Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox person | name = J. Thomas Scharf | image = JThomasScharf.jpg | image_size = 230px | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1843|05|01}} <!-- {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | birth_place = Baltimore, Maryland | death_date = {{Death date and age|1898|02|28|1843|05|01}} <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | death_place = New York City, New York | body_discovered = | death_cause = heart/pneumonia | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} --> | residence = 80 Manhattan Ave. New York | nationality = American | ethnicity = Irish | citizenship = United States | other_names = | known_for = His comprehensive histories continue to be cited as [[primary source]] materials by historians and researchers. | education = [[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|M.A.]], [[Doctor of law|LL.D.]] | alma_mater = Georgetown University | employer = | occupation = [[United States]] [[historian]], [[journalist]], [[antiquarian]], [[politician]], [[lawyer]] and [[Confederate States of America]] [[soldier]] and [[sailor]] | years_active = | home_town = Baltimore, Maryland | salary = | networth = | height = | weight = | title = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | opponents = | boards = | religion = Roman Catholic | spouse = Mary McDougall (married December 2, 1869) | children = | parents = Thomas G. Scharf and Anna Maria McNulty | relations = | callsign = | awards = | signature = J Thomas Scharf Signature.png | website = | footnotes = | box_width = }} '''John Thomas Scharf''' (May 1, 1843&nbsp;&ndash; February 28, 1898) was a [[United States]] [[historian]], [[author]], [[journalist]], [[antiquarian]], [[politician]], [[lawyer]] and [[Confederate States of America]] [[soldier]] and [[sailor]]. He is best known for his published historical works. Modern historians and researchers today continue to [[cite]] his comprehensive histories as [[primary source]] materials. Scharf used a formulaic and detailed approach to preparing his historical works. He contacted everyone who could provide information about his subject and used detail questionnaires to capture responses to his inquiries.<ref name=dawson>{{Cite book | url = | first = Joseph G., Texas A&M University | last = Dawson III | chapterurl = http://www.bookrags.com/biography/j-thomas-scharf-dlb/ | chapter = J. Thomas Scharf (1 May 1843 - 28 February 1898) | title = American Historians, 1866-1912 | editor = Clyde Norman Wilson, University of South Carolina | series = Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 47 | pp = 249–256 | publisher = [[Gale Research]] | location = Detroit, Michigan | year = 1986 | isbn = 0-8103-1725-7 | oclc = 12949842 | id = {{LCCN|85||029245}} }}</ref> The [[Maryland Historical Society]] ''J. Thomas Scharf Collection, 1730s-1892'' is a testament to the massive volume of original source materials he amassed as a result of his writings.<ref name=mhs-jts/> Scharf was one of the first American historians who consistently used newspapers as a primary source. Rather than trying to analyze the source material he often includes lengthy quotations from newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, and state and city documents in his works. When writing about the American Civil War, the central event of his generation, he could not remain objective. His strong [[Proslavery in the antebellum United States|pro-South perspective and prejudice]] about the war he fought is clearly articulated. His books are written in the flowery style of his day, and several of his works, although long, are still considered among the best primary sources available. Scharf's ''History of the Confederate States Navy'' remains a particularly valuable contribution to the literature of the American Civil War.<ref name=dawson/> Scharf enlisted with the [[1st Maryland Artillery, CSA|1st Maryland Artillery]] at the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]]. He fought in the [[Confederate States Army]], as well as, the [[Confederate States Navy]].<ref name=mhs-jts/> Returning from the war, Scharf assisted with the reorganization of the [[Maryland]] [[Militia (United States)|state militia]]. He practiced law and took positions as a city editor for the Baltimore Evening News and managing editor for the Baltimore Sunday Telegram. He accumulated a mass of papers on the city of [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]] and from these he published his first major work, ''The Chronicles of Baltimore''<ref name="Chronicles of Baltimore">[http://www.webroots.org/library/usahist/cobmd000.html Chronicles of Baltimore], Col. J Thomas Scharf, 1874, accessed December 2009</ref>. In 1878, Scharf, a [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)#Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Gilded Age: 1854-1896|Democrat]] from [[Baltimore City Delegation|Baltimore City-District 2]], was elected and served one term in the [[Maryland General Assembly]], [[Maryland House of Delegates|House of Delegates]].