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Early Firefighting Efforts of Women in Brattleboro, Vermont, 1869

Lysander Howe, Caleb. Blake Block, Brattleboro, Vermont, after the Fire.1869. Albumen silver prints mounted to stereographic card, each sheet and image: 7.6 x 7.6 cm. The Smithsonian American Art Museum. https://www.si.edu/object/blakeblock-brattleboro-vermont-after-fire%3Asaam_1994.91.203

Authored by Katie Spiller

On October 31st, 1869, beginning about 2:30am, Brattleboro, Vermont suffered from a major fire destroying an entire block on Main Street (Cabot 1922). It was the first of two major fires the town experienced in the late 19th century which sparked local businessmen to envision and eventually implement improved firefighting methods (Pierce 2015). The fire began in an eating saloon in the center of the block and moved south and north quickly because four reasons hindered firefighting efforts that day (Brattleboro Historical Society 2021). One, the system for sounding the fire alarm required the nightwatchman to run to the nearest bell tower minutes away; then after more minutes, only two more bells were rung within town leaving several townspeople unalerted (Cabot 1922, 852). Two, four weeks before the fire, a record-breaking flood damaged the water wheel responsible for moving water to this part of town (Pomeroy 1894; Burnham1880). Three, the flood also washed out a bridge making accessing the fire time-consuming for one engine (Cabot 1922, 852). Lastly, the engine closest to the fire had been severely tampered with. The Vermont Record and Farmer, a local newspaper, reported that two leather plugs were inserted into the engine’s hose, paper plugged the works, and buckskin clogged the valves (Brattleboro History, n.d.). Caleb Lysander Howe, the local photographer, captured the remnants of the Brattleboro House after the fire ceased (Brattleboro Historical Society 2020). The town healed from this disaster a few years later with the construction of the commercial Crosby Block and the Brooks House hotel (Brattleboro Historical Society, n.d.).

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Freedmen’s Bureau: Letter Received by Texas Assistant Commissioner

[image continued] “…doing anything for them although they had called on him three times.” A letter written by a member of the Freedmen’s Bureau. It was originally a part of the Records the Assistant Commissioner for Texas, Series 4: Letters Received and was transcribed by Digital Volunteers for the Smithsonian Institution Transcription Center.

Authored by Cassidy Simpson

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was established on March 3, 1865 and is typically referred to simply as the Freedmen’s Bureau. The purpose of this Bureau was to oversee what was happening regarding freedmen and refugees in the southern states. The Bureau was also in charge of abandoned and confiscated lands in these states, the District of Columbia, and Indian Territory (The Freedmen’s Bureau Online n.d.). While the Bureau was successful during its lifetime, it only existed for seven years and was disbanded in 1872. The Commissioner was Major General Oliver Otis Howard the whole time and much of the staff was military personnel (Fleischman, Tyson, & Oldroyd 2014, 5). Some of their jobs included ensuring justice, supervising labor contracts, protecting Black people and their property, and supporting them in creating schools. Many white Texans did not support the efforts of the Bureau, so they were working with limited resources (Harper 2020). Even so, they were able to open 66 schools in Texas and many African Americans were educated because of it (ARIS Staff 2022).

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Alabama Assistant Commissioner: A Freed man’s Dilemma

Authored by Lanisha LeBlanc

Written report of the assistant commissioner of Alabama written in October of 1866.

In the Year 1865, the amorphousness of America following the emancipation of enslaved people left those in power to determine what to do with the individuals whom it was no longer legal to exploit for free labor. Within this decision, the freedmen’s bureau was formed, which entailed providing necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing, for the Southerns displaced ensuing the new law of prohibiting the ownership of African people (United States Senate, n.d.).

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“The Girl I Left Behind Me” and The Wait for Loved Ones to Return Home from War

Authored By Leah Phelan

Eastman Johnson, created in 1872, describes this oil on canvas by analyzing an Irish ballad popular with the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. The photograph depicts Civil War art and the impact of the war on America. The Smithsonian American Art Museum purchase was made in part by Mrs. Alexander Hamilton Rice in memory of her husband and Ralph Cross Johnson. The object number is 1986.79.

The oil canvas painting “The Girl I Left Behind Me” was painted by Eastman Johnson. The picture’s title was known to be an Irish ballad title in was made notable during the Civil War (Smithsonian American Art Museum: Commemorative Guide 2015, par. 2). The woman is surrounded by darkness as the wind blows, unsure of what will come next. Through the lyrics, a connection of unity as this woman in the painting is not the only woman to have to say goodbye to their loved one; “until I see my love again for whom my heart is breaking” (The Girl I Left Behind 2021, under “Brighton Camp”). Although other paintings were prevalent, this was the first time an artist depicted the impacts of war in American art, allowing artists to voice concerns for the nation (Smithsonian American Art Museum: Commemorative Guide 2015, par. 2).

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Finding Freedom during the Reconstruction Era

Authored by Sarah Sporko

Ch. Rausenberg to Brvt. Capt. M. Frank Gallagher, September 30, 1868. Freedmen’s Bureau: Georgia Assistant Commissioner, Letters Received, Entered in Register 6, 2-672, Sept. 1868=Apr.1869, Part 1. Smithsonian Institution Transcription Center, Freedmen’s Bureau: Washington D.C. https://transcription.si.edu/project/47544.

In 1868, Ch. Raushenberg, an agent of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedman, and Abandoned Lands, also known as Freedmen’s Bureau, wrote a letter to the bureau reporting that two men, Lucius Lamar and Albert Jones, were questioned about a death of another man named Walker in Georgia. Both Lamar and Jones stated that Walker died from gunshot wounds in his chest after being harassed and threatened by a group of white men. Ch. Raushenberg forwarded this information to the Freedmen’s Bureau so the matter can be fully investigated and justice for Walker can be served. Letters such as the one written from Ch. Raushenberg, show how integral the Freedmen’s Bureau was during the transition from slavery to freedom during the Reconstruction Era of the United States (Mildred 1915, 67).

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First Lieutenant and General Superintendent F. R. Chase’s Letter to Captain William H. Sterling: An Insight into the Operations of the Freedmen’s Bureau’s Educational Department

Authored by Victoria Santamorena

1st Lieutenant & General Superintendent F. R. Chase to Captain William H. Sterling, 22 February 1867. Freedmen’s Bureau: Registers and Letters Received by the Commissioner, Letters Received, Entered in Register 9, W, Jan.- May 1867, Part 1. Smithsonian Institution Transcription Center, Freedmen’s Bureau, Washington, D.C. https://transcription.si.edu/transcribe/44494/NMAAHC-007675321_00444

On February 22, 1867, First Lieutenant and General Superintendent of Education in New Orleans, F. R. Chase, wrote to Captain William H. Sterling, the acting Adjunct General, reporting on difficulties in the Educational Department, which was overseen by the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau). Chase’s letter complains of one of the department’s agents, A. D. McCoy, who had a tendency to overstep the bounds of his position. McCoy claimed authority over the district’s schools and the teachers appointed to them. However, the Superintendent or the Assistant Commissioner were responsible for these duties (Trudeau 1978, 2-3). Complicating matters, McCoy was a former Confederate and seemed to value religious preaching above his obligations as an educator.

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