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The Civil War Still Rages at Chapel Hill Rare Books Civil War acquisitions from Chapel Hill Rare Books By Michael Stillman This month we review our first catalogue from Chapel Hill Rare Books, of, naturally, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Chapel Hill Rare Books specializes in Americana and 19th and 20th century American and English literary first editions. However, they note that they also carry material from other fields, so there's no need to feel constrained when searching their inventory. The Carolina bookseller has been in business for close to three decades and maintains memberships in both the ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America) and ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers). We start with Chapel Hill's Catalogue 162: Civil War: Recent Acquisitions. This is an extensive catalogue of over 400 items pertaining, either in full or in part, to the Civil War or Civil War personages. These include books by and about various generals and other military leaders, but also many from the pens of privates and other enlisted men. In these latter instances, the books are often short-run privately printed titles. The lowly enlisted soldier's name may be long forgotten, and his book rare and obscure, but their portraits of war may be more realistic than those of the generals. These were the men who did not participate in the glorious strategies, or share in the adulation received by their superiors, but they certainly knew what war was all about. There is one bias in the titles, at least in terms of quantity. Located in the heart of the old Confederacy, it is not surprising Chapel Hill would have more books written by people who served the Southern cause. There are many books here that come from the Union point of view as well, but collectors of the Confederacy will be particularly amazed by the selection of titles available. And there were plenty of "unreconstructed" confederates who still celebrated their cause in writing long after the last shots were fired. Here are a few samples from the catalogue. One Union soldier by the name of Hubbard found himself in a terrible dilemma in the notorious Andersonville Confederate prison. Nicknamed "Poll Parrot" for his incessant chattering and beak-like nose, he was quite unpopular with his fellow prisoners. The fact that Confederate guards pulled him aside at various times made them leery of his intentions, so it was no great surprise that when an escape tunnel they were digging from under a tent was discovered, suspicions fell on him. When evidence pointed toward Hubbard as the snitch, a crowd surrounded "Parrot" with the intention of lynching him. Hubbard broke away, and to avoid his fellow prisoners, went to the one safe place, across the so-called dead line, where guards were ordered to shoot anyone who so passed. Hubbard was ordered to return, but fearful of what awaited him with his fellow prisoners, refused, telling the guards to shoot him. Perhaps he thought that as a cooperator, they would not. If so, he was wrong. The guards shot and killed him. The guard who fired the shot would be tried in 1873, but was acquitted. The story of this incident can be found in Over The Dead-Line, or Who Killed "Poll Parrot," by K.C. Bullard, published in 1909. Item 82. Priced at $650.
The Civil War Still Rages at Chapel Hill Rare Books Jefferson Davis' inaugural address Jefferson Davis was the only president the Confederacy ever had. While some of the leaders of that erstwhile "nation" were amazingly good at what they did, Robert E. Lee in particular coming to mind, Davis' performance was at best mixed. Nevertheless, he remained an enormously popular figure in the South throughout his life, and was more or less forgiven in the Union, though not permitted to run again for public office (that ban was removed in 1978, 89 years after he died). Here are a few works relating to Davis in the Chapel Hill catalogue. Davis' political career began when he was appointed as a senator from Mississippi. However, his first run at elective office was in 1851, when he resigned from the senate to run for governor. His opponent was the pro-Union Henry Foote. Democratic party leaders persuaded the moderate Davis, neither strongly pro-Union nor secessionist, to run instead of a strong secessionist. Davis received the nomination, but lost the election by a small margin. By 1852, Foote would move to California as rapidly growing secessionist sentiments would soon make his position untenable, though Davis would remain a moderate on the issue almost until the end. Item 53 is an 1851 pamphlet about candidate Davis, A Sketch of the Life of Jeff: Davis, the Democratic Candidate for Governor. By a Citizen of Mississippi. $3,750. Just as there was only one Confederate President, there was only one Confederate inaugural address. Item 401 is the 1861 Inaugural Address of President Davis... In it, he makes the argument that secession is not a rebellion, but simply the sovereign states exercising their right to leave a union they no longer wished to remain within. He calls for peace while warning that the Confederacy must be prepared militarily. There is much about self-determination, but the topic never even mentioned in his address is slavery. You would think it played no role in the secession. He concludes that the sacrifices to be made should not be weighed in the balance against "honor, and right, and liberty, and equality." Obviously Davis had a different concept of "equality" than those who would add the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution a few years later. $2,750. Item 372 is a more recent book (1964) which tells of the capture of Davis after the war. The Confederate President would attempt an escape, but was captured in Georgia while trying to reach Mississippi. The Capture of Jefferson Davis, by John A. Fox, tells of his capture through the personal papers of Benjamin Pritchard, the Union officer in charge of his capture. These papers remained unpublished in Pritchard's family possessions for almost a century. Many felt Davis was unfairly treated in captivity. He was released two years later. $35.
The Civil War Still Rages at Chapel Hill Rare Books none In 1881, Davis published his history, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government. In it, Davis again glosses over the issue of slavery, maintaining it was merely an "incident," not the cause of the War. He also argues that the slaves were happy being slaves, and it was the abolitionists who tempted them away from this happy state to instead attack their "benefactors." Revisionism is generally the preferred response when the reality of one's past is hard to justify. This copy is signed and inscribed by Davis to his very close friend Jacob Payne. Payne was co-executor of his estate, and Davis spent the final days of his life in Payne's New Orleans home. Item 116. $25,000. We conclude the Jefferson Davis story with its natural ending: The Obsequies of Jefferson Davis. The Only President of the Confederate States of America, in the City of New Orleans, Louisiana. On Wednesday, December 11, 1889. Davis had died five days earlier, and this item was prepared as part of the honors. It was estimated that 200,000 people viewed the funeral procession. Item 204. $385. At least Davis had the sense to know when a cause is lost. In 1910, Walter Neale addressed Virginia Confederate veterans with, not only a justification of the southern cause, but a call to take up arms again. "...take up the arms that you laid down at Appomattox, that you fight without ceasing, until southerners enjoy the rights so long denied to them. You and your children must not die as slaves." Neale neglected to add to that bit of hyperbole that he was happy to see other people and their children live and die as slaves. Item 254 is The Sovereignty of the States... $300. You may find Chapel Hill Rare Books on the web at the long, but easy to remember address, www.chapelhillrarebooks.com. Their phone number is 919-929-8351.

