Civil War Forced Confederate Impressment of Slave Labor Richmond, Virginia, 1865

Slavery Civil War Confederate

Pamphlet

[Civil War] [Black Military] [Slavery] [Virginia] Confederate government imprint documenting one of the clearest bureaucratic efforts to formalize the use of enslaved labor in direct support of the Confederate war effort at the very moment of institutional collapse. Issued in Richmond, Virginia in January 1865 and printed by the Confederate House of Representatives. The document responds to a congressional inquiry into the impressment of enslaved people, explicitly acknowledging state-directed seizure of enslaved men for military labor. Within the text, the Confederate state attempts to regulate this extraction, noting limits such as “no more than one out of five male slaves between the ages specified… from any one owner,” while simultaneously confirming large-scale requisitions, including “5,000 slaves from the State of Virginia, for service with the army of Northern Virginia.” The language reveals both the administrative reach of the Confederate state and its dependence on enslaved labor as a logistical backbone in the war’s final phase.

Octavo pamphlet measuring 9.5" x 6", 5 pages, printed in Richmond, Virginia, January 1865. The text includes titled sections “Message of the President,” “Communication from Secretary of War,” “Resolution of House of Representatives,” and “Response of Superintendent of Conscription,” along with dated correspondence from December 1864 through January 1865. The imprint corresponds to Parrish and Willingham 2298. As a primary source, the pamphlet holds substantial institutional value for collections in African American history, Civil War studies, and the history of slavery, particularly for research into the transition from plantation labor systems to militarized coercion and the administrative mechanisms of late Confederate governance.
The pamphlet is especially significant for how it exposes internal contradictions within Confederate ideology. While the Confederacy had long resisted arming or formally incorporating enslaved people in ways that might destabilize slavery, this document demonstrates a late-war shift toward coercive mobilization framed as “employment” to “increase the efficiency of the army.” Additional correspondence from Brig. Gen. Jno. S. Preston and Major Gen. J. L. Kemper details the mechanics of requisition, emphasizing proportional seizure across slaveholders and acknowledging prior errors in impressment, including the improper inclusion of enslaved people outside prescribed categories. Condition shows light toning, minor spotting, and edge wear consistent with age; paper remains stable with clear, legible text throughout; faint institutional stamp present on front. Overall very good condition. This document underscores how the Confederate war effort relied on systems of exploitation applied to enslaved African American men.

Item #23117

Price: $1,250.00