Collection Description

This collection is composed of approximately 1,100 Union and Confederate patriotic covers (envelopes) issued and used during the Civil War. Featuring strong graphic images, these covers expressed patriotic and propagandistic messages. Common images include flags, eagles, soldiers, and portraits (and caricatures) of famous Civil War figures and others, including George Washington. This collection has been organized into the series established by William R. Weiss, Jr. in his The Catalog of Union Civil War Patriotic Covers (Bethlehem, Penn., 1995). The Weiss number is pencilled on the upper left-hand corner on the verso of each envelope. If the envelope was not found in Weiss, it is recorded at the end of the appropriate series. In addition to the Union patriotic covers included in Weiss, the MHS has a small grouping of Confederate-issued covers that have been arranged in similar categories to those used by Weiss. In most cases, the "content" of the envelope is obvious from its placement in the various Weiss categories; in cases where additional graphic or subject elements exist, a cross-index has been added to the end of this guide that will allow researchers to identify patriotic covers whose subject matter is not apparent from their placement in the scheme or title.