Sarah Jane Smith Papers
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Select files to request
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of proceedings of the 1864 trial and other papers regarding the destruction of telegraph wires by Sarah Jane Smith. These materials are positive photocopies of records held by the National Archives. See: Case of Sarah Jane Smith, Records of the Judge Advocate General's Office (Army), Record Group 153, entry 15, file LL2742, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Dates
- 1864-1865
Creator
- United States. Army. Office of the Judge Advocate General (Organization)
Language of Materials
Materials are in English.
Access Information
Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.
Use Information
No Use Restrictions Apply.
No Interlibrary Loan.
Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).
Biographical Note
Sarah Jane Smith was born in Washington County, Arkansas. Her father joined the Confederate army, and she moved to live with relatives in Cassville, Missouri in 1864. While there, she assisted some of her relatives in cutting down Union telegraph lines--a violation of General Order No. 32. After her arrest and release, she again cut down wires, and at the age of 18, she was sentenced to hang for this crime. Based on subsequent medical examination on mental health grounds, her sentence was commuted to imprisonment for the duration of the war, and she was eventually released.
For more information on Smith, see Lowry, Thomas P. Confederate Heroines: 120 Southern Women Convicted by Union Military Justice. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press, 2006.
Extent
0.05 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Arrangement of the Papers
Materials are housed in a single folder.
Acquisition Information
The Sarah Jane Smith Papers were donated by J. Dickson Black of Fayetteville, Arkansas, on January 28, 1988.
Location of Originals
Original files are held by the National Archives. Case of Sarah Jane Smith, Records of the Judge Advocate General's Office (Army), Record Group 153, entry 15, file LL2742, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Location of Digital Copies
Digital scans and transcriptions of collection materials are viewable via Missouri Digital Heritage's "Community and Conflict: the Impact of the Civil War in the Ozarks" digital exhibit.
Processing Information
Processed by Nan Lawler; completed in February 1988. Finding aid updated by Katrina Windon in April 2017.
Creator
- United States. Army. Office of the Judge Advocate General (Organization)
Source
- Black, J. Dickson (Donor, Person)
- Title
- Sarah Jane Smith Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Nan Lawler
- Date
- February 1988
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Department Repository
University of Arkansas Libraries
365 N. McIlroy Avenue
Fayetteville AR 72701 United States
(479) 575-8444
specoll@uark.edu