Accessible Archives

Reviewing my email I came some interesting material that I had overlooked from
Sgt. Algernon Ward. He's found a resource, 'Accessible Archives' , for primary source documents from 18th and 19th century periodicals. Sample:

June 25, 1864
THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

For the Christian Recorder.

FLORIDA CORRESPONDENCE.

Head Quarters 3rd U.S.C.T.
Jacksonville, Florida,
May 29th, 1864.

MR. EDITOR: - I, now, this beautiful Sunday afternoon, sit myself down, according to promise, to write a few lines to you, hoping they may find you and all your friends enjoying good health.

I will commence my correspondence with you by giving you my Florida Expeditions. Our regiment left Hilton Head on the 6th of February, for Jacksonville, Fla., and we arrived there on the 8th. Just as soon as we landed we were ordered to camp. Here we remained until the 8th of February, when we received orders, in the night, to surprise the rebel camp, called "Camp Finagan," about ten miles from Jacksonville. We got to the rebel camp about 1 o'clock at night, but were too late to do any good; but we had the pleasure of liberating some of our flesh and blood. There were about two hundred slaves at that place that had the pleasure of saying: "We are free from the chains and fetters of slavery." On the morning of the 9th we were ordered to fall in and march to the next station, called by the natives of the State, "Ten Mile Station." There our mounted infantry had a little skirmish with Gen. Finagan's men, and we captured four pieces of artillery from the rebels; and our regiment, of Col. Halley's brigade, was ordered to stay till the gallant 8th regiment came up to us....

Corp. Leon Brooks, 6thusct and 1st Rhode Island Regiment

Philadelphia History Program

Event: Presenter: JULIE WINCH, Lecture and

Booksigning: THE LIFE OF JAMES FORTEN

Julie Winch is professor of history at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, but hardly a stronger to Philadelphia. She has published three books on the history of Philadelphia’s African American community including: Philadelphia’s Black Elite: Activism, Accommodation, and the Struggle for Autonomy 1787-1848, The Elite of Our People, and A Gentleman of Color: The life of James Forten. James Forten was a free man in Revolutionary Era Philadelphia. He earned great wealth as a sailmaker and philanthropist and worked closely with Absolom Jones and Rev. Richard Allen in the anti-slavery movement. Winch notes that when James Forten died in 1842, five thousand mourners, black and white, turned out to honor a man who had earned the respect of society across the racial divide. This is the first serious biography of Forten, who stands beside Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the pantheon of African Americans who fundamentally shaped American history.

Date: March 26, 2008

Time: 5:00 – 6:30PM

Admission: $7.00

Disribution:circulated by Joe Becton, 3rd Regt USCT/1st Rhode Island Regt.

CAMP WILLIAM PENN REGIMENTAL ROSTERS

News release shared by Joe Becton:

Nearly Eleven Thousand Names Listed

La Mott, PA - September 1, 2007 - Phase One of a project to list in a searchable database the names and regimental information of the nearly eleven thousand black soldiers and the white officers who trained them has been completed. These men were the members of the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) who were trained at Camp William Penn located just outside Of Philadelphia during the years 1863-1865.

The men are listed in alphabetical order by rank according to the regiment to which they were assigned. The list also indicates those that were killed in action (KIA) or who were wounded or who died from illness. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that such a list has been available to the general public in this form and on the Internet. The list and the history of each regiment is available on our supported Web site www.historic-lamott-pa.com in the section, "Who They Were and What They Did."

Phase Two of the project will combine all of the names in a compiled searchable database in alpha order.

The completion of Phase One was made possible in part by a generous DCED grant sponsored by Pennsylvania State Senator LeAnna M. Washington. The following Westbrook-RockHill Foundation staff workers contributed to the project: Ruth N. Fulton, Rachel Fernbaugh, Judith Girton, Shawna Lacomis and Marlena Masitto. Programming for the project was performed by The Canton Group, LLC who also hosts the site.

The non-commercial site does not contain "pop-ups" and in addition to the list it contains a virtual compendium of information about Cheltenham Township, PA, and La Mott which was the site of Camp William Penn. The Web site also contains information about persons and historic events which have been associated with the area.