The Civil War Still Rages at Chapel Hill Rare Books

Civil War acquisitions from Chapel Hill Rare Books

By Michael Stillman

This month we review our first catalogue from Chapel Hill Rare Books, of, naturally, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Chapel Hill Rare Books specializes in Americana and 19th and 20th century American and English literary first editions. However, they note that they also carry material from other fields, so there's no need to feel constrained when searching their inventory. The Carolina bookseller has been in business for close to three decades and maintains memberships in both the ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America) and ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers).

We start with Chapel Hill's Catalogue 162: Civil War: Recent Acquisitions. This is an extensive catalogue of over 400 items pertaining, either in full or in part, to the Civil War or Civil War personages. These include books by and about various generals and other military leaders, but also many from the pens of privates and other enlisted men. In these latter instances, the books are often short-run privately printed titles. The lowly enlisted soldier's name may be long forgotten, and his book rare and obscure, but their portraits of war may be more realistic than those of the generals. These were the men who did not participate in the glorious strategies, or share in the adulation received by their superiors, but they certainly knew what war was all about.

There is one bias in the titles, at least in terms of quantity. Located in the heart of the old Confederacy, it is not surprising Chapel Hill would have more books written by people who served the Southern cause. There are many books here that come from the Union point of view as well, but collectors of the Confederacy will be particularly amazed by the selection of titles available. And there were plenty of "unreconstructed" confederates who still celebrated their cause in writing long after the last shots were fired. Here are a few samples from the catalogue.

One Union soldier by the name of Hubbard found himself in a terrible dilemma in the notorious Andersonville Confederate prison. Nicknamed "Poll Parrot" for his incessant chattering and beak-like nose, he was quite unpopular with his fellow prisoners. The fact that Confederate guards pulled him aside at various times made them leery of his intentions, so it was no great surprise that when an escape tunnel they were digging from under a tent was discovered, suspicions fell on him. When evidence pointed toward Hubbard as the snitch, a crowd surrounded "Parrot" with the intention of lynching him. Hubbard broke away, and to avoid his fellow prisoners, went to the one safe place, across the so-called dead line, where guards were ordered to shoot anyone who so passed. Hubbard was ordered to return, but fearful of what awaited him with his fellow prisoners, refused, telling the guards to shoot him. Perhaps he thought that as a cooperator, they would not. If so, he was wrong. The guards shot and killed him. The guard who fired the shot would be tried in 1873, but was acquitted. The story of this incident can be found in Over The Dead-Line, or Who Killed "Poll Parrot," by K.C. Bullard, published in 1909. Item 82. Priced at $650.

