MS079
CIVIL WAR NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES

This Collection consists of four pages from three famous 19th century newspapers and magazines--Harper's Weekly: A Journal of Civilization, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and The Illustrated London News. The reports covered in these pages recount various events that occurred in North Carolina during the Civil War. The first account is of the revel steamer "Nashville" running the blockade at Beaufort, NC; the surrender of Fort Macon; the capture of Fort Fisher and an account of Wilmington and the Cape Fear River during the bombardment of Fort Fisher. All of the articles are illustrated.

Harper's Weekly: A Journal of Civilization provided a vital illustrated history of America from 1857 to 1916. Founded January 3, 1857 by Fletcher Harper, the magazine was noted for its combination of pictures, essays, politics and fiction. By 1862 Harper's Weekly was a strong supporter of Abraham Lincoln. Its combination of news and editorial features on the war with pictures made a popular and valuable pictorial history of the war. The magazine sent artists to the front in the early days of the war to record events as they occurred. It also enlisted Union officers to aid their reporters in presenting full accounts of military operations.

Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper was launched on December 15, 1855 by Frank Leslie. Leslie was the alias of Henry Carter, an English wood engraver. Leslie came to America in 1849 and began his publishing empire. The hallmark of Leslie's newspapers were the large, striking pictures of recent events. Leslie's was strongly opposed to abolitionism at the beginning of the war, but by 1861 was pro Union. It was in direct competition with Harper's Weekly for reporting war news.

The Illustrated London News was founded as a weekly picture and news magazine in 1842 London by Herbert Ingram. Ingram's magazine was the model for Harper's Weekly and Leslie's.

The Collection was donated to the William Madison Randall Library by Mr. James Fugate of Jacksonville, NC and The Friends of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Inc.

This Collection has been designated Accession Number 79 of the Manuscripts Collection, Special Collections Department, William Madison Randall Library, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403-3297.

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Processed by Lana Donaldson Taylor
Special Collections Librarian
Manuscripts Collection
William Madison Randall Library
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington 1989

COPYRIGHT:  Retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.