Browse Items (31 total)

The New York Herald published the testimony of Confederate officer regarding the effects of the official cotton trade between the Union and the Confederacy. According to the transcript, the cotton trade directly prolonged the war by giving the…

Newspaper editorial published in the Liverpool Mercury raising the specter of potentially siding with the Confederacy if the Union didn't end its war with the South.

This permit authorized Fergus Peniston, a Louisiana cotton merchant, to transport and sell the cotton he possesses. In order to obtain this permit, Peniston wrote several petitions to Lincoln and enlisted friends of the administration to write on his…

In this report from 1863, an unknown advisor wrote to Lincoln outlining the benefits of continuing to trade for cotton, as well as precautions that would minimize the risk to the war effort. Lincoln endorsed the back of the report as "A. cotten…

Editorial written in 1864 by Edward Atkinson, a cotton mill executive and abolition activist. He argued that the current cotton trading system is inefficient and rife with corruption. Since it did not prevent money and goods from getting back to the…

The Crisis, an Ohio newspaper sympathetic to the Confederacy, published this editorial excoriating Major General Curtis for using his authority to confiscate and sell cotton. The editorial is followed by a transcript of Major General Steele's…

38th Congress Committee on Commerce Investigative Report to accompany Bill H. R. No. 805; Investigating Trade with Confederate States.

In this letter, Fergus Peniston, a Louisiana cotton merchant, requested permission from the executive branch to transport a substantial amount of cotton to market. He further petitioned President Lincoln for relief from certain taxes and to trade…

In this second petition to President Lincoln, Louisiana cotton merchant Fergus Peniston reiterated his request for an exemption from a particular tax on his cotton that was passed after he acquired the cotton and freedom to trade outside…

This affidavit, written by Alphonse Boudousquie and certified by Governor Michael Hahn, affirmed that Fergus Peniston and William Pike owned substantial quantities of cotton and were loyal citizens of the United States during the war. Affidavits like…