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About the collection

The Hampton Roads Peace Conference was a confidential meeting that took place between Union and Confederate leaders in Hampton Roads, Virginia, on February 3, 1865. President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward met with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens, Senator Robert M.T. Hunter, and Assistant Secretary of War John A. Campbell to discuss terms for peace. The conference was ultimately a failure.

This collection contains correspondence between Conference participants, US Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, and Thomas T. Eckert, Head of US War Department Telegraph Staff. It also contains notes from the Conference, a political cartoon depicting the Conference, and photographs of Thomas T. Eckert.

Browse the Hampton Roads Peace Conference Digital Collection