On Display: The Influence of Woman

Happy Women’s History Month! In March, we try to find an item to share in our Collection Spotlight case to highlight Women’s History, and this year we are excited to display a two-page print entitled The Influence of Woman, as printed in Harper’s Weekly in 1862. Harper’s Weekly was a weekly periodical with a masthead that proclaimed it as a “journal of civilization” covering national and international news and politics, art and sciences, literature, wit, and fashion. It was published in New York from 1857 through 1916, and our Special Collections holdings include a full run of the print publication. Harper’s Weekly was especially popular during the Civil War, when this print was published, and often featured prints of battlefield engravings by Winslow Homer and photographs by Mathew Brady.

The original engraving of The Influence of Woman is attributed to Winslow Homer, and it depicts the many pivotal ways that women contributed to the wartime effort during the Civil War. The image was printed on the entirety of two pages in the September 6, 1862 edition of Harper’s, and a column of text on the next page provided further explanation of the image. Under the heading “Our Women and the War” was the following text:

Our artist has entitled the large picture which we publish on pages 568 and 569 “The Influence of Woman.” It illustrates, in effect, what women may do toward relieving the sorrows and pains of the soldier. In one corner will be seen that exquisite type of angelic womanhood, the Sister of Charity, watching at the bedside of a dying soldier, ever ready to relieve his wants and minister to his desires. On the other side a lady-nurse is writing, at the dictation of a poor wounded fellow, a letter to the friends far away, which shall relieve their terrible anxiety. Above, a group of young ladies are busily engaged, with needle and sewing-machine, in making clothing for the troops, and especially those comfortable garments which even our prodigal Government does not deem it necessary to supply. One can almost see the fairy fingers fly along the work. Last of all, honest Biddy, who has probably got a lover or a husband or a brother at the war, is doing her part in helping the soldiers by washing for them. The moral of the picture is sufficiently obvious; there is no woman who can not in some way do something to help the army.

In the Crimean War glory and fame awaited the charitable efforts of Florence Nightingale and her noble band of lady-nurses. This war of ours has developed scores of Florence Nightingales, whose names no one knows, but whose reward, in the soldier’s gratitude and Heaven’s approval, is the highest guerdon woman can ever win.

"Miss Clara Barton -
Photographed by [Mathew] Brady,
Washington, D.C."

The actions shown in the print are not a comprehensive representation of the ways that women supported soldiers during the Civil War, but it does highlight several actions that women took to contribute. The text also refers to Florence Nightingale and her work training nurses during the Crimean War, but had this print been published a little later in the Civil War, it might have instead mentioned the work of Clara Barton. Throughout the Civil War, Barton solicited and delivered supplies to battlefields and tended to wounded soldiers; she was often referred to as the “angel of the battlefield.” Though she began providing aid to soldiers as early as 1861, her work expanded as the war progressed, and in 1864, she was named the head nurse for General Benjamin Butler’s units (sidenote: Benjamin Butler later served as Massachusetts Governor, 1883-1884). Massachusetts can claim a connection to Barton, as she was born in North Oxford, Massachusetts in 1821, and one of the ways that she received much needed supplies for nursing was by placing advertisements in Massachusetts newspapers. You can read more about Clara Barton, including her founding of the American Red Cross and her role in women's suffrage, on the National Women’s History Museum website. Shown here is her portrait, published in the July 21, 1866 issue of  Harper’s Weekly.

The Influence of Woman is on display in our reading room from March 4 through April 1, so stop by to take a look. If you’d like to read about a few of our previous Women’s History displays, check out the links below:

“The Nonsense of It: Short Answers to Common Objections Against Woman Suffrage” (1870) and the 1917 edition of The Woman Suffrage Year Book

Why Women Should Vote, published by the National American Woman Suffrage Association 

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

Memorial Day and the State Library

With Memorial Day approaching, it is important to recognize this holiday and
to point to some holdings in the State Library which represent ways that the state has
marked the day.

Speech by former Senator Marian Walsh

Some Interesting Facts about the Day

Memorial Day was begun after the Civil War and was at one time called "Decoration Day." The numbers of dead and wounded from the war were unprecedented and the carnage was apparent to all.  After the Battles at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and also at Vicksburg, Mississippi, women decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers.  These  remembrances became known as Decoration Day and there is still debate as to where the “day” originated,  North or South.

