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Confederate “Extra” with content from two eras…
April 18, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Finding oddities from the newspaper world is part of the fun of the hobby, and recently one came our way which I found to be very unusual.
The “Daily Appeal–Extra” newspaper from Memphis, Tennessee dated April 20, 1861, contains content which is over two years apart. This is a “broadside extra” edition meaning the narrow sheet was published to report a specific event, and printed on one side only. But in this case, the reverse is not entirely blank.
First, it’s curious that this is a newspaper from a city which was only “Confederate” until the battle of Memphis, June 6, 1862, after which it was in Yankee control. The front has a very nice graphic devise at the top of the first column showing a cannon and Confederate flag, with heads: “THE WAR NEWS ! ” “Star of the West Taken As A Prize ! “and other related heads & reports.
But the most intriguing aspect of this issue is the back page. Although I am convinced this was issued in 1861 with the reverse blank, it nonetheless has a print of a map of the Vicksburg vicinity, and nothing else. Now, let’s keep in mind that the siege of Vicksburg didn’t happen until mid-May, 1863 thru its fall to the Yankees on July 4, 1863. Note that the heading of the map reads: “Position of the Fleets Above and Below The City” showing the positions of both Porter’s and Farragut’s fleets. Their appearance in the Mississippi did not happen until 1863. I surmise this “Extra” edition was lying around the printing office and since the back side was blank they used it as a test sheet for printing this map, which likely appeared in a the “Memphis Appeal” newspaper at some point in May, June, or July, 1863. Consequently this becomes a truly fascinating curiosity to have printings from two different periods in a single issue, and one being a map.
Do any fellow collectors have another explanation?
War makes “sad havoc” among the newspapers…
April 2, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
This item provides some interesting facts on what war does to newspaper publishing. It appeared in the “Daily Richmond Examiner” issue of February 4, 1864.
One newspaper, nine cities…
December 27, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
“The Memphis Daily Appeal” newspaper was one with a fascinating history during the years of the Civil War. Memphis was a Confederate stronghold up through the Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862, at which time the Yankees moved in and it became a Yankee city. The “Appeal“, very much dedicated to the Southern cause rallying both civilians & soldiers, was the most important newspaper of the region & was soon famously known as the “Moving Appeal.”
On June 6, 1862, the presses and plates were loaded into a boxcar and moved to Grenada, Mississippi, where it stayed for a few months until approaching Federal troops threatened again, forcing a move in November 1862 to Jackson, Mississippi, where it published until May 1863, when Federal troops again arrived. By this time, the “Appeal” had gained notoriety among Union forces as a rebel sympathizer while it remained on the run. The next stop was Meridian, Mississippi, from where, one issue and two days later, the wandering journalists moved on to Mobile, Alabama, then to Montgomery, and ultimately to Atlanta, the economic heart of the Confederacy. Publication from Atlanta began in June 1863 and continued through July 1864, when it returned to Montgomery, where it published from September 1864 to April 1865. Its final move was to Columbus, Georgia, where Federal forces finally caught up with it. It resumed publication following the war in Memphis on November 5, 1865. During just a four year period this newspaper published in nine different cities. (credit: Tennessee State Library & Archives)
What could have been…
December 13, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
One might wonder how some significant events in history might have been responded to had reaction been different from what the history books note. During the Civil war the “Albany Atlas” decided to fool with history a bit following the Emancipation Proclamation, and supposed a “Counter Proclamation” by the Confederate President, Jeff Davis. The article shown–which appeared in the Confederate newspaper “Memphis Daily Appeal” of January 23, 1863 (while printing in Jackson, Mississippi at the time)–makes for some interesting reading on what could have happened in history (see below).
What could happen to a rumor…
December 9, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
“The Daily Journal” newspaper of August 20, 1861 from Wilmington, North Carolina, a Confederate publication, printed an interesting series of dispatches of a fictitious assassination attempt upon President Lincoln (see below). They provide an interesting perspective on how a dramatic event could be much less so once more trustworthy news reports found their way to the press.
The reliability of news reports was a big problem in the 18th & 19th centuries during the pre-telegraph, pre-wire service days when word of mouth was often the source of what made it into the newspaper. This somewhat comical piece illustrates a quandary likely dealt with by most newspaper publishers of the day.
General Butler… “The Beast”…
December 2, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Editorials in Confederate newspapers are always interesting reading–as are many of those from the North–as there is much bias skewed in favor of those reading the newspaper. The Jan. 12, 1865 issue of the “Richmond Examiner” contains a rabidly anti-Butler editorial, even managing to interject his nickname in the South: “The Beast”. This one is worth sharing for all to read:
A modest resume…
November 23, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
“The Crisis” newspaper from Columbus, Ohio, dated May 24, 1863 ran the piece on Lincoln shown in the photo. Keep in mind that this was a “copperhead” newspaper (northern paper opposed to the war, even advocating the continuance of slavery) so there was much criticism to Lincoln and his administration throughout it’s print run, so it is likely the piece was printed to emphasize the “modestness” of his resume.
From what we know of Abraham Lincoln this short piece he submitted, despite likely edits by the newspaper publisher, is largely correct and emphasizes the humble background of the man whom history arguably ranks as among the best of American Presidents. Certainly the trappings of wealth, family pedigree and the best of education which are traits common to leaders in other parts of the world are not prerequisites to success in America. This simple piece in a 146 year old newspaper is evidence that “the American dream” has been alive and well on this side of the Atlantic for many years.
