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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC06846.02 |
| From Archive Folder | Sarah Lydia Gilpin's diaries |
| Title | Diary of Sarah Gilpin |
| Date | 1 January 1863-3 August 1863 |
| Author | Gilpin, Sarah Lydia (1802-1894) |
| Document Type | Diary |
| Content Description | Pages numbered 1-190. This volume introduces themes that recur throughout the diaries. The author corresponds with Henry A. Dupont (entry of January 24) and takes a lively interest in both finance and the important happenings of the day, as in the following entries: February 9: "Better news from Charleston … very high prices for all cotton goods. … Wm. Parker came to see my mother gave … quite an interesting account of the Army Hospitals at Washington their excellent order & the great comfort of the soldiers who expressed entire satisfaction." February 10: "Ad. Du Ponts dispatch is in the papers with regard to the attack of the Charleston…upon the blockading vessels. Rec'd check from H du Pont for 60 dollars." March 27: "read manuscript … on the war & conduct of the North & administration an interesting historical document." The author describes an explosion at the Dupont factory in the entry for February 26: "After breakfast took up the paper & saw the acct of a terrible explosion at the du Ponts … 13 men killed. No mention of any of the family being hurt but feel very anxious." There is a possible clue to the identity of the diarist's husband in the entry for April 14. The author also reminisces about her correspondence with Sophie Dupont's sister in the entry for 28 May: "Received a box from Sophia du Pont containing my letters to her sister thro' long years whilst we grew from youth to old age. … I think I shall not keep them unless they could contribute something to a memoir of my dear friend which they might being my portion of a regular correspondence during 40 years." |
| Subjects | Woman Author Women's History Civil War Cotton Textile Merchants and Trade Commerce Union Forces Hospital Health and Medical Blockade Battle of Charleston Harbor Disaster Death Children and Family Friendship |
| People | Gilpin, Sarah Lydia (1802-1894) Dupont, Henry A. (1838-1926) |
| Place written | s.l. |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Women in American History |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Gilpin was the daughter of Joshua Gilpin, a Wilmington, Delaware paper manufacturer and a contemporary of E. I du Pont. She was also related to William Gilpin, the first territorial governor of Colorado who accompanied J.C. Fremont on his 1843 expedition. There are Gilpin family papers at the Hagley Museum and Library, the site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |