Tag Archives: University of North Carolina

5 June 1862: “Commencement Ball Announcement, Complimentary to The Graduating Class”

Item description: A commencement ball invitation from 5 June 1862. As the war progressed the student body at the University of North Carolina began to change drastically. By the fall of 1861, only 91 students remained at the University after many … Continue reading

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31 May 1862: “That fifteen lashes be inflicted upon any colored man or woman, who, for the sake of convenience, and unaccompanied by any white person, may walk on forbidden ground…”

Item description: At the 31 May 1862 meeting of the Philanthropic Society, a committee recommended passage of the following law: “That fifteen lashes be inflicted upon any colored man or woman, who, for the sake of convenience, and unaccompanied by … Continue reading

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14 April 1862: “This is the anniversary of the fall of Ft Sumter and we have had the sad news confirmed of the loss of Ft Pulaski to us — I was not prepared for this, believing it impregnable.”

Item description: In this letter, Mary Henderson writes to her son John Steele Henderson, who was a student in Chapel Hill, N.C. at the University of North Carolina. Mary Henderson discusses local news, the Battle of Shiloh, and other war … Continue reading

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29 January 1862: “[Capt. McDade] does not consider any student, not a resident of Orange liable to drill or draft.”

Item description:  University of North Carolina President David Swain writes to Charles Manly, the secretary-treasurer of the university’s Board of Trustees, that he had spoken with local Confederate militia Captain McDade. Swain explains that drafting students appeared unlikely. Item citation: From folder 219 in … Continue reading

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19 October 1861: “I remain your faithful obedient an humble slave, Jerry Hooper”

Item description: Letter, 19 October 1861, from Jerry Hooper to John DeBerniere Hooper. Jerry Hooper was a slave who belonged to John DeBerniere Hooper (1811-1886), a professor at the University of North Carolina (1836-1848 and 1875-1885), and at a time … Continue reading

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5 October 1861: “The Philanthropic Society have heard with painful feelings of the death of one of its most distinguished ornaments.”

Item description: Minutes from a 5 October 1861 meeting of the Philanthropic Society of the University of North Carolina. Minutes note society business and debates, and contain committee reports and society resolutions. This particular set of minutes includes a resolution … Continue reading

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27 September 1861: “There are here now only ninety students, last year there was about four hundred, there is about 300 gone to war…”

Item description: Letter, 27 September 1861, from P. H. Sessoms, Chapel Hill, N.C., to his sister, Penelope White, in Coleraine, Bertie County, N.C. Sessoms describes his trip from Coleraine, past a soldier’s camp in Weldon, N.C., where he observed 1,000 … Continue reading

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30 August 1861: “Would it be advisable for the Confederate Government under existing circumstances to act on the offensive?”

Item description: Minutes from a 30 August 1861 meeting of the Philanthropic Society of the University of North Carolina. Minutes note society business and debates, and contain committee reports and society resolutions. This particular entry notes the evening’s question for … Continue reading

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8 August 1861: “Take care of Mamma for me and pray for Papa and for the war to stop when you say your prayers and God will take care of us all.”

Item description: Letter from Charles S. Venable (1827-1900) to his four-year-old son, Francis Preston Venable (1856-1934). Charles S. Venable was a mathematician, astronomer, and an officer in the Confederate Army (most notably he served as an aide-de-camp to General Robert … Continue reading

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31 July 1861: “Students who were with us at the opening of the present year are now to be found in arms under the banners of every State in the Confederacy…”

Item description: Circular letter, 31 July 1861, from UNC President David Swain to students discouraging them from enlisting in the Confederate Army.  Since 1795, he writes, nothing had occurred to cause the university to close, and he did not anticipate … Continue reading

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