| Physical medium | Papers handwritten printed typed photograph. |
| Organization of material | Correspondence, military papers; articles, essays and speeches, miscellaneous, genealogy chronological within type of material. |
| Abstract |
This collection contains correspondence, the bulk of which is from the Civil War period; a diary describing imprisonment at Fort Warren (Mass.); military documents; articles; essays; sketches; speeches; clippings; and genealogical notes of Thomas Sparrow. Topics of interest include plans of the Military Working Society (also Military Serving Society) formed by the ladies of Washington, N.C., to furnish clothes for the troops (April and May, 1861); plans of the governor for gathering forces and equipping them (April and May, 1861); plans for occupation of Beacon Island near Ocracoke Inlet (May, 1861); and the actual occupation of and military activities carried on at Fort Washington, Fort Ocracoke, and Fort Hatteras. Also included in this collection are accounts surrounding the Washington Grays's conversion from a volunteer army to enlisted members of the N.C. State Troops, and their subsequent capture and parole from a Union prison in February, 1862. Other noteworthy topics include the sympathetic attitudes of some northern residents toward imprisoned Confederate soldiers, raids by Union soldiers, and Sparrow's trip down the Tar River in a canoe to avoid surrender. |
| Cite as |
Thomas Sparrow papers, #1, East Carolina Manuscript Collection, East Carolina University. |
| Acquisitions source |
217 items Dr. Herbert Paschal; Dept. of History, ECU; gift; Sept. 13, 1967. |
| Acquisitions source |
3 additional items Mrs. Mary McCord Taylor & Mr. Herbert McCord; Stuart, Fl. & Garden City, S.C.; gift; Apr. 2, 1984. |
| Acquisitions source |
4 additional items Mrs. Robert Taylor; Stuart, Fl.; gift; May 21, 1985. |
| Biographical note | A Washington, N.C. lawyer before the Civil War, Thomas Sparrow was commissioned Captain in the Confederate Army in 1861 and taken prisoner Aug. 1861. He was elected Representative from Beaufort Co. to the N.C. General Assembly in 1870 and 1881. |
