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Writing the Injured Body

Writing the Injured Body

by | May 12, 2020 | Books, Featured, Fellowships, Graphics

Guest post by Jean Franzino, Clements Library 2019 Norton Strange Townshend Fellow * * * In 1904, New Jersey Civil War veteran George R. Shebbeard published his life narrative, a 32-page booklet of the sort sold by disabled veterans for their economic support. The...
In Celebration of Bad Poetry Day

In Celebration of Bad Poetry Day

by | Aug 18, 2018 | Books, Holidays, Manuscripts

No commemoration of Bad Poetry Day would be complete without a nod to the (in)famous poet (and native Michigander) Julia A. Moore.  The Clements Library is the proud owner of several editions of her collected poems. Born in Plainfield, Michigan, in 1847, Julia Moore...
From the Stacks: Battle Estrays

From the Stacks: Battle Estrays

by | Feb 2, 2018 | Books, Featured

Soldiers’ wartime letters and diaries sometimes contain references to items picked up on the battlefield or seized from enemy property. For example, the Henry Clinton Papers at the Clements Library contain letters and other materials captured or intercepted from...

The Robins of Spring

by | Mar 2, 2017 | Books, Graphics, Manuscripts

In early 1862, George Driver was serving on board the Highlander as a supply officer and doing his part for the Union cause, making his father enormously proud. The George Driver Family Papers include Stephen Driver’s letter to his son dated March 2nd, which...

Civil War Snowball Fights

by | Dec 23, 2016 | Books, Manuscripts

A snowball fight from A Book of Winter Sports: An Attempt to Catch the Spirit of the Keen Joys of the Winter Season (New York, 1912).The arrival of the winter solstice often coincides with the first significant snowfall of the season. As adults we mostly view...