Charles G. Halpine Papers: Finding Aid mssHP
Melissa Haley
The Huntington Library
August 2022
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Finding aid last updated on February 28, 2024 by Melissa Haley.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Charles G. Halpine papers
Creator:
Halpine, Charles G. (Charles Graham), 1829-1868
Identifier/Call Number: mssHP
Physical Description:
12.5 Linear Feet
(9 boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 microfilm reel)
Date (inclusive): 1848-1889
Abstract: Primarily correspondence and writings of Charles G. Halpine, a journalist, poet, and Union soldier, dating from 1848 to 1868.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Charles G. Halpine papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. Charles G. Halpine, 1966.
Biographical / Historical
Charles Graham Halpine (1829-1868) was born Charles Boyton Halpin in Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland, the son of a Church
of Ireland clergyman and editor of the Dublin Evening Mail. He studied medicine and law at Trinity College and wrote for various
newspapers in Dublin and London. Halpine married Margaret G. Milligan in 1849; he emigrated to the United States in 1850.
He became the co-editor of The Carpet-Bag journal, worked for the New York Herald and The New York Times, and in 1857 became
the principal editor of The Leader, a newspaper that supported Senator Stephen A. Douglas. In April 1861, Halpine enlisted
in Company D of the 69th New York State Militia. During the Civil War, he held various positions with the general volunteers
and obtained staff positions with General David Hunter and General John A. Dix; he was twice breveted and ended the war as
a brigadier general. Throughout his military service, Halpine continued to write for northern newspapers, often under the
guise of Private Miles O'Reilly, a fictional Irish soldier. Following the Civil War, he served as Register of the County of
New York, and assumed the editorship of The Citizen, a reform newspaper. In addition to his career in journalism, Halpine
also wrote poetry and fiction. He died in New York of a chloroform overdose at age 39.
Scope and Contents
The collection primarily consists of correspondence and writings of Charles G. Halpine, dating from 1848 to 1868. Also present
are photographs (mostly cartes-de-visite of Civil War soldiers), ephemera, newspaper clippings, an 1864 pocket diary, an incomplete
novel draft, and a biographical sketch of Halpine written by his wife, Margaret G. Halpine. Correspondence discusses New York
politics and literary life, and Halpine's experience in the U.S. Civil War. Correspondents include Horace Greeley, John Milton
Hay, David Hunter, Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers, Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber, Alfred Howe Terry, and Margaret G. Halpine.
Some letters written by Halpine and others are photocopies made from microfilm loaned by William Hanchett in 1967.
Processing Information
This finding aid was created in 2022 by Melissa Haley as part of the American Presidential Papers Project with enhanced description
of the presidential material present. The items had been assembled physically and arranged by Huntington Library former staff
in the mid-20th century.
General
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssHP 1-201.
Arrangement
Correspondence is arranged chronologically; Halpine's poems are organized alphabetically by title.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
American literature -- 19th century
American poetry -- 19th century
Irish Americans -- Archives
Journalism -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Journalists -- United States -- Correspondence
New York (N.Y.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
New York (N.Y.) -- Politics and Government -- To 1898 -- Sources
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Greeting cards
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Poetry
Cartes-de-visite (card photographs)
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Poems -- United States -- 19th century
Writings (documents) -- United States -- 19th century
Greeley, Horace, 1811-1872
Halpine, Margaret G.
Hunter, David, 1802-1886
Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875
Rodgers, C. R. P. (Christopher Raymond Perry), 1819-1892
Shillaber, B. P. (Benjamin Penhallow), 1814-1890
Terry, Alfred Howe, 1827-1890
Box 1
Correspondence and writings
1848-1861
Box 2
Correspondence and writings
1862-1863
Box 3
Correspondence and writings
1864-1865
Box 4
Correspondence and writings
1866-1889, undated
Scope and Contents
Includes Andrew Johnson, Washington, D.C., letter to Charles G. Halpine, New York, 1867 December 26 (HP 135).
Box 9
Oversize: writings, obituaries, clippings
1847-1866, undated
Box 10
Microfilm
Scope and Contents
One reel of microfilm created for and loaned by Halpine biographer William Hanchett containing copies of Halpine letters,
most likely of items in the collections of the Library of Congress.
Folder Oversize 1
"To Amos": A humorous appointment as "Captain of the Port of Greeleyville" signed "John Brown Fanatico" HP 188
