Chenango in the Civil War: The Post Office and the Civil War
Editor’s Note: In conjunction with the Chenango County Civil War Commemoration Project Team, The Evening Sun will present a monthly series chronicling items of local interest during the war between the states, compiled and written by a number of local history enthusiasts.
By Vicky House
Correspondent
The Post Office and The Civil War – not two subjects you would expect to find in the same sentence. However, the U.S. Post Office (Northern) and the Confederate States of America Post Office (Southern) could have been described as a ‘war within a war.’
Long before the Civil War even began and as early as the early 1850s, the North was sending circulars and covers (what we now refer to as envelopes) containing propaganda to the South. The purpose was to discourage secession and deflate the egos of the southerners who thought a civil war would only last a very short time.
In March 1861, President Lincoln appointed Montgomery Blair as Postmaster General of the U.S. Post Office and a member of his newly formed cabinet. Blair was a difficult man and disliked by other members of Lincoln’s cabinet. However, being a stubborn, opinionated and generally disliked man, was what Lincoln felt he needed to deal with the new Confederate government.
Also in March 1861, Provisional President Jefferson Davis appointed John H. Reagan as Postmaster General of the Confederate Post Office. Reagan was not like Blair, but he was resourceful. He became known as “the man who stole the U.S. Post Office.” Mr. Reagan sent a courier with letters to the U.S. Post Office in Washington, D.C. The letters were to request any employee of the U.S. Post Office, who was southern born or believed strongly in the southern way of life, to leave their posts and come work for the new Confederate government. Not only did most of the people leave, they took with them receipt books, account ledgers, maps and routes back to the south.
Provisional President Davis gave Reagan just two years (March 1861 to March 1863) to make the southern Post Office self-sufficient. Immediately, Regan raised the postal rates – even higher than those of the north. Five cents for a letter weighing 1/4 ounce and under 500 miles and ten cents for a letter weighing 1/2 ounce and over 500 miles. Circulars and drop letters were two cents each while an ‘express mail’ letter could cost the sender between $5 & $6.
Reagan also placed ads in southern & northern newspapers and circulars requesting proposals from printing companies to provide the necessary postal supplies. A company from downstate New York won the bid, but when Fort Sumter was fired upon, the proposal was withdrawn and a southern company was awarded the job. Southern printing companies were not set up or ready to take on the additional responsibilities of providing the supplies and so, stamps were not readily available. It took several months before the south had postage stamps and, even then, the supply was limited.
Montgomery Blair fired back at the southern post office by demanding all northern postage stamps be returned immediately. Most of the southern postmasters refused to return the stamps and continued using them. Blair again retaliated by taking any mail from the south with northern postage and marking it “out of date postage” and sent it to the dead letter office.
Communication was vital during the Civil War and the post office was the main source for relaying information. The telegraph service was not as dependable as both sides took turns cutting the wires and destroying the service. Mail did not always get through as easy and quickly as one would think. The north did its best at cutting off the supply lines to the south with checkpoints and ships blockading the ports.
The envelope played a big part in the Civil War – far more than a cover for a letter. The printing companies from both sides saw the opportunity to utilize the space on an envelope to spread their propaganda. Envelopes were printed with patriotic images, heroes, traitors, contraband, political ambitions, prison camps, hospitals, regimental units, camp life, generals, etc. Prisoner of war letters were given special treatment and exchanged only at certain checkpoints. This practice was stopped after about a year since neither side could trust the other. A letter from home to a soldier in the field would sometimes reveal more to him than its contents because of the design on the envelope.
On April 24, 2012, the U.S. Post Office will release its new Civil War Commemorative Forever Stamp. The Chenango County Civil War Commemoration Project committee is planning an event with the post offices in Chenango County. Our plan is to give each post office the opportunity to have a Pictorial Postmark using the committee’s logo and a Civil War Commemorative stamp. One day will be set aside for each post office to participate starting around the date of the new release. We will keep you advised of each Pictorial Postmark, the post office participating and the date.