The Civil War Still Rages at Chapel Hill Rare Books

Jefferson Davis' inaugural address

Jefferson Davis was the only president the Confederacy ever had. While some of the leaders of that erstwhile "nation" were amazingly good at what they did, Robert E. Lee in particular coming to mind, Davis' performance was at best mixed. Nevertheless, he remained an enormously popular figure in the South throughout his life, and was more or less forgiven in the Union, though not permitted to run again for public office (that ban was removed in 1978, 89 years after he died). Here are a few works relating to Davis in the Chapel Hill catalogue.

Davis' political career began when he was appointed as a senator from Mississippi. However, his first run at elective office was in 1851, when he resigned from the senate to run for governor. His opponent was the pro-Union Henry Foote. Democratic party leaders persuaded the moderate Davis, neither strongly pro-Union nor secessionist, to run instead of a strong secessionist. Davis received the nomination, but lost the election by a small margin. By 1852, Foote would move to California as rapidly growing secessionist sentiments would soon make his position untenable, though Davis would remain a moderate on the issue almost until the end. Item 53 is an 1851 pamphlet about candidate Davis, A Sketch of the Life of Jeff: Davis, the Democratic Candidate for Governor. By a Citizen of Mississippi. $3,750.

Just as there was only one Confederate President, there was only one Confederate inaugural address. Item 401 is the 1861 Inaugural Address of President Davis... In it, he makes the argument that secession is not a rebellion, but simply the sovereign states exercising their right to leave a union they no longer wished to remain within. He calls for peace while warning that the Confederacy must be prepared militarily. There is much about self-determination, but the topic never even mentioned in his address is slavery. You would think it played no role in the secession. He concludes that the sacrifices to be made should not be weighed in the balance against "honor, and right, and liberty, and equality." Obviously Davis had a different concept of "equality" than those who would add the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution a few years later. $2,750.

Item 372 is a more recent book (1964) which tells of the capture of Davis after the war. The Confederate President would attempt an escape, but was captured in Georgia while trying to reach Mississippi. The Capture of Jefferson Davis, by John A. Fox, tells of his capture through the personal papers of Benjamin Pritchard, the Union officer in charge of his capture. These papers remained unpublished in Pritchard's family possessions for almost a century. Many felt Davis was unfairly treated in captivity. He was released two years later. $35.

The Civil War Still Rages at Chapel Hill Rare Books

none

In 1881, Davis published his history, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government. In it, Davis again glosses over the issue of slavery, maintaining it was merely an "incident," not the cause of the War. He also argues that the slaves were happy being slaves, and it was the abolitionists who tempted them away from this happy state to instead attack their "benefactors." Revisionism is generally the preferred response when the reality of one's past is hard to justify. This copy is signed and inscribed by Davis to his very close friend Jacob Payne. Payne was co-executor of his estate, and Davis spent the final days of his life in Payne's New Orleans home. Item 116. $25,000.

We conclude the Jefferson Davis story with its natural ending: The Obsequies of Jefferson Davis. The Only President of the Confederate States of America, in the City of New Orleans, Louisiana. On Wednesday, December 11, 1889. Davis had died five days earlier, and this item was prepared as part of the honors. It was estimated that 200,000 people viewed the funeral procession. Item 204. $385.

At least Davis had the sense to know when a cause is lost. In 1910, Walter Neale addressed Virginia Confederate veterans with, not only a justification of the southern cause, but a call to take up arms again. "...take up the arms that you laid down at Appomattox, that you fight without ceasing, until southerners enjoy the rights so long denied to them. You and your children must not die as slaves." Neale neglected to add to that bit of hyperbole that he was happy to see other people and their children live and die as slaves. Item 254 is The Sovereignty of the States... $300.

You may find Chapel Hill Rare Books on the web at the long, but easy to remember address, www.chapelhillrarebooks.com. Their phone number is 919-929-8351.