Vast
amounts of ink, paper, and talent were devoted to the coverage of
the American Civil War. Column after column and page after page the
bloody toll of the war was recited. Headlines trumpeted “signal
victory” or passed judgment, sometimes both. Maps of the far off
theaters of battle lay within the folds of the newspapers, and
portraits of generals graced the front page or covers
of journals.
Hidden amongst the riot of war news, one could find the items of less
import, yet of no less interest. Some were humorous, some tragic, but
all made up life in the years 1861-1865. None had a profound impact
on the war, but assuredly all were impacted to some degree by it.
What follows are examples of Other News for December 1862. All of the
items are given in their entirety, illustrating how little space
things of this nature occupied in print.
The
New York Daily Tribune reports
the following short items on December 2:
A New Journal in South Carolina-
The Rev. Mansfield French, who returned to this city a few weeks ago, from Port Royal, has, since his arrival, purchased a printing press, type, and a large stock of paper, for the furnishing of the printing office of The Southern Cross, a newspaper about to be published in South Carolina. It is expected that The Southern Cross will be raised in Charleston early in January.
It
also reported :
Attempt
to set Fire to the Jersey City Prison
On
Saturday forenoon, a soldier named Wm. Griffith, committed to the
city prison, and held as a deserter, attempted to burn the building
by setting fire to the straw mattress in his cell. The cell being
fireproof the attempt of course failed, but Griffith was considerably
burned about the hands and face, which caused him to call out for
help. It was supposed he was laboring under an attack of delirium
tremors. [1]
The
Memphis Daily Appeal reports on December 13:
Great
Breadth of Land Sown in Wheat
The
Macon Journal and Messenger learns that an unusual breadth of
land has been sown in wheat in Georgia, and the present prospect is
encouraging for a large crop next year.
It
was not uncommon for newspapers to trade stories, and it did not
matter if it was a Northern or Southern paper. The
Daily Appeal also reports of
their move from Grenada, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi in the two
weeks prior to this issue. They report that they feel as if “among
friends and brothers.”[2]
Minnesotans are duly proud of the health of the people of the state. On December 18, the Saint Cloud Democrat reports the following:
Healthfulness
of Minnesota
The
census shows the following number of deaths in Minnesota for the year
ending June 1, 1860:
Males;
584, Females; 515; Total, 1100 or 1 to every 157 of the population.
The
following is the mortality and health of each section:
States:
Population Deaths Proportion
New
England: 3,132,283 45,859 1 to every 68
Middle
States: 7,458,885 84,620 1 to every 88
Western
States: 8,563,377 89,602 1 to every 95
Southern
States: 12,315,374 174,095 1 to every 71
The
proportion of deaths in Minnesota was thus about half the average of
the United States in general. In other words, it is twice as healthy
as the rest of the country. It will be seen by the above table that
the Western States are much healthier than any other potion of the
Union, while Minnesota is a great deal healthier than other Western
States. (from the St. Paul Press) [3]
In
the national newspapers and magazines, other things made news.
From Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper of December 27 we find the following noteworthy nuggets listed under the heading Epitome of the week:
The
snow in Washington county N.Y. Was 18 inches deep a few days ago.
Many of the farmers had not dug their potatoes or gathered their
corn.
The
shock of an earthquake was felt on the 7th of December at
Evansville, Ind.; it rang all the doorbells and shook the houses.
And it seems gentlemen were still looking for wives as the following indicates:
An
advertisement in a Western paper thus reads: The advertiser, being a
widower, is open to proposals from ladies, either widows or maids, of
more than average respectability, tolerably sane in disposition and
with hair of any color except red. [4]
Harper’s Weekly of December 6 reports the forthcoming marriage of the Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
The
Prince of Wales and His Intended Bride
We
publish on page 781 portraits of the Price of Wales and the Lady whom
he is to marry, the Princess Alexandra of Denmark. The Prince is just
twenty-one years of age. It will be seen by our portrait that he
looks rather older than when he danced here at the famous Prince's
ball. He wears incipient whiskers; and the crafty engraver has
contrived a shade over the upper lip which may perhaps pass as a
mustache. He is understood to have been kept busy since he left here,
in study and travel, and has no doubt a well stored mind.
