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Letter, To: “My gentle unknown friend” From: Henry O. Nightingale, April 30, 1865.

In this letter to an unnamed friend, Henry O. Nightingale, a soldier in the Union Army, reflects on the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in April 1865.

We know not the virtues of a friend, or do not prize them as we should until that friend is gone. I agree with you entirely. I had learned to love him, for he was eminently the Soldiers friend. So just, forgiving, unsuspecting. When the sad news of his Assassination reached us, we had all retired. It seemed like an the sudden opening of a musket battery, we could not believe it. But morning came, bells sounded forth the solemn toll for his departed spirit, + sadness, grief, frenzy, seized us all. Men who had stood before the enemy, their comrads falling around them without shedding a tear wept. Great tears coursed down the cheeks of all. Then for the first time did I understand my comrads. Then I knew who were true. Then I discovered the great affection for “good Old Abe” concealed in the hearts of my fellow Soldiers.

Nightingale was actually one of the last people to see President Lincoln alive. He obtained Lincoln’s autograph on the afternoon of April 14:

I, the afternoon of the fatal day, had the pleasure of seeing the departed one, my object in going to see him was to get his Autograph in my Album. He, the President took it and wrote with his own hand several lines. I looked in admiration upon the man whose energy, had preserved us, little thinking that before morning he would be a bleeding corpse. One week ago Thursday last I looked upon all that remained of him, as he lay in State in the Capitol. I will not attempt to describe my feelings. You can imagine what they were. I felt as though my best friend had gone, and turned away to weep.

Click through to view the full letter. For easier reading, you can access a transcription of the letter under the “Docs” tab to the left of the images.

This image is an example of a crossed letter. A crossed letter is one in which the writer first writes across the page in one direction, then rotates the page (usually 90 degrees) to continue the letter. This was done to save on postage and conserve paper, both of which were relatively expensive back in the day.

We haven’t transcribed this document yet — we’ve been saving these more difficult items for later!

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Letter, To: “Mama” (Ellen Ewing Sherman) From: Ellie, March 14, 1878.

Letter, To: [Philadelphia], From: Eamon De Valera, March 9, 1920.

“May Philadelphia ever remain worthy of its title as the Cradle of Liberty and the Home of Brotherly Love.”

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. Read about our small Dickensian collection and some of the celebrations around the web at our Blue Electrode blog: Celebrating Charles Dickens.

“With joyous hearts we welcome again the bright Feast of Christmas, and as we listen to the sweet strains of the “Adeste Fidelis,” our thoughts turn to the little stable at Bethlehem, where our dear Lord became an Infant for love of us.”

Letter, To: “Dear Papa and Mama” (Ellie and A. M. Thackara) From: “Lex” (A. M. Thackara, Jr.), Christmas 1893.

Letter of introduction for Patrick Hayes, addressed to James & William Perot from Elliston & John Perot, dated November 18, 1814.

(From the Independence Seaport Museum’s Barry-Hayes Collection.)