Notes & Queries

Notes & Queries EDITED BY BOYD B. STUTLER 517 Main Street Charleston, West Virginia an open forum for readers of Civil War History for questions on phases of the Great Conflict, and for illuminating notes on newly discovered or unrecorded sidelights of the war. Contributions are invited; address Notes and Queries Editor. QUERIES 11.Lincoln's U.S. Supreme Court Cases: Briefs filed by Abraham Lincoln in his two cases tried in the Supreme Court of the United States are missing; a long search has uncovered nothing more than an outline of Lincoln's oral argument in one case. But it is possible that copies of the briefs still exist buried in the forgotten papers of associate counsel, or other lawyers interested in the causes. In the case of Lewis, for use of Longworth, vs. Lewis, as administrator of BroadweU (1849), attorneys of record are for the plaintiff, "Mr. Wright;" for the defendant, "Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Lincoln." In Forsyth vs. Reynolds (1853), the case was argued by "Mr. Williams" for the plaintiff, and briefs were filed by "Messrs. Lincoln and Gamble." "Mr. Chase" argued for the defendant, and a brief was filed by "Mr. Purple." No first names are given in any of the printed reports. Query: Who were Messrs. Wright, Lawrence, Gamble, Williams and Purple? Where are their papers? Benjamin Barondess 12.Who Was the Army Surgeon? An interesting pamphlet of 26 pages, Reminiscences of an Army Surgeon , 1860-1863, unsigned and without date or place of printing, was issued for private circulation. The text indicates that the author was appointed Assistant Surgeon in 1860, and was stationed at Camp Verdi, about 60 miles north of San Antonio, Texas. In December, 1860, he was 419 420BOYD B. stutler cnroute to Fort Mcintosh; reached San Antonio on December 30 and there met Colonel Robert E. Lee. Paroled in Texas, he later served at Fort Warren, and was sent to the Armory Hospital in Washington, where he met Lincoln. I take the surgeon to be either Charles H. Alden, Orrin Webster, John Van Zandt, or Charles C. Byrne; my list of names is suggested merely because they were the only men appointed Assistant Surgeons in 1860 who were still in service when this man went to Washington in 1865. Query: Who was the author of Reminiscences of an Army Surgeon, 1860-1863? Carl Haverlin 13. Kite-dropping Lincoln's Amnesty Proclamation: I am much interested in propaganda leaflets. I have read some place that General Benjamin F. Butler had copies made of Lincoln's amnesty proclamation and dropped them over Confederate lines by use of a kite. Query: Can anyone cite the source of this statement, and, if known, whore can I get one of the leaflets, or obtain a copy of one? Also, what is known about the Union sympathy of Mrs. Laura Ann Arnold, sister of General Stonewall Jackson? R. K. Haerle Answer, in part: Laura Ann lived with her husband, Jonathan Arnold, and family at Beverly, (W.) Virginia; early in the war she left her home to take residence in the Northern States, where she remained during the period of hostilities and for several years afterwards. As this defection did not concern the career of her famous brother, biographers have omitted mention or details. Private source material exists, but cannot be cited. 14. Jackson's Religious Studies and European Trip: Public interest has been stimulated in the life and career of Lt. General Thomas J. (StonewaU) Jackson, CSA, by his recent election to the Hall of Fame, where a bronze bust will be placed to rank with those of the greatest of our nation. Here are three questions: Was Jackson a student of Calvin's Institutes? Who was his favorite teacher at West Point and why? What historic shrines did Jackson visit on his trip to Europe? E. T. Crowson Answer, in part: Major Thomas J. Jackson, then a professor at Virginia Military Institute, spent the summer of 1856 in Europe, sailing from New York on July 9 and returning to Lexington early in October. His letters to his sister, Laura, in which he details his itinerary are printed in Thomas J. Arnold's Early Life and Letters...