Newberry Library - William L. Park daguerreotype portrait, between 1854 and 1860

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Title William L. Park daguerreotype portrait, between 1854 and 1860

Creator Park, William L. (William Little), 1836-1909

Date Created between 1854 and 1860

Subjects American Civil War (United States : 1861-1865), Park, William L. (William Little), 1836-1909, Soldiers

Description Lightly-tinted daguerreotype portrait, probably taken between 1854 and 1860, of William Little Park, wearing a black suit jacket, and black silk vest and bow tie typical of the period, and seated in a chair with an ornately-carved pointed back, his left arm resting on a table; in an ornate gilt oval mat under glass; in a molded thermoplastic hinged Union case, elaborately decorated on both sides with a flower medallion, containing a cluster of four bell-like cornucopias filled with fruit and flowers; embossed gray velvet protector pad; image is a 1/9 plate size (65 x 53 mm., or 2 1/2 x 2 in.), in case 95 x 84 mm.

Summary Journal kept by William L. Park, between Sept/Oct. 1861 and Sept. 26, 1864, while serving aboard the ironclad gunboat "Essex" as a member of the Western Flotilla of the U.S. Army (renamed Mississippi Squadron after transfer to U.S. Navy in 1862) during the Civil War. Park, having seen action in the Crimean War in the mid-1850s, at first is reluctant to join the Union Army, but on Sept. 25, 1861, he enlists and is assigned to a steam ferry called "New Era." After an expedition up the Cumberland River in Nov. 1861, "New Era" receives new iron armor, a new name, "Essex", and participates in naval attacks at Lucas Bend, Mo. and Fort Henry, Tenn. Although heavily damaged in the attack on the fort, she is rebuilt and upgraded into one of the most powerful ironclads on the rivers by her commander, W.D. Porter. Park describes subsequent attacks on Confederate forces at Vicksburg, Port Hudson, and Baton Rouge (1862-1864), and the destruction of the Confederate ironclad "Arkansas" at Baton Rouge. In addition to his descriptions of gunboats, artillery, reconnaissance forays, blockade participation, shipboard life, deaths from typhoid fever, crew activities, and on-shore events--some involving rescuing slaves, Park includes transcripts of official reports and letters to Navy Secretary Gideon Welles in Washington, D.C. from Porter, flag officer A.H. Foote, and Rear Admiral David Farragut. Other gunboats mentioned include "Eastport", "Choctaw", "Mound City", "Neosho", "Pittsburgh", and "Carondelet."

Extent 2 items ; 29 cm or smaller.

Format Daguerreotypes, Photographs

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

Citation Please refer to the catalog record or finding aid for citations. Though it is not required when repurposing Newberry content, please use the credit "From the Newberry Library," and provide a link back to the item in our digital collections website. This helps us track how our collections are used, and provides justification for adding more digitized content in the future.

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Link to Catalog View record

Call Number Midwest MS 267

BibID 609568

IIIF Resource Type Manifest

IIIF Resource ID https://collections.newberry.org/IIIF3/Presentation/Manifest/2KXJ8Z44D1IX

Original File Name 996095688805867_midwest_ms_267

Unique identifier NL1145L7

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