Letter written by Union soldier John Stagenwalt recounting New Orleans Massacre
date: label: Date
content: August 21, 1866
name: label: Written by
content: John Stagenwalt, American, 1843 - 1885
label: Received by
content: John Sheaffer, American, born 1802
label: Subject of
content: United States Army, American, founded 1775
notes: label: Description
content: A letterwritten by John Stagenwalt, a 1st U.S. Infantry soldier stationed at New Orleans during its occupation by the Union Army. Written in brown ink on both sides of a single sheet of wove paper with a torn edge, the letter is addressed to John Sheaffer, of Bareville, Leacock Township, Pennsylvania, with the salutation [Dear Father]. At top left is [Jackson Barracks, La] and at top right is [August 21st 1866]. In the letter, Stagenwalt recounts the New Orleans Massacre writing "I have just returned to Jackson Barricks from the city of New Orleans. . . . Our regiment was there 2 weeks on the account of the late riot which took place in that city. . . . The Negros wanted to vote and the white citizens of that place would not let them, and thus commenced the riot. They fought very hard. Our regiment was ordered to disperse the rioters, of which we done at the point of the bayonet. There was 100 Negroes killed, 150 taken into custody, 90 white citizens killed, almost the same number wounded."
label: Transcription Center Status
content: Transcribed by digital volunteers
place: label: Place depicted
content: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
label: Place made
content: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
label: Place used
content: Bareville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Civil Rights
label: Topic
content: Correspondence
label: Topic
content: Families
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: Race relations
label: Topic
content: Race riots
label: Topic
content: Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
label: Topic
content: Slavery
label: Topic
content: Suffrage
label: Topic
content: Violence
label: Topic
content: White supremacy movements
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Slavery and Freedom Objects
label: Classification
content: Documents and Manuscripts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2021.16.22.5
objectType: label: Type
content: letters (correspondence)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Public domain
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on wove paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 10 9/16 × 8 7/16 in. (26.9 × 21.4 cm)