In South Philadelphia, at the corner of Washington Avenue and Swanson Street, a neighborhood grocer named Barzilai Brown began distributing food to soldiers traveling to and from the nearby Navy Yard and railroads. This operation, originally referred to as "Brown's," became the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon on May 27, 1861. Samuel B. Fales was the Corresponding Secretary of the saloon.
The establishment grew and became a place of rest, relaxation, and, of course, refreshment for travel-weary soldiers, whom the saloon provided with food, drink, paper, and stamps. Troops stopping at the saloon were also given travel directions, names of army officials and contacts, and places of local interest. In September 1861 a hospital was added to better accommodate sick and wounded soldiers.
The saloon received donations of food, clothing, and money. In 1863 a captured Confederate naval vessel, "Ram," was lent to the saloon. The admission fees gathered from those viewing the boat were applied to the saloon and helped with the upkeep and growth of the hospital and other facilities.
The Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon closed in late 1865. In the course of its operation it aided thousands of Union troops and provided them with food, clothing, and medical attention. The establishment was able to unite the neighborhood and the city behind a common cause and provided relief to many during a time of great need.
The Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon epitomizes the civilian-led relief organizations of the Civil War. The saloon was begun by a group of private volunteers and sustained itself for the duration of the war by relying on donations and its own enterprises. It never received any government aid. This collection includes items that attest to the importance of the saloon and its efforts to aid not only soldiers, but their families.
The Samuel B. Fales Collection is an eclectic group of papers and ephemera documenting the internal workings, as well as public perceptions, of the saloon. As Corresponding Secretary, Fales was directly involved in the daily routine of the saloon. Most of the correspondence in the collection was neither sent to nor written by him, yet it reflects the business of the saloon through the papers of other board members and correspondence pertaining to events, functions, donations, and goods ordered. Invoices list items purchased from merchants, grocers, butchers, and tailors, to name a few.
Dated internal forms and memoranda provide listings of regiments that passed through. The most detailed records of the soldiers who stopped at the saloon exist in the hospital records, which describe illnesses, wounds, and treatments given to the soldiers there. Names, birthplaces, and ages of the troops are often listed. Some correspondence relates to soldiers that died while at the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon; many relatives and friends thank the saloon for the care given to the soldiers and for helping them arrange for the men's bodies to arrive home. These letters offer the most sincere testament to the important and indispensable role that the saloon filled with efficiency and careful attention. There are also thank-you notes from soldiers who were grateful for the food and welcome that they received at the saloon.
The financial records of the saloon are not an extensive part of the collection. Nevertheless, letters regarding contributions, cash books, and invoices provide an overview of the saloon's financial situation.
The bulk of the collection is miscellaneous material. Newspaper clippings relating to the saloon describe its activities and indicate public (and media) perceptions of it. Printed materials that were given to the soldiers to the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon demonstrate the care and attention that was given to the soldiers and provide insights into what soldiers may have expected when visiting the saloon. Tickets for the saloon's activities are evidence of its attempts to engage the soldiers and the community in its cause, and items pertaining to the history of the saloon, though not detailed, describe rules, regulations, and basic operations. There are also some items describing the history of the Cooper Shop Refreshment Saloon, a similar organization.
In addition, there are some items pertaining to the United States Sanitary Commission and the Great Central Fair. Sanitary Commission items offer limited insights into the working relationship fostered between it and the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon.
Some of Fales's personal ephemera and correspondence is included in the collection. His postwar activities at the Union League and his affiliation with other patriotic organizations is documented in a rudimentary fashion, and these papers include Fales's endeavors to locate art depicting Civil War subjects and some papers (mostly printed material) pertaining to the creation of a Lincoln monument.
The Samuel B. Fales Collection provides significant insight into Civil War civilian relief organizations. Although the collection is eclectic and comprised largely of small bits of miscellaneous material involving many different people and activities, by piecing together the many different types of documents that exist in the collection it is possible to trace the basic operations of the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon and describe its evolution from a place that provided a hot meal to a hospital and sanctuary, and eventually, a social services site for soldiers and their families that helped them to procure transportation, employment, and a sympathetic respite from the hardships of war.
The correspondence of Samuel Fales is a mixture of incoming and outgoing letters. There are also many items not addressed to or written by Fales.
Correspondence of the war years includes letters regarding donations and items relating to the daily business of the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon. Some items are difficult to identify and seem to be letters that Fales came across and collected during the course of his duties with the saloon.
Postwar correspondence includes letters to former associates, letters to Fales from family, friends, and business acquaintances, and some correspondence pertaining to Fales's involvement in the Union League.
Receipts and invoices pertaining to the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon provide information about what types of goods were being purchased, who was purchasing them, and from whom they received their supplies.
Items pertaining to soldiers treated at the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon, including letters of thanks from soldiers and their families, are included in this series. There are also items relating to contributions received by the saloon and papers that document the relationship of the U.S. Sanitary Commission and the saloon. There are some items concerning the Great Central Fair.
There are some items that describe in limited detail the history of the saloon and some of its activities, including information about the "Ram," a captured Confederate boat lent to the saloon so that they could raise some additional funds.
Some items pertain to Edward Moran, an artist who completed several paintings of the Union Volunteer Refreshment saloon.
Of some special interest, although not related to the workings of the saloon, is a General Order (15 June 1863) from J.E.B. Stuart congratulating the Confederate army on their recent victory at Fleetwood, where the northern troops learned the "weight of Southern vengeance."
Forms used by the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon list the regiment (when applicable), the number of men arrived or expected, and sometimes list hospital admittances and discharges.
Hospital records list the date, the names of soldiers treated, their ages, and what they were treated for. Other remarks are occasionally added. Hospital discharge records indicate soldiers' names, ranks, and regiments. Other papers include letters from regiments requesting information about soldiers who were being treated at the saloon's hospital and some documents and notes pertaining to the activities of the hospital.
Volumes contain account information regarding cash flow, orders made, and donations received by the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon. Hospital books list the names, ranks, ages, and ailments of soldiers treated there, with additional remarks when necessary.
This collection was approached in January 2001 as part of an EAD encoding project. At
that time, the papers were already organized into series. Some subseries were
created in order to further organize the collection. In particular, the
The collection is open for research.
Gift of Samuel B. Fales.
Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Samuel B. Fales collection of Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon papers (Collection 1580), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon (Collection 2074)
Bills, receipts, correspondence, and newspaper clippings present a comprehensive view of the activities of the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon, 1861-1865. This organization cared for thousands of Union soldiers as they passed through Philadelphia, and the papers and books name many of those so helped. The hospital books, 1861-1865, in particular, give the name, regiment, and home of each man treated. Another book gives names and addresses of Southerners separated from their families. Other books list donations and subscriptions.