Daniel Webster was the orator of his day. He served in Congress as a Representative from New Hampshire and then as a Senator from Massachusetts. This book contains the memorial speeches given in Congress by representatives and senators on the news of his death in October of 1852.
After leaving Congress, he also served as U.S. Secretary of State under presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore. He was a major contributor to the passage of the Compromise of 1850, which settled territorial issues out west, and also helped enact the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.
Daniel Webster, while the U.S. Secretary of State, arrived in Syracuse on May 26, 1851, along with President Millard Fillmore and other members of his cabinet who were traveling on the newly completed Erie Railroad as part of the upcoming 1852 presidential election campaign.
Campaign topics included the controversy brought about by several pieces of legislation passed into law, such as The Compromise of 1850 and, more importantly, The Fugitive Slave Act, which was signed into law in September of 1850.
This act expanded the ability of slave owners to recover purported runaways by allowing federal marshals to deputize civilians and enlist local law enforcement. If a runaway was captured, it would also deprive them of a trial by jury.
Webster discovered that the city was already a concentrated center for abolitionists and a center for northern resistance against the Fugitive Slave Act.
Webster gave his speech in front of a massive crowd gathered outside of Frazee Hall located on Montgomery Street across from City Hall.
In his speech, he used his legal training to convince the crowd and spoke of his own personal abhorrence for the “original, ancient, unhappy institution of slavery,” which “is forever and ever to be deplored.” Nonetheless, the 13 original states were founded on an acceptance of it. Webster stated that slavery was protected by the Constitution and every officer of the Federal or State government was bound to make sure that the proscribed parts of the Constitution were carried out and then asserted that this was “the origin of the present Fugitive Slave Law.”
Five months later, a group of Syracusans would storm the local jail to free a fugitive slave who had been arrested by means of the controversial law. The crowd broke William “Jerry” Henry out of his jail cell, only a few blocks from where Webster had given his rousing speech, in open defiance and violation of the Fugitive Slave Law. The “Jerry Rescue” became a potent symbol and rallying cry for the abolitionist movement in this region.
The Jerry Rescue
On the first of October 1851, William “Jerry” Henry, an escaped slave residing in Syracuse, was arrested for theft. Only after he had been placed in manacles was it revealed that he had been arrested by federal marshals under the Fugitive Slave Law. When Jerry was delivered to the Police Justice offices, a crowd of approximately twenty-five hundred people surrounded and ultimately stormed the facility. They successfully “rescued” Jerry and hid him in different building in the city until he could be safely transported to freedom in Kingston, Ontario. The "Jerry Rescue" was, and has been, celebrated as one of the great triumphs of the antislavery movement and became an integral part of the lore of abolitionists in the north.
Webster Speech in Syracuse - https://www.syracuse.com/living/2023/06/treason-city-daniel-websters-1851-syracuse-speech.html By - Robert Searing | Curator of history, Onondaga Historical Association
SCRC – Jerry Rescue - https://library.syracuse.edu/extsites/undergroundrr/index.php
During the American Civil War, regiments were formed within local communities. Every community had a volunteer regiment of soldiers. Each State had assigned regiments and companies of soldiers within each regiment. They were assigned regimental names: for example, the New York 67th Regiment Infantry were known as the 1st Long Island Volunteers. But some companies and regiments had nicknames or local names. This title “List of Synonyms of Organizations in the Volunteer Service of the United States during the Years 1861, ’62, ’63, ’64, ’65” published by the Government Printing Office in 1882 lists all the nicknames used by various regiments and companies. Most were named for a person or the regiment’s place of origin. Some are particularly notable and interesting, and some are rather amusing as well. Listed here are a few of the more amusing nicknames.
Pope’s Body Guard ILL 17th Regimental Infantry Co. A.
Sleeper’s Battery MASS 10th Independent Battery
Paw Paw Company MICH 70th Regimental Infantry Co. C.
