MS-358: Fortescue Family Papers
Joseph L. Fortescue’s diary ranges from 1842-1848 with one entry on April 14, 1865. He discusses everyday life, the birth of one of his sons, the Election of 1842, and has a later entry concerning the assassination of President Lincoln. He discusses daily weather as well as his personal finances. Lectures delivered by Louis R. Fortescue to Civil War veterans c. 1910 include the history and founding of the United States Signal Corps and the speaker’s involvement in the early stages of the corps. He details how his unit sent signals from Emmitsburg, Maryland around the time of the Battle of Gettysburg and states that they were instrumental in the Union's success, especially warning the Union about preparations for Pickett’s Charge. He mentions being taken as a prisoner of war and being imprisoned for twenty months. Before his military service, Fortescue worked with John Wilkes Booth in a theatre and recounts an interaction he had with him the week before Lincoln's assassination. Several of Fortescue's speeches were delivered with the goal of memorializing the late President Lincoln and commemorating his achievements.