Menu

Inventory of the Alfred and Elizabeth Brand Collection of Civil War and Lee Family Papers, 1757-1925 (bulk 1838-1868)

Collection Overview

Letters, reports, certificates of appointment, receipts, loans, and other documents pertaining to the Civil War and to the Lee family (accession#2000-353), and collected by Alfred and Elizabeth Brand. The Civil War Papers Series includes battle reports from Bull Run (1861), Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg; Confederate Army General Orders Nos. 9, 64, and 18; letters detailing the operation of the Confederate Army, outcomes of battles, and Confederate opinions about the Civil War and specific officers. Includes a broadside, “Rally Round the Flag, Boys!;” a transcription of an interview with Jefferson Davis by newspaper writer Augustus C. Buell (1876); a draft of the poem “The Conquered Banner” by the Rev. Abram J. Ryan (1865); two engravings (of Grant and Sherman); John H. Miller and M. French's obligation and oath of allegiance to Virginia and to the Confederate States of America (1862); and J. C. Winsmith's oath of allegiance to the USA and pardon from Andrew Johnson and William H. Seward (1865).

Writers and correspondents in this Series are primarily from Virginia (especially Berkeley County) and Kentucky. Prominent individuals include Pierre Gustave Tonte Beauregard, Braxton Bragg, David Holmes Conrad, Samuel Cooper, Samuel Wylie Crawford, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, J. E. Johnson, I. Nadenbousch, Daniel Ruggles, William T. Sherman, and Edwin M. Stanton.

The Lee Family Papers Series comprises primarily Colonial-era governmental and financial documents pertaining to Francis Lightfoot Lee, “Henry Light Horse Harry” Lee, and Richard Henry Lee, Sr. Documents pertain to slaves; maps and surveys of leased land; and loan indentures. Includes certificates appointing Francis Lightfoot Lee as Justice of the Peace (1757-1768); and a letter from Richard Henry Lee, Sr., to Henry Lee regarding the colonists' agitation for freedom (1770). Ante-bellum and Civil War documents in the Lee family papers include loan indentures; a bill of sale for cotton to the Confederate government; two cartes-de-visite (of Robert E. Lee); letters written by Richard Henry Lee, Jr., discussing the sale of his sister's slaves; and a letter from Robert Edward Lee to Samuel Cooper regarding poorly executed military orders (1865). Several documents throughout the collection include the original rare manuscripts dealer's description.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Alfred and Elizabeth Brand Collection of Civil War and Lee Family Papers, 1757-1925 (bulk 1838-1868)
Collector
Brand, R. Alfred III, collector. Brand, Elizabeth D., collector.
Extent
3.4 Linear Feet,, 100 Items
Repository
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Location
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Language
English.

Series Quick Links

Administrative Information

A majority of collections are stored off site and must be requested at least 24 business hours in advance for retrieval. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »

warning Access Restrictions

Collection is restricted. Originals are restricted except for use under direct staff supervision. Patrons must use photocopies of originals. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

warning Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Contents of the Collection

expand Browse List of Series  collapse Collapse All  expand Expand All

Processing note: Arranged in two series, Civil War Papers and Lee Family Papers. Within Series, organized alphabetically by author or correspondent. Use copies exist for all documents and are arranged in exactly the same way as the originals. The one exception is that the original interview with Jefferson Davis can be found in Original Box 1A, while the copy can be found in Use Copy Box 1.

Originals are closed except for use under direct staff supervision. Patrons must use photocopies of originals.

Battle of Bull Run report, date of battle, 1861 July 21
Box 1
Battle of Fredericksburg report, date of battle, 1862 December 13

Written by Col. J.W. Allen on 1862 December 23 from headquarters of the 2nd Virginia Infantry at camp near Mosses Neck. Includes a draft and final copy.

Box 1
Battle of Gettysburg report, date of battle, 1863 July 1-3

Written by Col. J.W. Allen on 1863 July 30 from camp on road near Robinson River. Preliminary draft.

Box 1
Battle of Winchester report, date of battle, 1862 March 23

Incomplete.

Box 1
Request for discharge due to age by Peter E. Hanff, 1862 July 20

On verso of Winchester report. Hanff was a private in Capt. Nadenbousch's Company D, Second Regiment of Virginia Infantry.