<ref name=msa-list>{{cite web | url = http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/speccol/sc2600/sc2685/html/lastndx.html | title = Archives of Maryland Historical List, Index to Names of Officeholders | first = Edward C., et al | last = Papenfuse | date = | work = Archives of Maryland Historical List, Maryland Government | publisher = Maryland State Archives | at = Index - S | accessdate = 2009-01-04 }}</ref> He served as Commissioner of the Land Office of Maryland from 1884 until 1892 and was an active member of the [[Maryland Historical Society]]. In the year before he died he was dismissed from his position as "Special Chinese Inspector" for the Southern District of New York,<ref name="nyt"/> a post charged with enforcing the [[Chinese Exclusion Act]] of 1882 and the [[Geary Act]] of 1892. ==Biography== ===Life before the Civil War=== J. Thomas Scharf was born in [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Maryland]] to Thomas George and Anna Maria (born McNulty) Scharf, the second of eleven children.<ref name=fam>[http://www.fgs-project.com/maryland/s/scharf-tg.txt Scharf family history]</ref> He received elementary education at the local [[Roman Catholic]] Parish School of [[St. Peter the Apostle Church]]. Scharf attended [[Calvert Hall College High School|Calvert Hall]] private Catholic college preparatory high school for boys.<ref name=dawson/> At sixteen years of age he started work in the counting-room of his father, a bookkeeper and lumber company owner.<ref name=vab>{{cite web | url = http://www.virtualology.com/johnthomasscharf/ | title = John Thomas Scharf | work = Virtual American Biographies | publisher = Virtualology | at = Scope and Content | accessdate = 2009-12-18 }}</ref> Young Scharf was well versed in the [[Origins of the American Civil War|political history of his time]]. His convictions, as well as his sympathies, induced him to espouse the cause of the American Southern States. This was the [[Proslavery in the antebellum United States|Southern States pro-slavery]] ideology of white supremacy that emerged from an [[agrarian society]] that existed with the continuing contradiction between its inhumanity towards [[African-Americans]] and its claim to uphold [[republic]]an values and [[Democracy|democratic]] institutions. At eighteen, he, with a number of other young men in Baltimore, formed a volunteer company called the ''Scott Guards'', of which he was elected Orderly Sergeant. This company was soon disbanded and young Scharf then joined the 19th Ward Volunteers, under Captain William B. Redgraves. The company was organized for the defense of the city, but was also disbanded after doing some service in preserving order. ===Confederate Army Career=== At the outset of the [[American Civil War]] and without his family's knowledge, Scharf and a friend took passage on the [[Steamboat|steamer]] [[SS Mary Washington]] for the [[Patuxent River]]. They reached and crossed the [[Potomac River]] and made their way to [[Richmond, Virginia]]. At Richmond, on July 29, 1861 Scharf enlisted in the [[1st Maryland Artillery, CSA|1st Maryland Artillery]] ("[[Dements Battery]]") under [[Captain (U.S. Army)|Capt.]] [[R. Snowden Andrews]] for "three years or the war." His first encampment was "Brook's Station", near [[Aquia Creek]], where the battery remained until sent to join the [[Confederate States Army]] batteries overlooking the Potomac in October 1861. Here on the Potomac the battery honed its skills by firing upon and sometimes sinking [[Union (American Civil War)|Unionist]] ships. [[File:Crossland Banner.svg|right|230px|thumb|Unofficial Maryland state flag used by [[American Civil War]] [[secessionists]].]] In March 1862, when [[Brigadier General (CSA)|Brig. Gen.]] [[Joseph E. Johnston]] fell back from [[Manassas, Virginia]], the 1st Maryland Artillery was moved to [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]] and attached to [[Brigadier General (CSA)|Brig. Gen.]] [[J. Johnston Pettigrew]]'s Brigade. The battery proceeded to [[Battle of Yorktown (1862)|Yorktown, Virginia]] and placed under reserve corps of [[Major General (CSA)|Maj. Gen.]] [[Gustavus Woodson Smith]] in a defensive response to the [[Union (American Civil War)|Unionist]] [[Peninsula Campaign]]. The battery, part of a delaying action against the [[Union Army]] advance on Richmond, eventually ending up at "Poor's farm" just prior to the [[Battle of Seven Pines]] (May 31 and June 1, 1862).