The Dangers of Black-Republicans, and the Duty of the South - 1860

This copy of The Dangers of Black-Republicans, and the Duty of the South, Speech of Hon. L. J. Gartrell, of Georgia in The House of Representatives, January 10, 1860 documents his speech defending slavery in the Southern states, as well as the interruptions, questions and comments from others in the House disagreeing with his positions and statements. The paper, which measures approximately 6 x 9 inches, contains 14 of its original 16 pages – enough to obtain a good understanding of the differences between the North and South on the subject of slavery shortly before the Civil War.

The paper, which was printed by Lemuel Towers, has pages with almost no tanning and text easily read. Were it not for the missing last two pages and detachment of the corresponding front pages, the paper would be in very good condition. It is now degraded to fair condition.

The illustrations accompanying this description show the first page of the item and a typical 2-page spread of later text.

Lucius Jeremiah Gartrell (January 7, 1821 – April 7, 1891) was an American and lawyer, as well as general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Gartrell served as the solicitor general of the northern judicial circuit from 1843 until 1847 when he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. He was subsequently elected to the first of two consecutive terms in U.S. House of Representatives in 1856. He resigned from his second term in 1861 to form the Seventh Regiment of the Georgia Volunteer Infantry in the Confederate army during the Civil War. In 1862, Gartrell was elected to the Confederate Congress and served in that capacity until 1864. In 1864, he was appointed as a brigadier generalin the Confederate forces. After the war, Gartrell served as a member of the State constitutional convention in 1877. He also ran for governor in 1882 but lost to Alexander Stephens. [Wikipedia]