Description:

Civil War
n.p., ca. 1862-1864
Emancipation Proclamation Civil War & More! Incredible Illustrated Journal, Many Political Themes, The Best We Have Seen!
Diary/Journal

[CIVIL WAR.] Unknown, Manuscript Journal, 1862-1864. 98 pp., 7.625" x 9.25". Partially disbound; spine reinforced with black tape; light toning; very good.

This remarkable journal contains both humorous prose and poetry, many lavishly illustrated with more than fifty original color drawings. The author signs himself at various points "De Clintin," "Maniac Poet," "Maniac Author," "Maniac Recorder," and "Maniac Scribe."

He seems to have drawn inspiration from various newspapers, including the Springfield (MA) Republican, the Boston Pilot, Budget of Fun by Frank Leslie, the Hartford [CT] Times, and Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. His stories and poems mention contemporary celebrities, including Horace Greeley; Oliver Wendell Holmes; Anna Dickinson, whom he describes as "The Femail political Stump Orator"; astrologist and clairvoyant Madame Anna Dimond; P. T. Barnum; and many politicians and generals.

The author/artist's political views are difficult to discern, as the poem "Just So" and the drawing with the caption "He[‘]s Free Now" suggest antislavery sympathies, while other lines imply that he opposes emancipation as a war goal.

Excerpts
[Title page:]
"De Clinton Author of / Duplicate Letters to Lord Flamgay Gassgay / Scrpas, Historical &c &c &c / Entered acc to act of Old Abe / AD 1863 / Illustrated Edition
"Entered According to Act of Folly in the Southwestern District of the Court of Coney Island and Hoboken"

[Preface:]
"Proclimation, No 1.
"Whereas Be It Known to all men women and children and to every other man that as Proclimations are now a days all the rage it it will perhaps be only in conformity with the times to proclimate a preface. I therefore do proclimate to all men women and children as aforesaid. That whosoever looketh into or peruseth this volumn without the freewill and full consent of the author and owner Such Shall be considered guilty of a misdemenor. If he be one of the male persuasion if he be a men of honor he will immediately on reading this proclimation close the Book and retire Some little distance, in order that he may be removed from temptation. if Such Should not be the case however and said gent be caught in the act, he Shall be considered guilty of a misdemenor in the first degree. The penalty Shall be to read the Presidents message backwards and also to read the new york tribune at least once a week for not less than three nor more than six weeks. But if it be one of the gentle Sex, and now I am almost at a loss to know what punishmend to proscribe for them for be it known to all men the curiosity of the femenine gender Surpasseth the knolledge of men as we have been told from time immemorial (though I have never believed it) if however the Lady be caught in the act of perambulatin through this volumn without the consent of the author aforesaid She Shall (premiseing She be young and pretty) voluntarily kiss the author or in default thereof She Shall write ten lines of common Sense in this book always bearing in mind if She please, for know ye all men the Laidies do always as they please.
"April Fool De Clintin Aprl 1862"

"NURSEY RHYMES; from the HARTFORD TIMES.
"Sing a song of greenbacks,
Pocket full of trash,
Over head and ears in debt,
And out of ready cash;
Heaps o tax colectors,
As busy as a bee.
Aint we in a pretty fix,
With gold at fifty three.

"Abe in the white house.
Proclimations writing;
Mead on the rapidan
Afraid to do the fighting;
Seward in the cabinet
Surrounded by his Spies;
Halleck with the telegraph
Busy forging lies.

"Chase in the treasury
Makeing worthless notes;
Curtain at harrisburg,
Makeing shody coats;
Gilmore at charleston,
Most in a fog;
Forney under abes chair
Barking like a dog.

"Schenck down at Baltimore,
Doing dirty work;
Butler at Norfolk,
As savage as a turk;
Sprague in Rhode Island,
Eeting applesass;
Everett at Gettysburg,
Talking like an ass.

"Banks out in texes
Trying to cut a figure
Beecher in Brooklyn,
Howling for the nigger;
Lots of Abolitionists
Kicking up a yell,
In comes Parson Brownlow,
And sends them all to hell.

"Burnside at Knoxville,
In a kind of fix;
Dahlgren at Sumpter,
Pounding at the bricks;
Grant at Chattanooga,
Trying Bragg to thrash;
Is it any wonder
The Union's gone to smash.
A. KNUCK."

"Just So. By Bargate Bakeoven.
Sometime since still in abrahams reign
When blood washed our Soil,
For him that bears the brand of cain
I said I'll go to battle on the main.
Not for honors greed or gain,
But to wipe out rebellions bloody stain.
For then methought I'd fight,
For union and the right.
Months after I Sought and found
The gift of Second Sight
And lo not for union,
But for fair ethiopes sons we fight. just so."

Historical Background
The author and artist responsible for this fascinating scrapbook remains unknown, though he signs several poems and stories with various pseudonyms. Internal evidence suggests that he may have been on the staff of the USS Essex, an ironclad steamer active on the Mississippi and other western rivers. The Essex participated in the siege of Vicksburg and the capture of Port Hudson, Louisiana, in the summer of 1863 and then operated as a guardship at Memphis for the duration of the war.

He describes a train trip from Buffalo, New York, to Boston, Massachusetts, and sarcastically refers to the Buffalo Agricultural Fair of 1864. Other pieces suggest he may have been from the vicinity of Coney Island, New York.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 7.625" x 9.25"
  • Medium: Diary/Journal

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