campaign mission

“the most important event in American History”

Two newspapers are definitely represented in the big notebook of Civil War clippings at the Seneca Falls, New York public library: the Seneca Falls Reveille, still published with a different name today, and the Seneca County Courier, which was published until 1902. I think both papers were pro-Democratic party, but apparently the Courier did publish an 1864 letter from a Republican cavalryman.

One of the reasons I did not post the following letter back in the summer was because of a confusion over dates. I think the clipping from 150 years ago had a typo within the date of the letter. I noticed that the correspondent’s last section kind of broke into the details of cavalry raids like a modern political commercial.

From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in 1864:

Correspondence of the Courier.

FROM THE 8th N.Y. CAVALRY.

CAMP 8th N.Y. CAVALRY, NEAR
PRINCE GEORGE COURT HOUSE, Va.,
June 2[?], 1864.

Editor Courier: – Thinking that perhaps those having friends in the 8th N.Y. Cavalry would be pleased to hear from them, I will improve the few moments left me before we leave Camp. I will be brief, – going back as far as the 30th of May, (the time I joined the Regiment,) when our Division was ordered to pass around the right of the Army and destroy the railroad and bridge crossing the South Anna. … [the raid is described] The object being attained, we fell back and joined the Army, and crossed the James River on the 17th. We are encamped near Petersburg, but expect to leave in one hour. Where we can go can only be surmised. One thing is certain, an order has been issued to the officers to prepare for a ten day’s raid.

Abraham’s flag, the old flag

A word to our friends at home: – The coming Presidential campaign will be the most important event in American History. In the contest of 1860, the friends of Slavery, under the banner of J.C. Breckenridge [sic] acted avowedly and solely to consummate the division and destruction of the Republic. In the contest of 1864, it is the co-relative duty of the friends of Freedom, under the flag of Abraham Lincoln, to rebuild and restore the Union. Upon their harmonious and vigorous action, the great work of achieving a permanent peace and honorable reconstruction, chiefly depends. Should faction, or ambition, distract or divide them, an enemy of the war for the preservation of our free iustitutions [sic], will succeed to the Presidential Chair, and in that event the catastrophe of separation will be inevitable. Keenly alive to this fact, the armed adversaries of the Union, and those who sympathize with them, will make herculean efforts to sow dissension among the true friends of the Government. Let every true lover of his country put forth every effort in his power to defeat these combinations in the coming election. We look to the men of Seneca to do their whole duty. We will take care of the enemy in the field. Will you defeat them at home? A MEMBER OF Co. D.

P.S. We receive your valuable paper weekly, and can say that we derive great pleasure in perusing its contents.