Following the Civil War

One of the strengths of the Chicksands Collection is the American Civil War (1861-1865). This title was accessioned by the War Office in 1952. Originally published in 1884, according to the book plate and stamp on the inside of the cover, it has an adventurous past.


The Army and Navy Club of New York was formed in 1871 and it is probable that the Club received the book as a gift of a member. As with many organizations and businesses, the Club went bankrupt in 1933, during the Great Depression, and the assets were disposed to various places. This book apparently went across to the U.S. Army's Recruiting Publicity Bureau, one of many army offices located on Governors Island, a 172-acre island in Upper New York Bay. The Army occupied the island from 1783 to 1966. In 2003 the Federal government transferred the property to the City of New York. Obviously, sometime before the army left, they disbanded the library and this book made its way across the Atlantic to London. Now, it's again in North America, joining the ranks of the well-travelled volumes in the Chicksands Collection.