"Rag money" was paper currency made from linen and cotton fibers. A "shin-plaster" was printed small change. "Hard money" was coins made of a precious metal. This broadside was attempting to popularize these terms to be used as descriptions of...
A woman is standing on a porch near a wash tub with a wash board inside. The tub is raised by laying a wooden chair on its side. Two large lard cans just visible beside the chair may hold cleaning products. The woman is dressed in a sunbonnet, dark...
A small hillside farmhouse reached by a deeply rutted road, with fist-sized stones placed in the deepest ruts. No powerlines or chimneys are in evidence, only a pipe sticking out of the roof. One small window and door can be seen. A little girl...
Five men are standing in a rocky area near a creek that flows from a cave. All but one of the men are wearing overalls. The man nearest the creek has a rifle in his right hand and the man beside him may be with the film crew. He wears a pith helmet...
The Battle of Franklin was a hard fought battle in which many men died. The battle flags of both the United States and the Confederacy are clearly shown in this postcard which was copied from an original Kurtz and Allison stone lithograph.
Program for a performance by Beautiful Jim Key entitled, "Beautiful Jim Key In his Remarkable Two Act Play The Scholar and a Model Office Boy." The performance was held at the Opera House in Shelbyville.
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...
Four-page letter from Beck Wallace to her cousin, Samuel R. Latta, of the 13th Tennessee Infantry, conveys her sorrow at his leaving home to fight for the Confederacy. She is deeply concerned for his wife and children. Beck, a teacher in Fayette...
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...
Letter from Gamble Rutledge to his father, G. R. Rutledge, concerning his brother Robert's regiment, his parents' desire to move to Georgia, his brigade's activities, his desire to change his position in the regiment, and the status of his wounded...
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...
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 Joseph Gerald Branch in Davis Lake Plantation, Arkansas, to his wife Mary in Maury County, Tennessee. He writes about his plans to send her $15,000 in U.S. Treasury notes to invest in real estate to curb currency depreciation and insure...
Letter from Joseph Gerald Branch in Davis Lake Plantation, Arkansas, to his wife Mary in Maury County, Tennessee. He writes that he has not heard from his wife or children since August. He desires to know whether Mary has received the $15,000 in...
Letter from Joseph Gerald Branch in Davis Lake Plantation, Arkansas, to his wife, Mary, in Maury County, Tennessee. He is concerned that his letters are not reaching her, and he observes, "What is property or anything else compared to one's...
Four-page letter from Mary Guthrie Latta to husband Samuel expresses anxiety over not receiving a letter from him and the fact that this worry has infiltrated her dreams. She writes of receiving visitors, of the children's exploits, and of managing...
Four-page letter from Mary Guthrie Latta to her husband, Samuel, conveys her anxiety at not hearing from him and her disappointment both in his defeat for promotion to Lt. Colonel and in his inability to come home for Christmas. She also relates...
Social values; Domestic life; Soldiers; Military life; Military personnel; Military organizations; Armies; War; Cities & towns
Letter from Sarah Hamilton to Thomas Williams. She discusses patients at the war hospital in Columbia, rumors of the Yankees at Franklin and concern for her son, "Tommie."