Box 1
Letter from Beauregard, Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia, Weldon, NC., to Gen. Braxton Bragg, Commander in Chief, Richmond, VA, 1864 April 26

Beauregard requested that his ranks of officers be filled as soon as possible.

Box 1
Manuscript map of the Chesapeake Bay region, undated

May not be related to Beauregard correspondence.

Box 1
Letter from Braxton, Shelbyville, [TN], to Jefferson Davis, 1863 May 22.

Bragg described the Perryville Campaign, Kentucky, and defended himself against other officers who were critical of his command, including General Leonidas Polk and General Hardee.

Box 1
Letter from Bransford, Transportation Department, Quartermaster's Office, Washington, GA, 1865 February 24, to Col. George Wm. Brent, August, GA.

Bransford asked Brent what to do about furloughed soldiers who could not reach the armies commanded by Lee or Beauregard.

Box 1
Cooper, S[amuel], General Orders No. 64, I-V, Richmond, VA, 1862 September 8

Cooper was Adjutant and Inspector General.

(1 item)
Box 1
Address to the Berkeley Border Guards Company, [1861]

Regarding the deaths of Conrad's sons Holmes Addison Conrad and Henry Tudor Conrad at the first battle of Bull Run, 1861 July 21. The men were the first casualties of the Civil War from Berkeley County, VA.

Box 1
Letter to Capt. Nadenbousch from Conrad, 1861 August 28

Regarding the deaths of Conrad's sons. Includes envelope. “Nadenbousch” also spelled as “Nadenbushe.”

Box 1
Letter from Crawford to Judge, 1863 July 14.

Letter details the role Crawford's command of Pennsylvania Reserves played in the Battle of Gettysburg (1863 July 1-3). Includes transcription.

Box 1

[Two items originally in this folder were removed to oversize box 2.]

Letter from Davis to D.L. Dalton, 1859 March 14

Letter lists Davis' birthplace, education, and political offices.

Box 1
Letter from Davis to Hon. J.A. Seddon, 1874 August 18

Seddon was former Secretary of War for the Confederacy. The letter discusses Davis' distrust of ex- General Joseph E. Johnston.

Box 1
Letter of condolence from Mrs. Varina Davis to Mr. Washington on the death of his sister, 1902 January 23

Wife of Jefferson Davis.

Box 1
Transcription of interview with Jefferson Davis conducted by Augustus C. Buell, Washington, D.C. correspondent for a Western and Southern newspaper syndicate, 1876
(1 bound volume)

[The use copy of this interview can be found Use Copies Box 1.]

Box 1A
Letter from Grant, Headquarters Army of the United States, to [Wm.] H. Capon, Agriculture Bureau, regarding grounds improvement, 1868 March 14
Box 1
Engraving of Grant, undated

Includes signature. Published by C.B. Richardson.

Box 1
Validation of claim made by J.W.W. Baker and others of Martinsburg, VA 1862 Nov. 13

Claim regarding bacon impressed for the use of the Confederate Army from Wm. H & J. Mathews.

Box 1

[2 items removed to oversize box.]

Letter from Jackson to his brother, 1859 September 1

[Includes transcription.]

Box 1
Letter from Jackson to Gov. Letcher of Virginia, 1861 May 3

Letter asks whether Jackson should accept the services in Virginia of a company of Maryland volunteers. [Includes photocopy.]

Box 1
Letter from Robert E. Lee to Jackson urging him to accept the volunteers, 1861 May 7

[On verso of previous letter.]

Box 1
Letter from Jackson to the Hon. A.R. Botcher, 1862 April 15

Letter regarding supplies. [Includes transcription.]

Box 1
Program for the Inauguration of the Jackson Statue, 1875 October 26

Includes the addresses of Virginia Gov. Kemper, and the Rev. Moses D. Hoge

Box 1
Johnson, J.E., Gen., General Order No. 18, 1865 April 27

Acknowledged and accepted the terms set forth in Major General W. T. Sherman's Special Field Order No. 65, hailing the end of the Confederacy.

