The major portion of this collection of pictures consists of 53 cartes de viste, dating from the 1860s. Most of them are pictures of Civil War generals. Many of these cartes bear a U.S. postage stamp, indicating that they were produced before or during the period Sept. 1, 1864-Aug. 1, 1866, when all such photographs transported in the U. S. mail were subject to this form of government tax in order to raise additional wartime revenue. Only five of them have not been identified. Also included in this collection are 30 engravings, most of them of prominent American statesmen. Included in the collection are engravings of Kit Carson, Samuel P. Chase, Horatio Gates, and members of Abraham Lincoln's cabinet. Two non-person pictures include an undated print of the Charlotte Female Institute and an 1863 print of Camp Vermont, Virginia during the Civil War. As of April 2008, these items are located on 6th 16:B.
The Continental Congress issued a great quantity of paper currency in order to finance the Revolution. The depreciation of this money and its economic effects produced a distrust of any national paper currency. For that reason the 1789 Constitution forbade the states to issue paper money. The Constitution was deliberately silent on the federal government's right to do so. However, there was no ban against their issuance by private organizations and local governments. This loophole was utilized to provide paper currency which was both convenient and necessary for economic life. Over 30,000 varieties of notes were issued by 1,600 different banks in 34 different states between 1790 and 1865. These figures do not include the issues of local governments and private businesses that were not banks. The history of this money ended substantially during the Civil War. The Confederate government and the various states of the Confederacy issued paper currency-during the war. The U.S. Congress authorized a national paper currency in 1861, and it is the only paper currency to survive the Civil War as a significant economic factor. Some currency and scrip continued to be issued at various times by businesses and local governments, but it was economically and quantitatively insignificant. It should be remembered, of course, that the federal government issued gold and silver coinage during this period.
The collection of Confederate and Southern states currency is very extensive, consisting of 3329 pieces. Of this total 2601 bills were issued by the national government, and 727 bills were issues of state governments. See also the Raphael P. Thian Papers for a large collection of Confederate and Southern States currency.
Cooper was Adjutant and Inspector General.
Acknowledged and accepted the terms set forth in Major General W. T. Sherman's Special Field Order No. 65, hailing the end of the Confederacy.
General order of surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.