Remember the Civil War, the war between the states? I don't mean to suggest do you remember sitting on a hill with a picnic basket and a group of friends watching the battle of Gettysburg; rather do you remember how this war affected this country and continues to affect it, and you even today? That slaves were freed was only secondary to the fact that the Union was preserved and states' rights were put in a very secondary position in relation to the federal rights of the people.

Individual states were not allowed to make laws which were adverse to the laws of all the states, and the federal government, under men like Lincoln, made sure that no state put it's special interests above those of all the others. How times have changed!

One of the interesting things, besides the folklore of the war, and letters, was the envelopes that carried letters, messages, and notes. Many people wonder why so few letters exist, but I feel it is surprising that so many survived compared to how many were written. These were the days when universal education, just didn't exist. That is why so many documents were signed with an X. A man who couldn't write his name to enlist, couldn't write a letter home to the wife and kids. Those that wrote home were better off financially, socially, and economically. They not only wrote home but often indulged themselves with using printed envelopes with images of people that were pertinent to the times, or with scenes of what was happening. Every now and then there were those with great cartoons.
Carte de visit and photographic images are still extremely desirable but into many a photo album were placed printed images of the power players of their day. Bufford Printing of Boston, and Prang were the two most prolific producers of images of these famous people. You can also find them in advertising tradecard albums of the period.
Let us concentrate on the envelopes. "Entered according to act of Congress by Reagles & Co. 1 Chamber St. NY in 1861 in the Clerk's office of the District Court, for the Southern District of New York." This is printed on the back of an envelope which shows: "The Defenders of the Union." On it are cameos of Maj. Gen. Butler, Gen. Anderson, Maj. Gen. Egremont, Maj. Gen. Banks, Maj. Gen. Wool, Maj. Gen. McClellan, Gen. Franz Siege, Maj. Gen. Dix, Gen. Heintzelman, and Gen. McDowell all around a larger one of Scott. These envelopes gave faces to those at home who received them, of the men who were leading and holding the lives of their loved ones in their hands. These were the heroes of the day.

For the South, there would be pictures of Jefferson Davis. Southern items are so much scarcer as the humidity and insects have always been the worst enemy paper items have, and unless preserved in some place that was protected from the two, they perished. Even today, those residing in the south complain about how difficult it is to maintain paper items. It is unfortunate that insects like the taste of paper, glue, material, and paste. It almost makes one feel more charitable toward mosquitoes! Of course, the ravages of war, Sherman's march to the sea, and the burning of Atlanta, didn't help the preservation of anything.

"Contraband of War" or "Volunteer Sappers and Miners from the "F.F.V." "Massa Butler, we've just seceded from de Mean-asses Junction and we wants to 'list in the couterband rigiment. We's no great hands at fightin', but we kin run most as fast as our old massas did toder night. No, ef you wants any trenches or forti'fications made, WE'S de niggers to call upon in dat ar' line." American flag flying, Gen. Butler on his horse and black miners all printed in blues, red, and black. A handsome card and socially significant to boot. The fact that the miners were black was a jab at the Irish miners who rioted and refused to be conscripted, giving Lincoln such a bad time. Also, the use of the word Nigger, not Negro, was indicative of what white America expected from these uneducated beings. As were many of the white soldiers who were slightly better off than the blacks who were just gaining their freedom. And weren't many of these soldiers, barely able to scrape an existence from the land, let alone have time for an education. After all, abolition was about freedom, not equality. Equality meant wealth and education. The more you had of them, the more equal you were. The poorer you were, the less rights you had. Sound familiar?

"Remember Ellsworth" was one of the war cries as Ellsworth, a friend of Lincoln's, was the first union officer to die in the war. Ellsworths' image is on many items. He was the first "gentleman" to die for the Union.

Anti-southern comics are quite popular as comics usually are. "Recruits wanted for the Brave Southern Army - Good pay (in Confederate Bonds) and good quarters, (in a horn.). Of course, Johnny Reb was depicted as a monkey with a flag on his tail with a skull and crossbones on it.

Jeff Davis, never hung, but he appears often on a gibbet. One has "Let me alone" on the gallows and a whiskey barrel at his feet. "Jeff Davis taken from life" a little play on words. That one is printed in black ink but "Fate of Traitors" in red and blue with black children playing on the southern flag which is on the ground just beneath where Davis is being hung in front of the American flag and a group of union soldiers. Davis rotted in prison, the only Southerner who was not pardoned.

Women also are shown in a patriotic vain sitting, sewing, "Our hearts are with them" or "I have no one to send-I'll go myself and nurse the sick." or "If I cannot fight, I can feed those who do." The latter is particularly interesting in that many a woman lost her land and became homeless as she could not farm it herself and her husband had been conscripted into the war and couldn't farm the land or run the shop. After the Civil War, riots broke out because many a man came back to find he had lost his property while he was off fighting for his country. It was said there were regiments of one-armed, one-legged, one-eyed men living on the streets of New York, and the wealthy would toss them coins so that they could eat and have open fires to warm themselves in the winter.

So much for the care of Veterans! The ones that were celebrated in G.A.R. pictures were the wealthy, not those who lost their lifestyles and families by being in the war.

These envelopes are many and vary in price and always command more if they are postally canceled. If you are fortunate enough to find them with a letter, then you have found a little treasure. Value will vary on how intricate the art work, how many colors are used to print it, and what the subject matter is. One color means it is printed once, each successive color means one more stone laid on to print the envelope. Don't expect fabulous graphics but social commentary of the times. Printing was still in its infancy.

My favorite is a rotund southern Matron, "Didn't I tell you so? Jeff Davis?" The expression of pain and exasperation on her face are so obvious. It is always the women who suffer the most from the ravages of war; they are the one who must keep the family going, often because the husband is away at the war or worse still, because he has died there, been imprisoned, or crippled. Watching the news today, it seems like times haven't changed much.

Keep your eyes open for these Civil War envelopes as they are nice to frame and give an insight on our own Civil War, the one fought to preserve a strong central government.

About the author: If you have questions or need an appraisal, Pam can be contacted at halloweenqueen @cheshire.net or by calling 603-239-8875. She has an antique shop specializing in postcards, ephemera and holiday items, and is always interested in purchasing items for her shop on Route 10 in Winchester, N.H., or for her private collection. An author of four books, and publisher of the Trick or Treat Trader, she writes for magazines/ newspapers internationally.