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The Confederate States Almanac, and Repository of Useful Knowledge

Clarke, H. C., of Vicksburg, Miss.
Vicksburg, Miss
1862
Sevier Collection, AY381 .C5, Vanderbilt University Special Collections

Clarke’s Confederate almanac was printed as a fundraiser for the Confederate Veterans Camp of Atlanta, Georgia, with 25 percent of the profit going to the camp. It lists planting seasons for Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, California, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, including the 11 Confederate states plus California, Missouri and Kansas.

Along with the typical planting guides and astrological projections, Clarke’s almanac lists dates when Confederate forts were overtaken by Federal troops as well as other dates significant to Confederates, including the inauguration of Jefferson Davis as president of the Confederacy on February 18, 1861. The “Repository of Useful Knowledge” contains a chronological breakdown of the war, images of key figures, postage rates in the Confederate States of America, army wages (from privates who earned $11 per month of service, plus one food ration/day and a clothing allotment to generals who received a flat $301/month), a list of Confederate officers, including those commanding, those killed and those who had resigned and other Confederate propaganda.