In 1866, a union hero, Major General John A. Logan delivered an address in Carbondale Illinois which marked the first such speech and the first gathering of veterans.  Logan also commanded the Grand Old Army of the Republic, a group of union veterans and in early May of 1868, he issued an order setting May 30th aside “for the purpose of strewing flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in the defense of their country during the late rebellion.”

It was not until after World War I, however, that the Confederate states began to mark Memorial Day. By then, the term was used to honor the dead from all of the country's wars.  Many of those from the South still celebrate a Confederate Memorial Day. Some states use the birthday of General Robert E. Lee, January 19th, for this. Other southern states have chosen other dates.

On Nov. 11, 1921, President Warren G. Harding officiated at the interment ceremonies at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1967, Memorial Day, May 30th, was designated as a national holiday.  And, four years later, the remembrance was shifted to the last Monday in the month. This year it falls on the 25th of the month.

State Library Holdings which Mark the Day

Senator Walsh’s speech above represents the 100’s given each year by members of the
Massachusetts General Court.  Often, the legislator or his/her staff visit us here to do the research for their presentations.

Other holdings include items published by the Grand Army of the Republic:

Or Proclamations from Governors about the day:

In 2000, Congress added to the day by asking that people join in in a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 PM on Memorial Day.

Pamela W.Schofield

Legislative Reference Librarian

Tom Meagher: the Original “Candy Man” for the Massachusetts Legislature

If you ever get a chance to flip through one of the late 19th or early 20th century Souvenirs of Massachusetts Legislators (available online), which provide photographs and biographical sketches of Massachusetts legislators during the years in which they served, you’ll come across an interesting character.  In the 1897 souvenir, editor Arthur Milnor Bridgman states in his introduction: “This Souvenir contains also a special feature in the picture of Tom Meagher, the gallant one-armed veteran of the War, who has been for many years a popular fixture as the ‘candy man.’”  But don’t be fooled by his tongue-in-cheek nickname--Tom was a cigar dealer.


Bridgman’s caption for photo (left): “’Tom Meagher,’

the Veteran of the War of the Rebellion, Who has been the popular 

“Candy Man” of the Legislature for, lo, these many years.” 
Meagher was located on the 3^rd floor, outside
 the entrance to the House Lobby.

Meagher, a kind and familiar face in the State House for “lo, these many years”, worked his concession counter toward the latter half of the 19th century.  The timeframe of his tenure is unclear, but by the mid-nineteen teens, when the publication went through a reformatting, his “feature” was no longer included.  By 1919, a new proprietor by the name of Pierce O’Connell took up residence in Meagher’s stead.  Notice anything familiar behind O’Connell’s counter?

From the 1920 book Public Officials of
Massachusetts ('Bird Book')

 With the scant information provided by Bridgman, and from the caption accompanying Meagher’s photograph, what we do know is that he was a Civil War veteran.  Additional research tells us that he was born in Ireland sometime around 1835 and immigrated to the United States in 1855.  Assuming that he fought under the auspices of Massachusetts, one will find that there are a handful of entries for Thomas Meaghers in the multi-volume set Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War.  One entry in particular, for a soldier who fought in Company C of the 1st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, sticks out among the rest:

(Vol. I, p. 21)

This is the only entry that mentions wounds received in battle--undoubtedly a reference to Meagher’s gravely injured right arm (for which he later received a government pension).  Virginia was the scene of much violence during the Civil War.  From June 25th to July 1st, 1862, under the Union campaign leadership of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan against Confederate campaign under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, Henrico (which includes Fair Oaks) and Hanover Counties experienced a series of six battles known as the Seven Days Battles; it’s probable that our Tom Meagher sustained his injuries during the first at what is now called the Battle of Oak Grove.

I wish we could know a lot more about Tom Meagher.  As a Civil War veteran who, in his youth, experienced the horrors of battle in a country divided, who then retired to the humble life of selling cigars and chit-chatting with members of the Massachusetts General Court, we can only imagine the fascinating stories he could relate to us today.  It’s certain that he was well-loved and respected by all that had the pleasure of talking with him, and the inclusion of his “feature” in over a decade’s worth of legislative souvenirs, as well as his near life-size portrait that hung on the wall outside the House lobby, is testament to their appreciation.


Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Dept.

Rhymed Tactics: Military Tactical Verse from the Civil War

In honor of Poetry Month, take a look at this quirky book published in 1862- “Rhymed Tactics” is a small manual that was written to help soldiers master things like field maneuvers, group formations, and how to carry their weapons. Clever rhymes make essential information easy to remember, and the book’s small size (about 3 by 5 inches) meant it could fit into your pocket. See excerpt below:

“Rhymed Tactics” is part of the State Library’s large collection of military resources that also includes a number of tactical and cavalry manuals from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

If you haven’t yet seen our current exhibit on the Civil War, be sure to visit the State Library soon to see additional featured titles and learn about Massachusetts’ role during the Civil War.

Bianca Hezekiah

Reference Department

Item of the Month for March 2013 - A Massachusetts Governor Marks the 100th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation

As we in Massachusetts, the country and the world note the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, we can look to numerous ways in which the long conflict is and has been remembered. In January of this year, the original copy of the Emancipation Proclamation was placed on display in the National Archives to much acclaim. This commemorates the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s edict.

Massachusetts Governors often issue proclamations relating to such significant historical events. Thus, on September 22nd, 1962, Governor John A. Volpe not only praised what had happened 100 years before, but in doing so spoke specifically about Lincoln’s views on the subject of slavery. One section below refers to a call by Horace Greeley that the President act more forcefully to end the institution.

Sections of the proclamation read as follows:

Whereas, President Lincoln, the first great leader of the Republican party, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which became final on January 1, 1863, after months of deliberation and out of his long-held and firm conviction of equal rights and freedom for every man, and

Whereas, As early as 1837 Lincoln protested against the pro-slavery resolution adopted by his State Legislature in Illinois; in October of 1854, speaking of slavery’ he said, “I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself, because… it enables the enemies of free Institutions to taunt us as hypocrites, causes friends of freedom to doubt our sincerity…”and

Whereas, on August 22, 1862, a month after President Lincoln had first discussed with his cabinet, the subject of emancipation he took the entire nation into his confidence through his published reply to Horace Greeley’s challenging letter on the subject: “I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution….My paramount object in this struggle is to save the union, and it is not either to save or to destroy slavery…….I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men could be free,” 

See Greeley’s letter and the President’s response

One may visit the State Library to find extensive materials about the Civil War. Our current exhibit: “It was Everyone’s War: Celebrating the Contributions of Massachusetts to Abolition and the Civil War,” will be up through May 31st, 2013. And, there have been some other entries on our blog related to this long conflict. Please go to the link below and type in the term Civil War to view them. http://www.mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/.

Pamela W. Schofield
Legislative Reference Librarian
State Library of Massachusetts

Treasure of the State Library for June 2012

With the nation marking the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, there have been commemorations across the nation. The Massachusetts State House has had numerous events to mark this anniversary.

Just recently, Susan Greendyke Lachevre, Arts Collection Manager for the State House, completed a volume detailing the Art of the Civil War at the Massachusetts State House. The State Library has recently added copies to its collection and at some point, in the future, the report will be available online. As Ms. Greendyke Lachevre notes, publication coincides with the Sesquicentennial of the War. Her beautiful work, a detailed listing of holdings in the State House, was written by the Massachusetts Art Commission.

As is the case with many libraries across the country, the State Library owns artwork from the Civil War Era. The first of note is a plaster bust of Arthur Buckminster Fuller, a prominent Massachusetts clergyman who was killed in the battle of Fredericksburg in December of 1862. A blog entry from 2011 describes this sculpture and its focus

A second item owned by the library is a portrait of Charles Carleton Coffin painted by Frank H. Tompkins in 1891. Coffin, a New Hampshire native, lived for many years in Massachusetts. Unable to enlist in the war due to an injury in his youth, Coffin became one of the most famous journalists covering the war. He donated his portrait to the State Librarian C. B. Tillinghast and his successors in 1896. 

