[recto, p.2]
presence, and a winning voice.
Thus endowed, he was admirably equipped for the work of an
eloquent advocate. But this particularization, however, does not embrace all or
even the more important of his great powers. His great capacity for extended
and accurate observation was associated with great logical force. He did not
always express the processes that led to the conclusions he announced, but they
were nevertheless carefully made and closely followed, and the judgments
founded upon them were generally correct and just. He was consequently not only
an able advocate but a wise and reliable popular leader. But probably the
strongest and certainly the controlling mental
[recto, p.3]
Endowment of Mr. Beecher was his power of intuition. He
perceived clearly the underlying principles of every great movement in which he
engaged, and comprehended, with the rapidity of instinct the springs of human
action. He possessed the creative powers that constitute genius, but with all his
sentiment and fancy, his mental constitution was distinctly philosophical. The
beneficent work which he accomplished for humanity was in harmony with this
estimate of his powers and character, and especially is this characteristic to
be found in the splendid services rendered by him to the colored race of the
Republic.The functions assumed in
behalf of
[recto, p. 4]
The people were not perfunctorily exercised – such a man
could not do such work mechanically.
The dangers impending were imminent, the distresses
prevalant [sic], crushing, the demand for deliverance and relief urgent and
perforce, the work done to be effective and sufficient must be earnestly,
heartily and resolutely performed. Yet it was not exclusive work nor
professionally executed.
The skillful analyst, when the specimen of some newly
discovered and unknown ore is presented for examination and report, conducts
his investigations so as to ascertain and determine the quality and quantity of
all the constituents of the substance claiming consideration. Gold, silver,
copper,
[recto, p.5]
galena, iron, antimony may all be present, but his function
is not to detect the presence of any specific element but of all, so that
intelligent treatment of the ores submitted, on their merits, may be had. So,
Mr. Beecher, studied the human problem that he might intelligently expend the
great ameliorative and helpful forces, which the Master of Life had given him,
for the best uses of his fellow man. His great and tender soul touched the
circle of human suffering and want at every point. Each sorrow claimed his
sympathy; each need received his attention. The system of slavery destroyed not
only personal liberty, the property and political right of the subject class,
but,
[recto, p.6]
invaded the family and consciences of its victims alike; so
that neither the sanctities of the home or of the altar were recognized. Such a
system, working its cruel, relentless, irremediable wrongs for centuries upon
millions of inoffensive victims, was abhorrent to him and moved him to the
earnest work of rescue. Yet he was something more than an abolitionist –
something broader – a humanitarian. The colored race was not the only
community who appealed to him for sympathy, others, than the five million of
bondmen of the South, sent the cry for succor “Come over and help us.” In his
efforts to elevate this people, his heart followed his though, and his great
service for them was the
[recto, p.7]
logical result of his recognition, currently, of the common
Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man.
What he accomplished , in this direction, was not all that
he did for humanity, yet it was probably the grandest achievementof a great soul and the crowning glory of a
great life, and all the more effectively wrought because done philosophically
and in harmony with his mental characteristics. The work of this great
philanthropist is distinguished not only by its order of recurrence, but the
manner of its performance. All great ameliorative movements begin with a
sentiment, and the propagandists of this sentiment are almost necessarily
specialists. They
[recto, p.8]
are forerunners of the fuller dispensation, and in the
nature of things, are limited in the conception of that which is to be
accomplished, and use simple and crude agencies to promote their purposes. This
class are [sic] potent for the current and specific aims of their era, and as a
class, are necessary in all great reformatory struggles, and are to be honored
for their works sake [sic] . They are quarry men, they blast the rocks out of
which great structures are builded [sic].
When this has been accomplished, their mission is finished,
and then begins the work of the stone cutter and master builder, who put the
blocks and pillars in place until the capstone goes up.
[recto, p.9]
Some of the greatest leaders of the movement for the liberty
of the enslaved belonged to the former class. They were specialists. Though
possessing great powers, they devoted themselves to this one work exclusively,
and generally sought success by the consideration of one phase only of the
subject. Mr Beecher did not belong to this class. His work was constructive. He
contemplated emancipation as the necessary, still only the initial step in rave
elevation. He was comprehensive in the his conception alike of the
possibilities, needs and embarrassments of the race.
[recto, p.10]
He considered the subject in its personal, moral, material
and political aspects, and in this fullness of consideration, and the
application of all needful agencies to strengthen and improve this people, he is
unsurpassed by any of his co-laborers.
It is difficult to determine, currently, with the era of
great men either the quality or measure of their influence. This is a question
that time only can authoritatively settle, and history only can teach the
lesson of their lives.
In the intellectual grasp and foresight the peer of any of
his contemp-
[recto, p.11]
-poraries [sic], in range of observation on all matters
vitally affecting humanity peerless, in the sum of energies expended for the
slave, we may find an earnest [sic] of the work done, and make a conjectural
estimate of the influence he exerted.
Giving honor and grateful recognition to the dead and the
living heroes, who stood for the defense of the slave, I believe Mr. Beecher
has done for the colored race of America a work that in its fullness and
permanency is not transcended by that of any of his great compeers.
Again, it's been far too long since I've posted, but it's only because we've been busy over here in the East Wing of Teszler. If you're friends with the Littlejohn Collection on Facebook much of this will not be new to you. If you're not friends with us on Facebook, why not? While you're at it, go on and befriend the Teszler Library. You can actually search our NEW library catalogue from both of these Facebook pages, making them actually useful. Figure that.
Anyway, once in a while a kind soul will ask me "What've you been up to in the collection?" For that person's sake I usually try to be breif, lest I start raving about my clunky Microsoft Access databases or the chemical degradation of leather (aka "red rot"). Anyway, here's a semi-serious, semi-complete summary of what's new around here:
The Littlejohn Collection suite of web pages have endured a redesign by yours truly. The Littlejohnhomepage page now contains a nice big Facebook badge,
a hyperlinked blog image, and a Flickr badge. It's my best attempt at getting all "2.0".
I have posted
descriptions of a number of resources in the Littlejohn Collection, which can
be accessed via the “Explore the Littlejohn Collection” link (bottom right).That link leads to a new page which indicates the division
of material types within the collection and their respective organization, etc., etc.
I finally managed to prepare and publish a few finding aids
for several archival collections. These are linked to from the “Archival
Collections” page – there are currently descriptions of three collections
mounted there. Still working on connecting some links within these pages
I digitized about 40 postcards from the postcard collection
that depicted sites in the Upstate. I'm very glad to get these up and available -- they contain some great images and are nice change of pace from the the textual manuscripts. They
are available on Flickr.
Speaking of textual manuscripts, the W.E. Johnson Papers (in their latest incarnation -- improved!) have been digitized and are entirely
available on Flickr. In addition to the 24 letters that were featured in this blog post from a year ago, we have also now digitized and posted W.E. Johnson's diary that he kept in captivity, lending a whole new perspective to his experience as one of the Immortal Six Hundred.
