Uncovering Enslavement on the Main Emory Campus: Two Receipts from the Civil War Era

Mark Auslander is a historical anthropologist and former faculty member at Emory College and Oxford College. Let us consider two receipts issued during the Civil War in the town of Decatur, Georgia. Both cast light on the structures and experiences of enslavement on the lands that would become, many decades later, parts of the main Read More …

The Extraordinary World of MARBL: Civil War Cannonballs

The Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library is a place of discovery. All are welcome to visit and explore our unique holdings, whether as a researcher or an observer. The breadth and depth of our collections are vast, and it is nearly impossible to investigate every nook and cranny. We invite you this year, through our blog, to Read More …

Discovering Atlanta: Confederate Currency

$5 Bill from the Confederate States of America,Confederate Miscellany Collection   Share Many aspects of the Civil War which didn't necessarily occur directly in Atlanta or even in Georgia, had a direct impact on Atlanta's citizens. When the South seceded from the Union, it almost immediately fell into a financial crisis. Problems of inflation plagued Read More …

Discovering Atlanta: The Southern Confederacy

The Southern Confederacy was a newspaper published in Atlanta during the Civil War from 1861-1865. It was strongly Southern Democrat and functioned during the War as one of the main newspaper outlets in Atlanta, with the other being theDaily Intelligencer. The original version of the Southern Confederacy was first published in 1859 by James P. Hambleton. Franklin Garrett mentions Read More …

Discovering Atlanta: Slavery and Abolitionism, as Viewed by a Georgia Slave

by Sara Logue, Research and Public Services Archivist, MARBL For those of us who have not studied the Civil War in great detail, it may be surprising to learn that not all slaves were in favor of abolishing slavery. A deeper understanding of the ways of life in the mid-nineteenth century, and what freedom would Read More …