(1 item)
Box 1
Lomax, L.L., Maj. Gen., Confederate Telegraph to Col. C[harles] T[riplett] O'Ferrall, 1865 April 6

Lomax asked O'Ferrall to send some of his troops as scouts to report to Lomax on the Greenville Road.

(1 item)
Box 1
Letter from Miller, Erskine College, Due West, [SC], to his brother, 1861 April 15

Letter describes pranks by students at Erskine College and their attitude toward the Civil War.

Box 1
Obligation and oath of allegiance to Virginia and to the Confederate States of America, 1862 February 4
Box 1
Copy of letter to Maj. [Swl.] Jackson from R.D. Seaman, Berkeley County, VA, 1861 November 29

Regarding the activities of a Samuel Baxley, whom Seaman would like to see arrested. Enclosed in letter from [J. L. Preston] to Nadenbushe.

Box 1
Letter to Capt. I. Nadenbushe, Martinsburg, from [J. L. Preston], Winchester, 1861 December 3

Referring the matter of Samuel Baxley's arrest to Nadenbushe (also written as Nadenbousch). Includes envelope.

Box 1
Letter from Olds of the 105th Ohio Infantry and writing in Goldsboro, NC to My dear friend Alice, 1865 April 5

Letter describes Olds' journey through the South as a member of Sherman's army.

Box 1
Rally Round the Flag, Boys! Broadside, printed 1864 September 3

Signed in print by Capt. W. C. Baskin

(1 item)
Box 1
Report from Virginia Board of Engineers to Ruggles, 1861 April 24

At Ruggles request, the Board examined Acquia Creek on the Potomac River to ascertain the best place to put a battery to secure iron, tin, and several vessels. Members of the board were Thomas H. Williamson, Major of Engineers, Va. Army; H. H. Sims, Liet., Va Navy; and Wm. H. Ker, Brigade Inspector.

Box 1
Letter from Ruggles, Fredericksburg, VA, to Col. R.S. Garnett, 1861 May 6

Ruggles transmitted the report from the Virginia Board of Engineers with his own comments. Includes a manuscript map of Acquia Creek and the Potomac River.

Box 1
Telegram from Ruggles, Corinth, MS, to Braxton Bragg, Jackson, TN, 1862 March 3

Telegram requesting two thousand pounds of corn meal powder.

Box 1
Telegram from Ruggles, [?], MS, to Braxton Bragg, Tupelo, MS, 1862 June 24

Telegram regarding Special Orders No. 85, paragraph nine.

Box 1
Ryan, Abram J., Rev., draft of poem, The Conquered Banner, Appomattox Court House, 1865 April 9

Possibly the original first draft. Found among the original Lee papers. At least one line differs from the earliest printed version. Rev. Ryan was known as the “poet-priest” of the Confederacy.

(1 item)
Box 1
Letter from Sherman, Lancaster, OH, to cousin Col. Charles H. Hoyt, Detroit, MI, 1865 August 6

Includes envelope.

Box 1
Letter from Sherman, Headquarters Military Division of the Missouri, St. Louis, to Hoyt, Washington, D.C., 1867 March 27

Includes envelope.

Box 1
Engraving of Sherman, undated

Includes signature. Photography by Brady & Co. Engraved by William Wellstood.

Box 1
Letter from Stanton, Washington City, to his wife, Mrs. Lucy L. Stanton, Knox County, OH, 1865 April 5

Letter brings news of the capture of Richmond, VA by Federal troops and the pursuit of Jefferson Davis and the remnants of Lee's army.

Box 1
Letter from Stuart to his wife, 1861 June 3

Letter describes the successful recovery of an enemy-held ferry.

Box 1

[3 items removed to oversize box 2.]

Receipt, To am't received from Major Rhett, A.M.C.S.A., Columbia, SC for Bounty for the men of my Company, as per my receipt, 1862 May 26
Box 1
Receipt for payment to Winsmith by W.B. Flowers, Captain and Acting Q.M. N.C.V., 1864 October 8
Box 1
Application to Treasury Department, C.S.A., made by Winsmith, Glenn Springs, SC, for payment of arrears due to F.D. Lancaster, 1863 April 20
Box 1
Oath of allegiance to the U.S.A., signed by Winsmith at Spartanburg, SC, 1865 August 7
Box 1
Blank copy of obligation, in accordance with the terms of the Military Convention, 1865 April 26, not to take up arms against the U.S.A.
Box 1
Acknowledgment of oath of allegiance signed by William H. Seward, Dept. of State, 1865 Nov. 9

Acknowledgment refers to an oath of allegiance signed on 1865 October 31.

