A group of ten (10) issues of The Daily Progress, a Civil War-era newspaper printed in Confederate-controlled Raleigh, North Carolina. With significant reporting on the Battle of Fort Fisher and the status of Wilmington. 

The Daily Progress. Raleigh, North Carolina: J.L. Pennington & Co. 

1. Vol. VI, No. 41, 29 December 1864. 2 pages, folio. 
2. Vol. VI, No. 42, 30 December 1864. 2 pages, folio. 
3. Vol. VI, No. 43, 31 December 1864. 2 pages, folio. 
4. Vol. VI, No. 57, 17 January 1865. 2 pages, folio. 
5. Vol. VI, No. 60, 20 January 1865. 2 pages, folio. 
6. Vol. VI, No. 62, 23 January 1865. 2 pages, folio. 
7. Vol. VI, No. 65, 26 January 1865. 2 pages, folio. 
8. Vol. VI, No. 86, 20 February 1865. 2 pages, folio. 
9. Vol. VI, No. 91, 25 February 1865. 2 pages, folio. 
10. Vol. VI, No. 112, 23 March 1865. 2 pages, folio. 

WITH The New York Herald, Whole No. 10,352, New York: James Bennett Sr., 31 December 1864. 8 pages, folio. Features a large-scale map of the battle plans for advancing on Fort Fisher. 

From the first three issues of The Daily Progress in this collection, reporting from 29 to 31 December 1864, it seemed as if the Union forces had not fired on Fort Fisher, or if there had been one, it was a failure for the Union: "This is evinced by their assault upon Fort Fisher, where hundreds of their men must undoubtedly have fallen. It is also patent from their plan of attack, the desperate effort at reducing the Fort by their gunboats, and the simultaneous attack by land under cover of the guns of their fleet." (No. 42) Some of these movements can be reflected in The New York Herald map from 31 December 1864, showing General Benjamin Butler's plan at the time to advance on the fort. 

Issue no. 43 of The Daily Progress, released on New Year's Eve, offers a chilling quote about the status of the Civil War in the paper's "Daily Progress" editorial: "The beginning of the fifth year of a cruel, consuming war is upon us, and yet the end, to all human appearances, is as far removed as ever, and we know not how or when we shall be delivered from the agony of this death.—Whether we are to have another year of war, or have peace in the spring, as predicted by some of those who favor 'fighting it out now,' we know not; we only know that the great heart of the nation yearns for peace..." 

By issue no. 57 on 17 January 1865, The Daily Progress confirms the Union has captured Fort Fisher. In issue no. 60, speculation begins on who to blame for the loss of the fort and that if the Confederate forces "could not hold that we can't expect to hold the town [Wilmington]." Regarding who to place blame, one writer says "on Gen. Bragg, of course... he was to blame and no body else, until facts of an official character... convinced us that Gen. Bragg, on this occasion, is not responsible for this disaster." 

What is unique is that in issue no. 65, there is a "Yankee account" of the day Fort Fisher fell, as well as a report from a Union naval officer, that take up three of the five columns on the second page. The account is written on average in 30-minute increments detailing the actions of the day. By 10 p.m. that day, the fort had been captured and the Union was celebrating: "It was a regular 4th of July scene on the ocean, and the hearty cheers of the sailors on the ships were responded to by the soldiers in the captured forts." 

In nine of the ten issues of The Daily Progress, it is worth noting that they all include at least one advertisement for a "negro auction," as well as notices for runaway slaves, years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. The only one that does not mention notices regarding slaves is the last issue, no. 112, which was published on 23 March 1865, so close to Raleigh falling to the control of the Union. 

The Daily Progress was published starting in November 1862; it was originally a paper out of New Bern, North Carolina, then The Weekly Progress before it became daily. It published every day except on Sundays. It is believed to have ceased publishing in 1867, though copies of the paper from its later years are scarce. 

These Raleigh papers have never been folded and are housed in acid-free clear sleeves, making them extraordinary additions. The New York Herald, while it shows a little more wear and aging, is still a remarkable relic highlighting an active battle of the Civil War. All of these issues are kept in a zippered black presentation folder. 

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

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