Features
Civil War Scenes
Photos by Adam Fenster | From the Collection of University Libraries/Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation
Home to notable collections, including the papers of William Seward, who served as Lincoln’s secretary of state, and letters of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, University Libraries also houses a collection of diaries, objects, and other artifacts from the era of the Civil War. Here’s a small sample:
Diary of William Morey
William Carey Morey, namesake of Morey Hall, who left the University as a student in 1862 to serve in the Union Army, kept a diary, including hand-drawn maps. Morey graduated in 1868 and returned to teach from 1872 until 1920.
‘ . . . Regret to Inform You . . . ’
An April 1863 telegram notified the family of E. W. Clark that the acting ensign had died on board the USS Black Hawk, a Union gunship that patrolled the Mississippi River.
Lincoln Portrait
In addition to the papers chronicling William Seward’s service in Lincoln’s cabinet, the collection includes other objects, such as this photograph of Lincoln taken by Civil War photographer Matthew Brady.
Blue Ribbon
In 1893, veterans of Gettysburg were recognized with ribbons marking the 30th anniversary of the battle.