| Scope and content |
Civil War correspondence between St. John and his wife describe the surrender of Vicksburg, conditions on the home front, and the rising price of clothing and medical care. Military correspondence and papers consist of orders to report for quartermaster clerk duty, furlough papers, and letters of recommendation on St. John's behalf for the quartermastership of the 11th Minnesota Regiment. Clippings include editorials, letters to the editor, articles, and poetry from several Missouri Greenback newspapers. Topics include the Greenback Party arguments, especially concerning the gold-silver debate; pro-labor arguments, as well as the abuses suffered by unorganized miners of Missouri; the benefits of public schools, the postal system, public roads, waterworks, and public streetlights; and the Missouri and national Independent Party tickets of 1876. Miscellaneous editorials advocate the payment of ex-Confederates' claims in greenbacks and condemn governmental mistreatment of the Sioux Indians, which includes an eyewitness account of the Minnesota Indian massacre of 1862. Farm journal contains brief daily entries noting planting dates, weather conditions, and farm-related activities such as trips to town and to the mill. Ledger books consist of notations of personal expenditures and farming accounts. Also includes genealogical records of the St. John family. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Andrew Warner St. John Papers (#320), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Mrs. Judy St. John Cobb. |
| Biographical note | Andrew Warner St. John (1840-1907) was a private in the 5th Minnesota Volunteers and was present at the siege of Vicksburg. In 1867, he moved to Jasper County, Mo., where he was a fruit farmer. He became active in the labor movements, helping to organize the Industrial Brotherhood of the United States in Missouri and serving as a member of the Greenback Party. He frequently contributed editorials to the local labor newspapers, and after buying an interest in a publication, served as editor for fourteen years. After selling his interest in 1896, St. John moved to Mena, Ark., where he edited a pro-silver paper. |