Box 1
Lee, Francis Lightfoot, 1757-1768

[all 5 items removed to oversize box 2.]

Box 1

[4 items removed to oversize box 2.]

Lease by Lee, Prince William County, granting rights to 400 acres of farmland to brother Richard Bland Lee, Loudoun County, 1784 April 5
Box 1
Letter from Lee, New York, to Milkin and Griffiths, Merchants in Philadelphia, 1802 January 24

Letter concerns land.

Box 1
Indenture conveying land from Lee, Westmoreland County, Commonwealth of Virginia, to his son, Henry Lee, Jr., Westmoreland County, 1810 September 20
Box 1
Loan of money borrowed by Lee and Ludwell Lee from George North, 1807 April 18
Box 1
Lee, Richard H[enry], [Sr.], 1770

[Single item removed to oversize box 2.]

Box 1
Promissory note between Lee, acting as a member of the Committee of the Estate of Francis L. Lee, and Isaac Robbins, 1825 June 20
Box 1
Loan made to Lee, Loudon County, VA, by Robert W. Carter, 1827 April 27
Box 1
Letter from Lee, Washington, to My Dear Cousin [Charles H. Lee], Leesburg, VA, 1846 January 30

Letter concerns the estate of R.H. Lee's sister and the sale of her servants [slaves]. Lee writes, “I feel great reluctance to separate the children from the mother and father...”

Box 1
Letter from Lee, Washington, to My Dear Cousin [Charles H. Lee], Leesburg, VA, 1846 April 6

Letter concerns the estate of R.H. Lee's sister and the sale of her servants [slaves]. Lee also lists the names of his children: Those of age include Mary A. Lee, Flora Lee, and Frances H. Lee. Those under age include Samuel A. Lee, Richard H. Lee, Ludwell Lee, John L. Lee, and Francis L. Lee.

Box 1
Certification by Lee, Captain of Engineers, that 340 lbs of fresh beef were necessary for sustenance of the workers improving the Mississippi River, 1838 June 20
Box 1
Carte-de-visite depicting Lee in 1865 and signed by Lee (published by M.B. Brady & Co.)
Box 1
Carte-de-visite, depicting a [painting] of Lee with Traveller, undated (Photograph by A.H. Plecker, Traveling Artist)
Box 1
Newspaper clipping recounting the burial of Robert Damell, freedman and private in the U.S. Army's Ninth and Tenth Calvary, in Lee's church, St. Paul's Episcopal, Richmond, VA, 1925 April 9
Box 1
[Note] by Lee, Headquarters, 1863 June 4

Note concerns the appointment of permanent Brigade Inspectors. [Includes transcription.]

Box 1
Facsimile of General Order no. 9, 1865 April 10

General order of surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Box 1
Bill of sale for Lee's 64 bales of cotton to the Confederate government, 1861 October 23
Box 1
Letter from Lee to Samuel Cooper, Adjutant and Inspector General, Richmond, VA, 1865 January 8

Letter concerns certain of Lee's orders in regard to “correcting abuses, securing discipline and enforcement of orders” [in the Department of East Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia] that Cooper failed to properly execute.

Box 1
Letter from Mary Custis Lee to a Miss Day, 1916 February 28

Letter in response to Miss Day's request for Robert E. Lee's autograph.

Box 1
Certification by Lee, Captain of Engineers, that barrels of corned beef and potatoes were necessary for the improvement of the Mississippi River, 1838 May 19

Enclosed in above letter to Miss Day.

Box 1
Agreement between Lee and George Lee, as hirers, and John Carroll, as owner, of negro Jesse, 1796 December 19
Box 1

[Removed from Davis, Jefferson, folder in box 1.]