Shamrock Regiment MISSOURI 30th Regimental Infantry
Guppy Guards WISC 23rd Regimental Infantry Co D.
Kickapoo Rangers WISC 12th Regimental infantry Co K.
Wolf Hunters WISC 15th Regimental Infantry Co D.
Wood Protectors WISC 14th Regimental Infantry Co A.
This is a good cross reference to nicknames and their actual State Regiment and number.
This is a volume issued by Congress containing letters of condolence and sympathy received by the US Government for the assassination of President Lincoln. We all know that this was a tragic event in US history, but it was part of a larger plot to also assassinate Vice-President Johnson and the Secretary of State, William Seward. Secretary Seward survived his attempted assassination, but in the process his son, Frederick Seward, died from the injuries he received in the attack. The attempt on the Vice-President did not take place as the assassin got cold feet and did not carry out the plan that John Wilkes Booth had set forth. All three assassinations were to take place on the same evening of April 14, 1865, as part of a conspiracy to destabilize the federal government by assassinating the President, Vice-President and the Secretary of State. This is a detailed account of the conspiracy and the details of Secretary Seward's injuries.
This volume contains 1100 letters from 43 counties that were received from political leaders, organizations, groups of individuals, and ordinary people from around the world. The letter below is from Napoleon Bonaparte's nephew.
There is a section that includes 29 letters that were received from numerous newspapers from Great Britain: pages 472-553. Some of these letters detail a recounting of events of the assassination of President Lincoln and the assault on Mr. Seward.
United States. Naval War Records Office., and United States. Office of Naval Records and Library. 1894. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Washington: U.S. G.P.O. Series 1 vol. 8 pgs. 338-359.
This series of 30 volumes makes available to scholars the reports submitted by officers of naval vessels of actions taken and results observed after every event, action or battle with the enemy as exampled below.
Sinking of the Civil War Ironside USS Monitor (1862)
There are a series of reports in this volume that detail the tragic loss of the USS Monitor that sank off the coast of North Carolina on December 30th, 1862 while being towed to port by the USS Rhode Island. The report given by the Monitor’s Commader, J.P. Bankhead, details the hour-by-hour struggle of the Monitor to stay afloat on that stormy December morning.
The USS Monitor is most notably famous for its battle with the Confederate Ironside ship the Merrimack which ended in a stalemate during the battle of Hampton Roads.
https://monitor.noaa.gov/science/uss-monitor.html
A portion of the report from the Commander of the USS Monitor on the sinking of the USS Monitor. pgs. 347-8
U.S.S. RHODE ISLAND, January 1, 1863.
SIR: I have the honor to report to you that the Monitor left Hampton Roads in tow of the U. S. S. Rhode Island on the 29th, December 1862, at 2:30 p. m., wind light at S. W., weather clear and pleasant, and every prospect of its continuation. Passed Cape Henry at 6 p.m., water smooth and everything working well.
During the night the weather continued the same until 5 a.m., when we began to experience a swell from the southward with a slight increase of the wind from the S. W., the sea breaking over the pilot house forward and striking the base of the tower [turret], but not with sufficient force to break over it. Found that the packing of oakum under and around the base of the tower bad loosened somewhat from the working of the tower as the vessel pitched and rolled. Speed at this time about 5 knots; ascertained from the engineer of the watch that the bilge pumps kept her perfectly free, occasionally sucking. Felt no apprehension at the time. The weather during the day and until 6 p. m. was variable, with occasional squalls of wind and rain, and toward evening the swell somewhat decreased, the bilge pumps being found amply sufficient to keep her clear of the water that penetrated through the sight holes of the pilot house, hawse hole, and base of tower (all of which had been well calked previous to leaving). At 7:30 the wind hauled more to the south, increasing in strength and causing the sea to rise; computed position at this time about 15 miles south of Cape Hatteras Shoals. Found the vessel towed badly, yawing very much, and with the increased motion making somewhat more water around the base of the tower. Ordered engineer to put on the Worthington pump and bilge injection and get the centrifugal pump ready and report to me immediately if he perceived any increase of the water. 8 p. m.; the sea about this time commenced to rise very rapidly, causing the vessel to plunge heavily, completely submerging the pilot house and washing over and into the turret and at times into the blower pipes. Observed that when she rose to the swell, the flat under surface of the projecting armor would come down with great force, causing a considerable shock to the vessel and turret, thereby loosening still more the packing around its base. Signalized several times to the Rhode Island to stop, in order that I might ascertain if by so doing she would ride easier or decrease the influx of water, but could perceive no difference, the vessel falling off immediately into the trough of the sea and rolling heavily. The engineer at this time reported that it would be necessary to start the centrifugal pump, as the others failed to keep the water under. Ordered him to do so immediately and report to me the effect.