The
following account of Princess Alexandra, the future Queen of England,
will doubtless be read with interest:
“Princess
Alexandra, born December 1, 1844, is the second child and eldest
daughter of Prince Christian of Schleswig- Holstein, heir expectant
to the Danish throne, and of Princess Louisa of Hesse-Cassel. She is
gifted, as will be seen in our portrait, with no inconsiderable share
of beauty, and is described as being very accomplished, having
received in her family, which is generally esteemed as a model of all
domestic virtues, the most careful and complete education. Princess
Alexandra is a Sous Lieutenant in the Danish Army. Many
journals in France and Belgium, upon commenting on the account given
of the Royal family of Denmark, stated that the Almanache de Gotha
had committed an amusing mistake in describing Princess Alexandra
as a Sous-Lieutenant in the Danish Army. It appears, however,
that there was no mistake at all in the matter; for, however
extraordinary it may appear to us, the illustrious intended bride of
the Prince of Wales does actually hold the commission described in
the Danish Army.” [5]
The
Prince of Wales at the time was Albert Edward, son of Queen Victoria
and husband Prince Albert. He became King of England in 1901 and
known as King Edward VII. It seems Americans have always been
enamored with the British Royal Family.
The
Scientific American reports of
an interesting discovery abroad:
An Ancient Oven Containing Loaves
A
correspondent of the London Atheneaum, writing from Naples,
states that a bakers oven was
lately
discovered in Pompeii. He was present when the iron door of the oven
was removed, and he says: “We were rewarded with the site of an
entire batch of loaves which were deposited seventeen hundred and
eighty three years ago! They are eighty-two in number, and are, as
far as regards form, size, and and every characteristic except weight
and color, precisely as they came from the bakers hand. They are
circular, about 9 inches in diameter, rather flat and indented
(evidently with the elbow) in the center; but they are slightly
raised at the sides, and divided by deep lines, radiating from the
center into fragments. They are of a deep brown color and hard, but
exceedingly light.”
This
of course is in reference to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and
sudden destruction of the city of Pompeii in 79 AD.
They also offer a drawing of the following timely devise with attendant explanation of its workings. Patent for this was procured through The Scientific American Patent Agency, October 28, 1862 by Lewis Bunn.[6]
It
amounted to nothing more than an icebox. Ice was placed in the box
above the decedents head, which cooled the box and its contents. The
bucket at left caught the water from the melting ice. The box was
said to be airtight as possible, and the door on the right end could
be opened to allow for viewing. It had a gasket made of either felt
or India rubber and a strap was connected to it which passed over the
chin of the dearly departed which helped keep the door closed.
And
of course there was always:
News
From The War.
This
was the focal point of the Harper's Weekly centerpiece on June 14,
1862, although it is fitting for the entire war. As for December, the
Battle of Fredericksburg was fought, and the true picture of it was
beginning to become clearer as late December papers were going to
press. The Battles of Stones River and Chickasaw Bayou occurred to
late for them to be reported by any save the largest daily newspapers
and then only sketchily at best.
It
is good to remember other things were happening between 1861 and 1865.
The
Picket
Sources
1-
New York Daily Tribune, December 2, 1862 page 3 from Library
of Congress, Chronicling America collection,
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030213/1862-12-02/ed-1/seq-1/%3Bwords%3D
2-
Memphis Daily Appeal, December 13, 1862, pp. 1 and 2 from
Library of Congress, Chronicling America collection,
3-Saint
Cloud Democrat- December 18, 1862, page 1, from Library of
Congress, Chronicling America collection,
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016836/1862-12-18/
4-Frank
Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, December 27, 1862, page 215 from
Internet Archives at
http://archive.org/stream/franklesliesilluv1516lesl#page/214/mode/2up
5-
Harper's Weekly, December 6, 1862, pages 779 and 781. from
Internet Archives at
http://archive.org/stream/harpersweeklyv6bonn#page/778/mode/2up
and http://archive.org/stream/harpersweeklyv6bonn#page/780/mode/2up
6-
The Scientific American, Volume VII, Number 23, December 6,
1862, pages 360 and 362. from Internet Archives at
http://archive.org/stream/scientific-american-1862-12-06/scientific-american-v07-n23-1862-12-06#page/n0/mode/2up
News
From The War, Harper’s
Weekly, June 14, 1862, drawn
by Winslow Homer. From Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs
online catalog, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/99614177/
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