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Guerrilla raider John Hunt Morgan escapes from jail...



Item # 690163

January 14, 1864

THE MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL, Atlanta, Georgia, January 14, 1864 

* John Morgan escapes jail
* Guerrilla raider leader
* Very rare Confederate title


If the title and city of publication seem to be in conflict, they are not. This newspaper had a fascinating history during the Civil War. Memphis was a Confederate stronghold up through the Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862, at which time the Yankees moved in and it became a Yankee city. Being a strong voice for the Confederacy, the "Memphis Appeal" newspaper would not continue under Yankee control. As Wikipedia notes: "...On June 6, 1862, the presses and plates were loaded into a boxcar and moved to Grenada, Mississippi, where it published for some time. The Appeal later journeyed to Jackson, Mississippi, Meridian, Mississippi, Atlanta, Georgia, and finally Montgomery, Alabama, where the plates were destroyed on April 6, 1865, only days before the Confederate surrender, halting publication of what had been one of the major papers serving the Southern cause." So this one newspaper published in six different Confederate cities during the Civil War.
The front page has: "Capture of a Supply Train by Wheeler's Cavalry" "Arrival & Reception of Brigadier-Gen. John M. Morgan" "Confederate States Congress" and much on: "The American War. Answer of William O'Brian to General Meagher".
The back page includes: "Letter From Mississippi" "Letter From Richmond" "A Voice From Southern Women" "From Chattanooga" "Latest from Knoxville" "From Eastern Carolina" "The War In the West--Longstreet's Command" and more. Perhaps the best item is a nice report headed: "Escape of John Morgan" which begins: "The bold bandit, whose hair mildewed in the Columbus penitentiary during the latter part of the summer & through the autumn, has at last reached a place of safety within the rebel lines..." with more (see).
Among many interesting ads on the back page are: "Valuable Negroes" "40 Negro Fellows" "Negro Coopers" "Negro Shoemakers" each with various particulars (see).
Complete as a single sheet newspaper of folio size. A tiny worm hole near the center affects just 2 words, very nice condition.
A rare opportunity for a Confederate newspaper printed in Atlanta Georgia, its fifth city of publication during the Civil War.

Category: Confederate