Letter from Davis to the Rt. Rev. Stephen Elliot expressing regret for not being able to attend Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk's funeral, 1864 July 8
Box 2
Petition to Davis from John C. Breckenridge, Simon Bolivar Buckner, John H. Morgan, and Jos. H. [Sims] proposing that all troops from KY be concentrated in the vicinity of their home state, 1864 Jan. 15

Petition includes outlines of troop size and proposed movements. Secretary of War J. A. Letcher added comments to the petition, 1864 Jan. 16.

Box 2

[Removed form Jackson, T[homas] J., folder in box 1.]

Letter from Capt. Shriver, Harpers Ferry, to Jackson, relaying information on federal troop movements, 1861 May 19
Box 2
Letter from Jackson to Robert E. Lee regarding public sentiment and troop deployment, especially in Berkeley County, VA, 1861 May 21
Box 2

[Removed from folder Winsmith, J.C., Capt., in box 1.]

President's Warrant of Pardon for Winsmith, signed by Andrew Johnson and William H. Seward, 1865 September 6

[Includes envelope.]

Box 2
Acknowledgment of receipt of pardon, signed by Winsmith, 1865 October 31, and returned to Winsmith 1865 November 9
Box 2

[Removed from Lee, Francis Lightfoot, folder in box 1.]

Appointment of Lee and others as Justices of the Peace for Loudoun County, Colony and Dominion of Virginia, 1757 November

Authorized and [signed] by Robert Dinwiddie, Lt.-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Virginia.

Box 2
Appointment of Lee and others as Justices of the Peace for Loudoun County, Colony and Dominion of Virginia, 1766 November 6

Authorized and [signed] by Francis Fauquier, Lt.-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Virginia.

Box 2
Appointment of Lee and others as Justices in the trial of slaves who have committed capital crimes in the Dominion of Virginia, 1767 February 7

The specific trial concerns the murder of Daris Dallas. The suspects are Joe, Sam, and Pendoe, slaves belonging to George West. Authorized and [signed] by Francis Fauquier, Lt.-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Virginia.

Box 2
Appointment of Lee and others as Justices of the Peace for Loudoun County, Colony and Dominion of Virginia, 1767 October 23

Authorized and [signed] by Francis Fauquier, Lt.-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Virginia.

Box 2
Appointment of Lee and others as Justices in the trial of slaves who have committed capital crimes in the Dominion of Virginia, 1768 June 15

Authorized and [signed] by John Blair, President of his Majesty's Council and Commander-in-Chief of Virginia.

Box 2

[Removed from Lee, Henry, folder in box 1.]

Indenture in which Lee, Westmoreland County, VA, sells land to Charles Lee, Alexandria, VA, 1795 October 5
Box 2
Indenture in which Lee permits the Rev. Bryan Fairfax to farm land that was part of the estate of Philip Ludwell Lee, 1794 Sept. 26

Indenture also signed by Ludwell Lee and Charles Lee.

Box 2
Letter from Lee, [Hartford,] to William A. Washington, Haywood, regarding business in Baltimore, no year July 16
Box 2
Letter from William Henry Smith, New Mill Creek, Norfolk County, VA, to Lee, Westmoreland County, VA regarding difficulties in cutting timber on Lee's juniper swamp land, 1797 March 30

Letter includes a manuscript map of the property around Bear Quarter Island and a “copy of the location of the West Survey of Patrick Henry and George Kelly as it stands on the books.”

Box 2

[Removed from Lee, Richard H., folder in box 1.]

Letter from Lee to My Dear Brother [Henry Lee] regarding seeking redress of grievances against England, 1770 June 15
Box 2

Historical Note

Elizabeth D. Dalton and R. Alfred Brand, III, are daughter and son-in-law of the late Harry L. and Mary K. Dalton, collectors of rare books and manuscripts

Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Virginia.

Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Virginia. Led the Stamp Act rebellion, 1766 February.

Polk was an Episcopal priest and Davis' classmate at West Point. He was killed in GA on a reconnaissance mission for the Confederate Army in 1864 June.

Subject Headings

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Alfred and Elizabeth Brand Collection of Civil War and Lee Family Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Provenance

The Alfred and Elizabeth Brand Collection of Civil War and Lee Family Papers was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 2000.

Processing Information

Processed by Ruth E. Bryan

Completed February 26, 2002

Encoded by Ruth E. Bryan

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.