Pamela W. Schofield

Reference Department

State Library of Massachusetts

A Drummer's Hymn Book

The Special Collections department of the State Library is delighted to announce receipt of a new donation to our collection, an item that adds to the richness of the Civil War-era materials already maintained by the repository. The Soldier’s Hymn Book, published in 1861 by the Young Men’s Christian Association, has particular value in that it was owned by a soldier named Albert P. Hills, a drummerboy who served in Company I of the 23rd Massachusetts Volunteers during the Civil War. Throughout the hymnal, Hills drew several illustrations including “Chaplain Clark in the Pulpit,” an eagle clutching arrows and a shield, a sow, and a field drum.

The staff in Special Collections sought to gain more information about the owner of the hymnal, and through their research they found that Hills enlisted as a drummerboy in the 23rd Massachusetts Volunteers at the young age of 15. Although both of his parents opposed his decision to join, they could not dissuade him, and it was then that Hill’s father, Albert Smith Hills, chose to accompany his son and enlist in the regiment with him. Both father and son served in General Burnside’s army in North Carolina, and they fought and served in several battles including the battle and capture of Roanoke Island.

The Soldier’s Hymn Book is just one example of the State Library’s extensive number of items and collections that document Massachusetts’ contribution during the Civil War. Anyone can visit Special Collections and view these historical treasures. Please visit us in Room 55 of the State House, and for more information about our hours, visit our website at http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/oversight-agencies/lib/.

Casey E. Davis
Reference/Exhibition Intern

Special Collections Department

Soldiers and Sailors

The State Library has two excellent resources to find service information about infantry, soldiers and sailors who served in the Revolutionary War or the Civil War.

The first set of volumes is entitled Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. This resource is available in our stacks under the call number and online.

The second set is Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War. Genealogists frequently use this book to verify that their relative served, or to see which battles and in what localities a person served. The Civil War volumes contain Regimental Histories.

The books usually have information about where the person is from, where they joined the regiment, the battles in which they fought, whether they were wounded or whether they died and when they mustered out of the unit. There are no pictures in these volumes.

The Massachusetts State Archives at Columbia Point has the muster rolls in their collections.

Pictured Sergeant Andrew Jackson Smith: "Private, Res. Taunton; 21; blacksmith; enlisted Sept. 15, 1862; must. Sept. 23, 1862; must. out Aug. 28 on or about Sept. 25, 1863." Image from State Library's collection.

Naomi Allen, Reference Librarian

Hartwell Collection Materials on Flickr

A recent set on the State Library's Flickr web site highlights photographs and materials from the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Black Volunteer Regiments from the Civil War. The collections are from materials donated to the State Library by Alfred Stedman Hartwell, who served in both regiments.

Alfred Stedman Hartwell was born in Dedham, Massachusetts on June 11, 1836. Civil War records describe him as having been a law student; he graduated from Harvard University in 1858.

From May 8, 1861 to August 17, 1861, he served as a corporal in the 3rd Missouri Infantry. He was commissioned a 1st lieutenant on August 22, 1862 and was mustered into Company F, 44th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry on September 12, 1862; he resigned from that regiment and was discharged for promotion on March 31, 1863. Hartwell was next commissioned a captain in the 54th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry and was discharged on May 14, 1863 for promotion in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry. On November 3, 1863 he was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in that regiment. He was wounded at Honey Hill, South Carolina on November 30, 1864, brevetted as a brigadier-general on December 30, 1864 and mustered out on April 30, 1866.

Because of his experience with black regiments, he spearheaded an investigation into certain abuses in the recruiting of black soldiers in the south. From 1865 to 1866, Hartwell led the investigation into these alleged abuses. Brevet Brigadier-General M.S. Littlefield was the subject of many accusations that indicated that he enrolled disabled blacks, known deserters, and others into the 21st Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops and had failed to pay bounties due to the men. As a result of Hartwell's efforts, Littlefield was court-martialed.

Hartwell later served as the Representative from Natick in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1867 and as Attorney General and Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Hawaii. He died in Honolulu on August 30, 1912.

The collection resides in the Special Collections Department of the State Library of Massachusetts and is available for the public to view.

Pamela W. Schofield
Reference Department