Excerpts from a diary, 1834-1865, and memoir of early life, written by Jesse Cox (1793-1879), a Primitive Baptist minister and resident of Williamson County, Tennessee. He describes the hardships of life as an itinerant preacher, some religious...
This nine-page letter written from Arthur H. Harris in Monroe, Louisiana, to his brother George Carroll Harris in Nashville is a conscious political treatise. The author is advocating and justifiying the secession of Louisiana at the upcoming...
Letter from Jane Smith Washington of Springfield, Tennessee, to her son, William L. Washington in Toronto, Canada, describing a confrontation with Federal troops. Mrs. Washington describes an extremely violent confrontation with Federal troops. In...
Letter from Robert Rutledge to G. R. Rutledge describing the state of his current encampment near his Uncle Sam and Aunt Elzira's property. He explains that due to pillaging by the army the local population now despises the Confederate army almost...
Two-page letter to his son George Carroll Harris of Nashville, Elisha W. Harris writes from his plantation Waco Place in Louisiana of attending a local political meeting. He details the zest the crowd displays for politics and the presidential...
This image was drawn by Hardy A. Mitchener, Jr. in the diary that he received during his stay at a German prisoner of war camp. It pictures an airman, probably Mitchener himself, falling out of the sky in a parachute. His plane has been shot down,...
Two-page letter from Elisha W. Harris to his son George Carroll Harris of Nashville. He writes from his plantation Waco Place in Louisiana of the war being upon them with bloody consequence. He has abandoned his efforts to cling to the union and...
Civil Wars; War; Slaves; Agriculture; Political issues; Cities & towns
Excerpts from the Robert H. Cartmell Diaries. They contain full commentaries on the nature of his farm operation, the weather, and the fluctuations of the cotton market. They contain thoughtful comments on politics and candidates for office and...
A group of women are walking down the bank of a river. A steamboat can be seen docking at the river. The women are wearing long dresses and hats. The steamboat is the "City of Memphis."
Barbed wire; Prisoners; Military personnel; War; Fighting; Firearms
This page in Mitchener's diary shows the prisoners and guards seeking cover in a trench; several German guards are pictured shooting guns. Mitchener writes, "Near Priebus, second nite out ---C'est le guerre [It's war] - Down the road, rattled a...
Mitchener drew this image during his stay at a German POW camp. The image represents the registration process of prisoners at Dulag Luft, after which they were sent to Stalag Luft III. Eleven names, listed on license plates, are pictured. They show...
This page in Mitchener's POW diary from World War II shows two images, the first, a bombardier in an American B-17 airplane, and the second, a miserable prisoner of war who appears to be drinking. Mitchener is contrasting the two, and writes, "Then...
This page in Mitchener's POW diary from World War II shows a poem called, "The Last of the Bombardiers." The poem is about an old man who once was a bombardier.
This page in Mitchener's POW diary from World War II shows a short poem called "Comrade to Freedom." The poem observes that men who have never been in bondage do not truly understand the joys of freedom.
Four-page letter from Mary Guthrie Latta to her husband Samuel details news of their children and other family members. References are made to a scarcity of food and civilian transportation and rumors of battle. Mary proclaims her hope that her...
Letter from Robert Rutledge describing a Union cavalry raid on his camp in which several men were wounded or captured and also a fight beween Harry Henry and an artilleryman in the camp. He asks about the condition of Mr. Runion, who has small pox;...
J. S. Burrow writes his brother from Chester County detailing his financial problems, his inability to collect money until cotton comes to market, his desire to move from Jacks Creek for better money-making opportunities, and his fear that he will...
"The Naturalist" article, pages 166-167, about the difficulties of harvesting grapes. The article provides information on how to harvest a grape crop successfully. The author notes that native grapes are better suited to this country than foreign...
Masthead of the publication, "The Naturalist - a journal of agriculture, horticulture, education, and literature." This is the first issue: volume 1, number 1, from January 1846.