Researched and written by Vicky House, Oxford Town/Village Historian and a member of the Chenango County Civil War Commemoration Project Committee.
By Vicky House
Correspondent
The Post Office and The Civil War – not two subjects you would expect to find in the same sentence. However, the U.S. Post Office (Northern) and the Confederate States of America Post Office (Southern) could have been described as a ‘war within a war.’
Long before the Civil War even began and as early as the early 1850s, the North was sending circulars and covers (what we now refer to as envelopes) containing propaganda to the South. The purpose was to discourage secession and deflate the egos of the southerners who thought a civil war would only last a very short time.
In March 1861, President Lincoln appointed Montgomery Blair as Postmaster General of the U.S. Post Office and a member of his newly formed cabinet. Blair was a difficult man and disliked by other members of Lincoln’s cabinet. However, being a stubborn, opinionated and generally disliked man, was what Lincoln felt he needed to deal with the new Confederate government.
Also in March 1861, Provisional President Jefferson Davis appointed John H. Reagan as Postmaster General of the Confederate Post Office. Reagan was not like Blair, but he was resourceful. He became known as “the man who stole the U.S. Post Office.” Mr. Reagan sent a courier with letters to the U.S. Post Office in Washington, D.C. The letters were to request any employee of the U.S. Post Office, who was southern born or believed strongly in the southern way of life, to leave their posts and come work for the new Confederate government. Not only did most of the people leave, they took with them receipt books, account ledgers, maps and routes back to the south.
Provisional President Davis gave Reagan just two years (March 1861 to March 1863) to make the southern Post Office self-sufficient. Immediately, Regan raised the postal rates – even higher than those of the north. Five cents for a letter weighing 1/4 ounce and under 500 miles and ten cents for a letter weighing 1/2 ounce and over 500 miles. Circulars and drop letters were two cents each while an ‘express mail’ letter could cost the sender between $5 & $6.
Reagan also placed ads in southern & northern newspapers and circulars requesting proposals from printing companies to provide the necessary postal supplies. A company from downstate New York won the bid, but when Fort Sumter was fired upon, the proposal was withdrawn and a southern company was awarded the job. Southern printing companies were not set up or ready to take on the additional responsibilities of providing the supplies and so, stamps were not readily available. It took several months before the south had postage stamps and, even then, the supply was limited.
Montgomery Blair fired back at the southern post office by demanding all northern postage stamps be returned immediately. Most of the southern postmasters refused to return the stamps and continued using them. Blair again retaliated by taking any mail from the south with northern postage and marking it “out of date postage” and sent it to the dead letter office.
Communication was vital during the Civil War and the post office was the main source for relaying information. The telegraph service was not as dependable as both sides took turns cutting the wires and destroying the service. Mail did not always get through as easy and quickly as one would think. The north did its best at cutting off the supply lines to the south with checkpoints and ships blockading the ports.
The envelope played a big part in the Civil War – far more than a cover for a letter. The printing companies from both sides saw the opportunity to utilize the space on an envelope to spread their propaganda. Envelopes were printed with patriotic images, heroes, traitors, contraband, political ambitions, prison camps, hospitals, regimental units, camp life, generals, etc. Prisoner of war letters were given special treatment and exchanged only at certain checkpoints. This practice was stopped after about a year since neither side could trust the other. A letter from home to a soldier in the field would sometimes reveal more to him than its contents because of the design on the envelope.
On April 24, 2012, the U.S. Post Office will release its new Civil War Commemorative Forever Stamp. The Chenango County Civil War Commemoration Project committee is planning an event with the post offices in Chenango County. Our plan is to give each post office the opportunity to have a Pictorial Postmark using the committee’s logo and a Civil War Commemorative stamp. One day will be set aside for each post office to participate starting around the date of the new release. We will keep you advised of each Pictorial Postmark, the post office participating and the date.
Researched and written by Vicky House, Oxford Town/Village Historian and a member of the Chenango County Civil War Commemoration Project Committee.
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