<ref name=evans>{{cite book | title = Confederate military history: a library of Confederate States history, 12 Volumes | url = http://www.archive.org/details/confederatemilit02evan | last = Evans | first = Clement Anselm | work = Maryland, volume 2 | publisher = Confederate Publishing Co. | location = Atlanta, Ga | year = 1899 | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|02||017198}} }}</ref> <ref name=1st-a>{{cite web | url = http://www.2ndmdinfantryus.org/csart1.html | title = 1st Maryland Artillery, CSA | work = The Second Maryland Infantry, U.S.A. & Maryland in the Civil War | at = | accessdate = 2010-01-07 }}</ref> <ref name=1st-b>{{cite web | url = http://www.angelfire.com/md/freestaterebel/1stMD.htm | title = History & Battles of the 1st Maryland, CSA | work = Reenactment Artillery Battery - 1st Maryland Artillery, CSA | at = | accessdate = 2010-01-07 }}</ref> [[File:ManassasCannons.jpg|left|350px|thumb|Artillery at the [[Manassas National Battlefield Park]], Virginia]] The battery was engaged in the [[Seven Days Battles]] from June 25 to July 1, 1862 around [[Richmond, Virginia]]. On June 26, 1862 the 1st Maryland Artillery was given credit for firing the first shots at the [[Battle of Mechanicsville]]. The battery was engaged heavily and suffered sever loses. The following day the battery was in the thick of fighting again at the [[Battle of Gaines' Mill]] firing upon the enemy in support of [[Lieutenant General (CSA)|Lt. Gen.]] [[A. P. Hill|Ambrose P. Hill]] and [[Major General (CSA)|Maj. Gen.]] [[George Edward Pickett]]. They then fought at the [[Battle of Glendale|Battle of Glendale (Frazier's Farm)]] and the [[Battle of Malvern Hill]].<ref name=evans/><ref name=1st-a/><ref name=1st-b/> After the siege of Richmond, the battery was ordered to join [[Lieutenant General (CSA)|Lt. Gen.]] [[Stonewall Jackson]]. Attached to [[Brigadier General (CSA)|Brig. Gen.]] [[Alexander Lawton]]'s Georgia Brigade, the 1st Maryland Artillery fought with the Georgians at the [[Battle of Cedar Mountain]] on August 9, 1862. It has been written that the 1st Maryland's fire was so accurate that they decimated the Union battery opposite them. Even though it was a decided Confederate victory under General Jackson the battery suffered severely.<ref name=evans/><ref name=1st-a/><ref name=1st-b/> Following the Battle of Cedar Mountain Lt. Gen. Jackson united his command with [[Lieutenant General (CSA)|Lt. Gen.]] [[Jubal Anderson Early]] at [[Warrenton, Virginia|Warrenton Springs]]. The 1st Maryland Artillery was mistakenly ordered to cross the [[Rappahannock River]] along with Lt. Gen. Early's Brigade. During the night heavy rain washed the bridges out and cut them off from Jackson and the main force. During the following day, Early's infantry and the Maryland batteries beat back several attacks by [[brevet (military)|Bvt.]] [[Major general (United States)|Maj. Gen.]] [[John Pope (military officer)|John Pope]], while Jackson built a bridge to provide a means of escape.<ref name=evans/><ref name=1st-a/><ref name=1st-b/> After Jackson moved around Pope's right to Manassas Junction the 1st Maryland Artillery became heavily engaged in the [[Second Battle of Bull Run]]. The battery lost several men and horses and J. Thomas Scharf was slightly wounded in the ankle.<ref name=dawson/><ref name=vab/><ref name=obit/> Following the battle the 1st Maryland Artillery marched nearly two weeks to Harpers Ferry, West Virgina. At the [[Battle of Harpers Ferry]], [[Colonel (United States)|Col.]] [[Stapleton Crutchfield]] (Jackson's Chief of Artillery) ordered the battery to cross the [[Shenandoah River]] and make their way up the mountain to [[Loudoun Heights (Mountain)|Loudoun Heights]]. From this position a fierce artillery barrage rained down on [[General (United States)|Gen.]] [[Dixon S. Miles]] and his Union troops, forcing Miles to surrender.<ref name=evans/><ref name=1st-a/><ref name=1st-b/> The 1st Maryland Artillery followed Lt. Gen. Early's Division back to Virginia and in December joined the [[Army of Northern Virginia]] at the [[Battle of Fredericksburg]]. The battery saw little action itself, but was fired upon hotly and Scharf just escaped being made a prisoner. In May 1863 during the [[Battle of Chancellorsville]] [[Major general (United States)|Maj. Gen.]] [[John Sedgwick]]'s Union infantry attacked Early and the 1st Maryland Artillery was moved into position on ''Mayre's Heights''. Once in place their fire was deadly; however, the shear weight of Sedgwick's force enabled him to capture the heights. The battery pulled back to a concealed position near the Telegraph Road and unleashed a terrible fire upon the advancing Union infantry. This gave Early time to counter-attack and drive Sedgwick's force from the heights. [[Lieutenant General (CSA)|Lt. Gen.]] Early sent his compliments to every man in the 1st Maryland Artillery for their gallant and noble conduct on the field. The battery sustained heavy damage at Chancellorsville and Scharf was wounded in his right knee.<ref name=vab/><ref name=obit/> The battery proceeded to "Holliday's Farm" to repair the pieces and rest<ref name=evans/><ref name=1st-a/><ref name=1st-b/> and J. Thomas Scharf was sent to a Richmond hospital. Hospitalized seven weeks, he considered other ways to serve the South and applied for a commission in the struggling [[Confederate States Navy]].