American Civil War, Union Mail Wagon
by Science Source
Title
American Civil War, Union Mail Wagon
Artist
Science Source
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Entitled "Second Corps mail wagon, Brandy Station, Virginia. Mail was a treasured link between Civil War camps and battlefields and back home. Recognizing its importance to morale, the armies assigned personnel to collect, distribute, and deliver soldiers' mail; wagons and tents served as traveling Post Offices. The Confederacy established its own Post Office Department in February 1861, two months before the start of the war. Soldiers were allowed to mail letters without stamps beginning in July 1861 by writing "Soldier's Letter" on the envelope; postage was collected from the recipient. The United States banned the exchange of mail between citizens of the North and South in August 1861, although smugglers often carried mail illegally across the lines. Prisoner-of-war mail was exchanged between North and South at designated points under a flag-of-truce. Citizens could also send letters via the flag-of-truce system, although like prisoners' mail, their letters were read by censors and rejected if the contents were objectionable. No photographer credited, 1864.
Uploaded
December 12th, 2017
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for American Civil War, Union Mail Wagon. Click here to post the first comment.