A Guide to the R. H. Porter Civil War Collection, 1860-1975 (bulk 1860-1866)

Biographical Note

R. H. Porter, former president of the Steck Company, Austin, Texas and Texas Confederate history enthusiast, gathered a collection of approximately one thousand Texas Confederate and Civil War items.

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Scope and Content Note

The R. H. Porter Civil War Collection consists of ephemera, photographs (mostly reproductions), manuscripts, government documents, rare books (originals and photocopies), and pamphlets. While books formed the largest portion of the collection, the collection also includes ephemera, photographs (mostly reproductions), manuscripts, government documents, photocopies of rare books, and pamphlets.

The collection provides information about the Civil War, mostly from a Texas Confederate perspective, but also includes information about the Confederate government, the government of the State of Texas, and a small amount of information about Union troops and activities. The collection is divided into five series: Robert E. Lee,Jefferson Davis, Confederate States of America (CSA), State of Texas andGeneral.

The Robert E. Lee series contains four items, one of which is a signed letter by Lee to James A. Seddon, Secretary of War for the CSA. There is also a Confederate States of America army circular, 1863 (dictated by Lee, but not signed by him), a photographic duplication of the "Lees of Virginia", 1861-1865, and a 1902 letter sent by George Washington Custis Lee (Lee's son) to Ashton L. Carr which includes Robert E. Lee's signature and a small photograph of him.

The Jefferson Davisseries contains eight items and includes correspondence, cancelled bank checks (1871-1874), an address written to celebrate the 99th anniversary of Davis' birth (1907), and a booklet titled The Religious Life of Jefferson Davis by W. L. Fleming (1910). Three of the letters are written to Reverend J.W. Jones (1976, 1881, 1885), one to Colonel E. Polk Johnson (1887), and one is written in his wife's hand but signed by him (1881).

The Confederate States of Americaseries includes Confederate government documents, broadsides, periodicals, photographs, muster rolls, rosters, and ephemera. All materials were created by the Confederate government or support the message of the Confederacy in some manner. The government documents include army orders, messages of the president, and correspondence. Several items provide biographies of soldiers and officers, and tell of their service to the Confederacy. Of note in this series are two Confederate States Almanacs for 1864 (different editions) and a list of federal prisoners held at Camp Croce (1863). Ephemera in this series include sheet music, a playing card with the Confederate Flag and insignia design, and receipts.

The State of Texasseries includes materials that were created by the Texas government or are about incidents that took place in Texas during the Civil War. Of note in this series are two copies of "A Declaration of the Causes which Impel the State of Texas to Secede from the Federal Union" (1861), Governor Sam Houston's Message on the South Carolina Resolutions (1860), a copy of the Constitution of the State of Texas as Amended in 1861, a Camp Ford diary as kept by a Union prisoner (1892-1894) and a list of 69 Germans who organized a company to participate in the Civil War. Also included are documents created by different departments of the State of Texas. Army prisons and prison camps in Texas are the topic of several items, as are battles that took place in the state. There are also several photographic reproductions in this series, creative works, and information about soldiers and officers in Texas.

The General series contains materials generally related to the Civil War and materials that were included with the collection but are not obviously of or about the Civil War or the Confederacy. Items include articles, periodicals, correspondence, religious pamphlets, and price guides for Confederate currency.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please use the Collections Request Form.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

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Separated Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], R. H. Porter Civil War Collection, MS 130, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

This collection was purchased by the University of Texas at San Antonio Library in 1975.

Processing Information

Processed by Traci JoLeigh Drummond, Archivist, June 2005.

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Note to Researchers

There is some correspondence with particular items scattered throughout the collection from Lee Lawrence, a fellow Civil War and Texas history enthusiast and collector. It seems that the two men would share information about Confederate Texana resources and locating relevant materials.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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