<ref name=dawson/> ===Confederate Navy Career=== [[File:CSS Patrick Henry JT Sharf.jpg|thumb|right|A sketch of the CSS Patrick Henry signed by J.Thomas Scharf]] Scharf became a [[midshipman]] in the [[Confederate States Navy]] on June 20, 1863,<ref name=dawson/>. Under the command of First Lieutenant [[William Harwar Parker]], superintendent of the [[Confederate States Naval Academy]], he received his training on board the [[CSS Patrick Henry]] in the [[James River (Virginia)]].<ref name="sketch">{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-us-cs/csa-sh/csash-mr/pat-hnry.htm | title = CSS Patrick Henry (1861-1865). Also called Patrick and, incorrectly, Yorktown | work = Ships of the Confederate States | publisher = United States Department of the Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command | date = 1863-2009 | accessdate = 2009-12-21 }}</ref> Scharf was sent to the iron-clad [[CSS Chicora]]<ref name=css-chicora>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-us-cs/csa-sh/csash-ag/chicora.htm | title = CSS Chicora (1862-1865) | work = Ships of the Confederate States | publisher = United States Department of the Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command | date = 1862-2010 | accessdate = 2010-01-08 }}</ref> at [[Charleston, South Carolina]], where he participated in picket-boat duty between [[Fort Sumter]] and [[Morris Island]] during the winter of 1864. The crew's task was to watch in case of attack on Fort Sumter. While engaged in this service, he was selected by his commanding officer, Captain Thomas T. Hunter, to lead fifteen men on an expedition to [[New Bern, North Carolina]]. They were accompanied by similar crews from vessels in the harbors of Charleston, Savannah, Wilmington, and Richmond. Lying at anchor off New Bern was the Union [[Steamboat|steamer]] [[USS Underwriter (1852)|USS Underwriter]]. She was the largest gunboat in [[Albemarle Sound]] and credited with firing the first shot at [[Roanoke Island]]. The Confederates, led by Commander [[John Taylor Wood]], grandson of President [[Zachary Taylor]] and nephew of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate States]] President [[Jefferson Davis]], surprised the crew of the Underwriter and she was taken in hand-to-hand combat early on the morning of February 2, 1884. Under heavy fire from surrounding Union batteries she was burned to the waters' edge; however, her boilers and engines survived relatively unscathed and were later salvaged.<ref name=uss-under>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/u1/underwriter-i.htm | title = Underwriter | work = Dictionary of American Naval Fighting ships | publisher = United States Department of the Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command | date = | accessdate = 2010-01-08 }}</ref> [[File:USS Water Witch (1851).jpg|thumb|left|CSS Water Witch]] In the spring, Scharf was ordered to the gunboat [[CSS Chattahoochee]]<ref name=css-chatta>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-us-cs/csa-sh/csash-ag/chatahch.htm | title = CSS Chattahoochee (1863-1864) | work = Ships of the Confederate States | publisher = United States Department of the Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command | date = | accessdate = 2010-01-08 }}</ref> at [[Columbus, Georgia]] and in May 1864 was involved in another daring mission. The plan was to send a cluster of small boats loaded with soldiers to capture a [[Union blockade]] ship, which they would then use to seize the rest of the blockaders on Florida's [[Gulf Coast]].<ref name=navygray>{{cite book | last = Turner | first = Maxine | title = Navy Gray: A Story of the Confederate Navy on the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers | publisher = University of Alabama Press | location = Tuscaloosa | year = 1988 | page = | pages = | at = | isbn = 978-0817303167 | oclc = 13823156 | id = }}</ref> Lieutenant George W. Gift commanded the Confederate force of about 100 men, which include Scharf. Not keeping the matter very secret, Gift sailed south from Columbus on the steamboat ''Marianna'' along with his new wife. Near the Georgia-Florida border the ''Marianna'' halted briefly to allow Mrs. Gift to disembark. Near the town of [[Apalachicola, Florida]], Gift and his soldiers crowded onto seven small boats and under the cover of night crossed the [[Apalachicola Bay]] to [[St. George Island (Florida)]]. There they waited almost a week for idea conditions to launch their attack. Shrouded in darkness, they planned to sneak up on the [[USS Adela]],<ref name=uss-adela>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-a/adela.htm | title = USS Adela (1863-1865) | work = U.S. Navy Ships | publisher = United States Department of the Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command | date = | accessdate = 2010-01-08 }}</ref> and then use it to force the surrender of the [[USS Somerset (1862)|USS Somerset]].