A group of six (6) issues of the Daily Dispatch,  a Richmond-based newspaper heavily documented pro-Confederate sympathies throughout the Civil War. This attitude remained during their editorial resurgence in the Reconstruction Era. 

The Daily Progress. Richmond, Virginia: Cowardine & Hammersley. 

1. Vol. XX, No. 18, 20 July 1861. 4 pages, folio. 

2. Vol. XX, No. 19, 22 July 1861. 4 pages, folio. 

3. Vol. XX, No. 20, 23 July 1861. 4 pages, folio. 

4. Vol. XX, No. 21, 24 July 1861. 4 pages, folio. 

5. Vol. XX, No. 21, 25 July 1861. 4 pages, folio. (typesetting error)

6. Vol. XX, No. 24, 29 July 1861. 4 pages, folio. 

A collection of editions from the Daily Dispatch prior to and immediately following the aftermath of the First Battle of Bull Run which took place on 21 July 1861. A Confederate victory, marking the first major battle of the American Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run would instill in the mind of both sides that it was to be a long and bloody war. President Lincoln had urged that the Union press on hard, with a desire to end the war in 90 days. His aspirations would be undoubtedly squandered, and as a result, the commander of the Union Army of Northeastern Virginia would be relieved by Major General George B. McClellan. This change of power would initiate the formation of the Army of the Potomac, which would become the principal Union fighting force in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The First Battle of Bull Run had fully set into motion the foundations of what was to be the next four years of bloody conflict. 

In the days following the conflict, news would reach Richmond as the Confederacy celebrated their victory: “The excitement in the city yesterday reached a height such as we never before witnessed. The anxiety of many of our own citizens subsided on learning that their kindred were uninjured in the great battle at Stone Bridge, and all seemed to unite in the general exultation” (No. 21). Lincoln’s ambitions to end the conflict quickly were undoubtedly shaken; the South rejoiced in the encouragement that their pursuits of Independence would be reached. 

While reports of the deceased also filled the papers, the general tone of the Daily Dispatch would be one of excitement. Subsequent proclamations given by generals, governors, and President Davis would be copied in print, such as in No. 21 & 24. Slanders of President Lincoln would run rampant, such as an entertaining quip about his election, noting that “Abe is very fond of the grape in a liquid form, and to such an extent that he frequently navigates, in returning to his domicile, as though he was laying a plan for someone of our zigzag fences” (No. 21) 

These reports and lighthearted quips about the Union all serve to demonstrate the attitude of the Confederacy in the aftermath of the First Battle of Bull Run. In the wake of their victory, the Confederacy grew more determined. Aspirations of an independent nation did not seem as far reached as they once might have.

These editions of the Daily Dispatch are folded and show little wear and aging, each print clear and legible. Minimal tearing on certain editions. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Broadsides, Ephemera, Printing, Posters, Handbills, Documents, Newspapers]