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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC04570 |
| From Archive Folder | Unassociated Civil War Documents 1863 |
| Title | Pierre Soulé to Edwin DeLeon, relating news of the battle fought at Gettysburg |
| Date | 12 August 1863 |
| Author | Soulé, Pierre (1801-1870) |
| Recipient | DeLeon, Edwin |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Marked confidential at the top. Soule writes to DeLeon, Confederate Envoy to France 1862-1864. Relates, "I came to the confederacy by the way of Nassau & Charleston. Before leaving Nassau, we had the news of a great battle fought at Gettysburg, of a glorious victory won, and of fourty thousand prisoners taken from the enemy. Upon our landing at Charleston, we learned that the affair at Gettysburg had been a last reserve to our arms, and that Vicksburg & Port-hudson had fallen. The effect which these disasters had produced upon the country were visible in the dejected countenances and gloomy looks of the people." Heavily criticizes the Confederate cabinet. Remarks, "with the exception of the President, I found them all plunged in the most deplorable supineness and indifference" (referring to President Jefferson Davis). Comments on the low value of Confederate currency. Denounces the Confederate Secretary of the Treasury (Christopher Memminger), Secretary of the Navy (Stephen Mallory), Secretary of State (Judah P. Benjamin), and Secretary of War (James Seddon). Highly praises the army. Accompanied by a printed biographical sketch of Soule, apparently removed from a larger volume. |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Confederate States of America Confederate General or Leader Battle Battle of Gettysburg Battle of Vicksburg Battle of Port Hudson Caribbean Government and Civics Economics Finance Coins and Currency |
| People | Soulé, Pierre (1801-1870) DeLeon, Edwin (1828-1891) Davis, Jefferson (1808-1889) Memminger, Christopher Gustavus (1803-1888) Mallory, Stephen Russell (1813-1873) Benjamin, Judah Philip (1811-1884) Seddon, James Alexander (1815-1880) |
| Place written | Richmond, Virginia |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Banking & Economics; Government & Politics |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Soule was a United States Senator from Louisiana 1847 and 1849-53, United States Minister to Spain 1853-1855, and author of the Ostend Manifesto in 1854. Soule was against secession, but supported his state during the Civil War. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |
| Civil War: Recipient Relationship | Friend |
| Civil War: Theater of War | Main Western Theater Main Eastern Theater |