Civil War 150--Post Supplement and JW Comments

The Washington Post of March 29, 2015, includes one of the periodic supplements it has published over the past few years, Civil War 150. In addition to articles about Lincoln's assassination, Appomattox, etc., lots of images to pore over, including this series culled from the Library of Congress of post-war Richmond.

As for Julia in those early-April days, she records moments of joy and uncertainty, followed by despair after the assassination.

But here are a few excepts from her pocket diary on the days before what we now see as a part of a historic continuum:

Monday, April 3, 1865

Richmond is taken!

Petersburg is taken!

Tuesday, April 4, 1865

Illumination this eve. What a splendid sight I ever saw. The Pub. buildings & many others very beautiful. Crowd at Patent Office. Speaking there. Had surfeit of guns & flags & music & shouting & lights. Walked down Avenue and rode back. Street full of folks.

Saturday, April 8, 1865

Bright. Cool.

At 9 A.M. went to Navy Yard with Frances [her sister], Miss K. & Miss A. & J. Ford. 

Saw copper rolling & tack machine. Saw cannon made & balls & anchors.

Went on board iron clad Montauk here for repairs. Saw guns taken at Ft Fisher & and from reb. ram Atlanta & from B. runner Princess Royal & one from the Merrimac & Decatur’s 2 guns, &c. &c. Came back tired enough.

Monday, April 10, 1865

Rainy. Awakened early by a heavy gun, followed by 199 others. Lee has surrendered his army on Grant’s terms. There is great excitement. [see below for photo of the McLean house in Appomattox.]

Wednesday, April 12, 1865

Cloudy. Wet evening.

Overhauled everything in clothing room. Did various chores. Frances has been out with Mrs. Fish nearly all day.

Letter from Miss Evans. Letters from Somerset [home of two of her sisters and their families], full of unpleasant news & I was needing something encouraging just now. I am not half well & am quite dispirited.

Friday, April 14, 1865

Fine. Sumter anniversary.

I went to Alex to a celebration. Took 10 A.M. train. Sorry Frances cd. not go. Called at Magnolia House & at Mrs. Belden’s & at Mrs. Jacobs/

The procession moved at 3 P.M. There were Cav. & Inf. & Art. & Firemen & Cold. Home Guard & various things. It was really very fine. Perfect order & well-timed. Gen. Slough commanded. Staid in evening to see Illumination, but only a few buildings were illuminated. Secesh houses all dark as could be.

[That night, while Julia stayed from her friends in Alexandria, Lincoln was shot.)

Alexander Gardner photo, part of his photographic sketchbook, at LOC (E468.7 .G2 (Case Y) [P&P] Copy 1)

A mid-March day in 1863

Julia Wilbur, like many of her contemporary diary writers, always included a note about the day's weather. It's hot, cold, squally, showery, pleasant, etc. etc. Without weather forecasts, each day's conditions were always a bit of a surprise. And without much in the way of heat and no air-conditioning, the weather was something sometimes enjoyed but more often merely endured. As we end--we hope!--our severe winter of 2015, here's what Julia recorded in mid-March 1863....

March 15, 1863 Sunday

Very cold. Have not been out. Mrs. J. called. Read a little. Cleaned up, labeled specimens, wrote some. Letter from S.A. Ferris. She is not coming at present, too bad.

This P.M. it has hailed & snowed. There has been thunder & lightning & this evening the thunder roars & the lightning flashes. Unusual for this season.

"Mrs. J." would have been her friend and fellow relief worker Harriet Jacobs.

The "specimens" were the bits and pieces that people gathered at various sites most improvidently. (The Illustrated History of Civil War Relics by Sylvia and Michael J. O'Donnell talks about how often this occurred, to the point that excursion trains were organized in some cases for Northern civilians to forage at abandoned battlefields.) In this case, she wrote about visiting Mount Vernon and Fort Washington several days earlier on an expedition of 12 people, and these were no doubt some of her pickings.

Finally, S.A. Ferris was a friend from Rochester who often sent letters and boxes of supplies.