Sea continued to rise, the vessel striking heavily forward. The engineer reported that the pumps were all working well, but produced no effect upon the water, which, by this time, had risen several inches above the level of the engine-room floor. About 10:30 p.m., having given the pumps a fair trial and finding the water gaining rapidly upon us, I determined to make the preconcerted signal of distress, which was immediately answered by the Rhode Island. I ranged up close to her and reported that the water was gaining rapidly upon us, and requested her commander to send boats to take off the crew. Finding that the heavy stream cable used to tow the Monitor rendered the vessel unmanageable while hanging slack to her bow, and being under the absolute necessity of working the engines to keep the pumps going, I ordered it to be cut, and ran down close under the lee of the Rhode Island, at times almost touching her. Water continued to gain upon the pumps and was now above the ash pits.
Two boats reached us from the Rhode Island, when I ordered Lieutenant Greene to put as many men into them as they would safely carry. While getting the men into the boats (a very dangerous operation caused by the heavy sea breaking entirely over the deck), the vessels touched slightly, nearly crushing the boat and endangering the Rhode Island herself, as our sharp bow and sides would undoubtedly have stove her near the water's edge had she struck upon us heavily. The Rhode Island steamed slightly ahead and the vessels separated a short distance. At 11:30, my engines working slowly, and all the pumps in full play, but water gaining rapidly, sea very heavy and breaking entirely over the vessel, rendering it extremely hazardous to leave the turret; in fact, several men were supposed to have been washed overboard at this time. While waiting for the boats to return, the engineer reported that the engines had ceased to work, and shortly after all the pumps stopped; also, the water putting out the fires and leaving no pressure of steam. A bailing party had been previously organized, not so much with any hope of diminishing the water, but more as an occupation for the men. The engine being stopped, and no longer able to keep the vessel head to sea, she having fallen off into the trough and rolling so heavily as to render it impossible for boats to approach us, I ordered the anchor to be let go and all the chain given her, in hopes that it might bring her up. Fortunately it did so, and she once more swung round head to wind. By this time, finding the vessel filling rapidly and the deck on a level with the water, I ordered all the men left on board to leave the turret and endeavor to get into the two boats which were then approaching us. I think, at that time, there were about twenty-five or thirty men on board. The boats approached very cautiously, as the sea was breaking upon our now submerged deck with great violence, washing several men overboard, one of whom was afterwards picked up by the boats. I secured the painter of one of the boats (which by the use of its oars was prevented from striking the side) and made as many get into her as she would safely hold in the heavy sea that was running. There were several men still left upon and in the turret who, either stupefied by fear or fearful of being washed overboard in the attempt to reach the boats, would not come down and are supposed to have gone down in the vessel. Feeling that I had done everything in my power to save the vessel and crew, I jumped into the already deeply laden boat and left the Monitor, whose heavy, sluggish motion gave evidence that she could float but a short time longer. Shortly after we reached the Rhode Island she disappeared. I must testify to the untiring efforts and zeal displayed by Captain Trenchard and his officers in their attempts to rescue the crew of the Monitor. It was an extremely hazardous undertaking, rendered particularly so by the heavy sea and the difficulty in approaching the Monitor. …