Tag Archives: diary

23 April 1865: “Mankind has lost its best friend since the crusifiction of Christ” and “How I loved him! He was my hero.”

As this blog’s end draws near, we present two different accounts of grief. The first letter mourns the loss of Abraham Lincoln, while the second diary entry laments the loss of Stonewall Jackson. Item Description: Letter dated 23 April 1865 … Continue reading

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20 April 1865: “I used to dream about peace – to pray for it – but this is worse than war.”

Item Description: Diary entry dated 20 April by Emma LeConte. LeConte lived in Columbia, South Carolina and was the daughter of the scientist Joseph LeConte. She expresses her anguish over the defeat of the Confederate Army. Item Citation: Folder 1, … Continue reading

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15 April 1865: “Yesterday so beautiful & the air so dry & clear with a Happy President and a happy people- Today a Dead President murdered by a citizen of the United States”

Item Description: April 15th, 1865 diary entry in Henry Clay Warmoth’s Civil War diary.  Warmoth was stationed in Washington D.C. and describes the somber mood in the city after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  Henry Clay Warmoth was a lieutenant … Continue reading

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22 February 1865: “I have seen the “Abomination of Desolation”. It is even worse than I thought. The place is literally in ruins.””

Item description: Entry, dated 22 February 1865, from the diary of Emma Florence LeConte, the daughter of scientist Joseph LeConte of Columbia, S.C. Item citation: From the Emma LeConte Diary, #420-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at … Continue reading

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21 February 1865: “There is not a house I believe in Columbia that has not been pillaged”

Item Description: Entry, dated 21 February 1865, from the diary of Emma Florence LeConte, the daughter of scientist Joseph LeConte of Columbia, S.C. She writes with anger about the destruction that has taken place in Columbia. Item Citation: From the Emma LeConte … Continue reading

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20 February 1865: “the last of the army is leaving the city”

Item Description: Entry, dated 17 February 1865, from the diary of Emma Florence LeConte, the daughter of scientist Joseph LeConte of Columbia, S.C. She continues to describe the aftermath of the burning of Columbia. Item Citation: From the Emma LeConte Diary, #420-z, … Continue reading

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19 February 1865: ” if only the whole army could have been roasted alive!”

Item Description: Entry, dated 17 February 1865, from the diary of Emma Florence LeConte, the daughter of scientist Joseph LeConte of Columbia, S.C. Item Citation: From the Emma LeConte Diary, #420-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at … Continue reading

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18 February 1865: “Strange as it may seem we were actually idiotic enough to believe Sherman would keep his word! – A Yankee – and Sherman!”

Item Description: Entry, dated 18 February 1865, from the diary of Emma Florence LeConte, the daughter of scientist Joseph LeConte of Columbia, S.C. She writes in great detail about the destruction of Columbia after Sherman’s Army has overtaken the city. … Continue reading

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17 February 1865: ” the U.S. flag run up over the State house. O what a horrid sight! what a degradation!”

Item Description: Entry, dated 17 February 1865, from the diary of Emma Florence LeConte, the daughter of scientist Joseph LeConte of Columbia, S.C. She writes about the capture of the city of Columbia. Item Citation: From the Emma LeConte Diary, #420-z, Southern … Continue reading

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16 February 1865: “He calls himself a Confederate spy or scout and is an oddity”

Item Description: Entry, dated 16 February 1865, from the diary of Emma Florence LeConte, the daughter of scientist Joseph LeConte of Columbia, S.C. Emma provides a detailed account of shelling beginning in Columbia. Item Citation: From the Emma LeConte Diary, #420-z, Southern … Continue reading

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