Collection Summary
J. M. Mason Papers
1838-1870
(bulk 1862-1865)
1838-1870
(bulk 1862-1865)
MSS31591
Mason, J. M. (James
Murray), 1798-1871
3,600
items
9 containers
1.8 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
United States senator
and representative from Virginia and Confederate diplomatic agent in Great
Britain. Chiefly diplomatic communications sent while Mason was a Confederate
commissioner. Includes correspondence; dispatches; lists of supplies for the
Confederate States from London; statements and depositions regarding piracy,
claims, the blockade, and other naval and marine matters; cotton bonds and
warrants; circulars; and printed matter.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Benjamin, J. P. (Judah Philip), 1811-1884.
Browne, William M. (William Montague), 1823-1883--Correspondence.
Browne, William M. (William Montague), 1823-1883.
Bulloch, James Dunwody, 1823-1901--Correspondence.
Collie, Alexander--Correspondence.
Hotze, Henry, 1833-1887--Correspondence.
Hunter, R. M. T. (Robert Mercer Taliaferro), 1809-1887.
Huse, Caleb, 1831-1905--Correspondence.
Lamar, L. Q. C. (Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus), 1825-1893--Correspondence.
Lindsay, W. S. (William Schaw), 1816-1877--Correspondence.
Mann, A. Dudley (Ambrose Dudley), 1801-1889--Correspondence.
Mason, J. M. (James Murray), 1798-1871.
Memminger, C. G. (Christopher Gustavus), 1803-1888--Correspondence.
North, James H.--Correspondence.
O'Conor, Charles, 1804-1884--Correspondence.
Russell, John Russell, Earl, 1792-1878--Correspondence.
Sinclair, George T.--Correspondence.
Slidell, John, 1793-1871--Correspondence.
Spence, James, 1811-1876--Correspondence.
Williams, James, 1796-1869--Correspondence.
Organizations
Confederate States of America. Navy.
Fraser, Trenholm, and Co. (Liverpool, England)--Correspondence.
Great Britain. Foreign Office.
Rinaldo (Sloop)
Society for Promoting the Cessation of Hostilities in America (London, England)--Correspondence.
Southern Independence Association--Correspondence.
Virginia (Ironclad)
Subjects
Claims.
Cotton trade--Confederate States of America.
Hampton Roads, Battle of, Va., 1862.
Merchant marine--Great Britain.
Piracy.
Trent Affair, 1861.
Places
Confederate States of America--Commerce--Great Britain.
Confederate States of America--Foreign relations--Great Britain.
Confederate States of America--Foreign relations.
Confederate States of America--History, Naval.
Great Britain--Commerce--Confederate States of America.
Great Britain--Foreign relations--Confederate States of America.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Blockades.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Claims.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval operations.
Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Titles
James Murray Mason papers
Occupations
Representatives, U.S. Congress--Virginia.
Senators, U.S. Congress--Virginia.
Provenance
The papers of J. M. Mason, United States senator and representative
from Virginia and Confederate diplomatic agent in Great Britain, were purchased
by the Library of Congress in 1912.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of J. M. Mason is
governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of J. M. Mason are open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, J. M. Mason Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of James Murray Mason (1798-1871) span the period
1838-1870, with the bulk of the material dating from 1862 to 1865. The
collection consists chiefly of Mason’s diplomatic communications as
Confederate commissioner to Great Britain and includes correspondence,
dispatches, lists, statements and depositions, cotton bonds and warrants,
circulars, and printed matter.
The papers include instructions to Mason from Confederate officials R.
M. T. Hunter, J. P. Benjamin, and William M. Browne as well as letters from the
British Foreign Office. Also included is correspondence regarding the
Trent Affair; the log of the HMS
Rinaldo, 1862; letters and other papers regarding
British merchant vessels; a report on the attack of the CSS
Virginia (Ironclad) on Federal ships in Hampton
Roads, Virginia; and letters concerning fuel to Mason from officers commanding
Confederate ships in European waters.
Correspondents include William M. Browne; James Dunwody Bulloch;
Alexander Collie; Fraser, Trenholm, and Co.; Henry Hotze; Caleb Huse; L. Q. C.
Lamar; W. S. Lindsay; A. Dudley Mann; C. G. Memminger; James H. North; Charles
O'Conor; John Russell, Earl Russell; George T. Sinclair; John Slidell; the
Society for Promoting the Cessation of Hostilities in America (London,
England); the Southern Independence Association (Manchester, England); James
Spence; and James Williams.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material and
thereunder chronologically.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Chronological file
1
1838, Jan. 15-1862, Feb. 8
1838, Jan. 15-1862, Feb. 8
2
1862, Feb. 10-July 21
1862, Feb. 10-July 21
3
1862, July 22-Dec. 22
1862, July 22-Dec. 22
4
1862, Dec. 23-1863, Mar. 17
1862, Dec. 23-1863, Mar. 17
5
1863, Mar. 18-June 16
1863, Mar. 18-June 16
6
1863, June 18-1864, Mar. 7
1863, June 18-1864, Mar. 7
7
1864, Mar. 8-Dec. 16
1864, Mar. 8-Dec. 16
8
1864, Dec. 18-1870, Mar. 31
1864, Dec. 18-1870, Mar. 31
9
Dispatches
9
1862, Feb. 2-1865, May 1
1862, Feb. 2-1865, May 1