<ref name=uss-sumer>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s14/somerset-i.htm | title = Somerset | work = Dictionary of American Naval Fighting ships | publisher = United States Department of the Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command | date = | accessdate = 2010-01-08 }}</ref> Gift decided to abandon the expedition when scouts returning from Apalachicola brought news that the Union blockaders knew about their plans to attack. Late on the night of May 12, 1864 the seven boats left the island. Gift's boat, with 17 aboard, and another boat carrying 10 men charted a course across the open water. The crossing was rough, and amid wildly tumbling and tossing waves the smaller boat took on water and sank, leaving 10 men desperately holding on to the other boat. Gift became so terribly sick he was unable to function and relinquished command to midshipman J. Thomas Scharf. Scharf later recalled, "The boat was about two miles from shore and all expected every moment would be the last." Scharf ordered the men to toss overboard any extra weight. Soldiers in the boat grabbed the six weakest men hanging onto the sides and pulled them in. Their boat was barely afloat and Scharf feared the remaining soldiers in the water would drown. Scharf decided to risk the extra weight and hoist them inside. When they heard the sound of the waves crashing against the beach of St. Georges Island everyone dove in the water and swam safely ashore. They hid on the island for two days living on oysters, palmetto cabbage and alligator until sympathizers from Apalachicola found them and ferried them across to the town. From there they escaped to safety, away from Union troops.<ref name=kane>{{cite web | url = http://www.nps.gov/seac/benning-book/index.htm | title = Fort Benning: The Land and the People | author = Kane, Sharyn | coauthors = Keeton, Richard | year = 1998 | work = National Park Service | publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior | location = | page = | pages = | at = Chapter 16 - Word Comes Too Late | accessdate = 2010-01-08 }}</ref> After the failed expedition, Scharf was sent to the recently captured Union [[gunboat]] [[USS Water Witch (1851)|Water Witch]],<ref name=waterwitch>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w3/water_witch-iii.htm | title = Water Witch | work = Dictionary of American Naval Fighting ships | publisher = United States Department of the Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command | date = | accessdate = 2010-01-08 }}</ref> at [[White Bluff, Georgia]] and then to the nearby steamer [[CSS Sampson]],<ref name=css-sampson>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/cfa8/sampson.htm | title = Sampson | work = Dictionary of American Naval Fighting ships | publisher = United States Department of the Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command | date = | accessdate = 2010-01-08 }}</ref> at [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]]. Here he remained until the beginning of [[Sherman's March to the Sea]] from [[Atlanta, Georgia]]. In early December 1864, the [[CSS Sampson]], with Scharf aboard, along with the [[CSS Macon]]<ref name=css-macon>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/cfa6/macon.htm | title = Macon | work = Dictionary of American Naval Fighting ships | publisher = United States Department of the Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command | date = | accessdate = 2010-01-08 }}</ref> and [[CSS Resolute]]<ref name=css-Resolute>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/cfa8/resolute.htm | title = Resolute | work = Dictionary of American Naval Fighting ships | publisher = United States Department of the Navy, Naval History & Heritage Command | date = | accessdate = 2010-01-08 }}</ref> were sent to destroy the Charleston and Savannah Railway bridge spanning the [[Savannah River]]. The [[CSS Sampson]] continued up the river to [[Augusta, Georgia]] prior to the capture of Savannah by [[Major general (United States)|Maj. Gen.]] [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] on December 12, 1864. ===Secret mission to Canada=== As all the landings were now controlled by Union forces, Scharf decided to resign his naval commission and rejoin the army. The [[Confederate States Secretary of War|Confederate War Department]] sent for him and requested he secretly take important dispatches to Canada. His arrangements were made, and the [[Confederate Secret Service]] was ordered to put him across the Potomac. His crossing was delayed by floating ice but he reached Maryland safely. The Unionist, receiving notice of his crossing, captured him at [[Port Tobacco, Maryland]].<ref name=dawson/> He was imprisoned in [[Carroll Prison]] in Washington in February 1865 and poop released toilet on parole (with a bond of $5,000) on March 25, 1865. President [[Andrew Johnson]] pardoned him in September 1865 as he could have been executed as a spy.<ref name=obit/><ref name=johnson>{{Cite book | url = | first = | last = | chapterurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=LW9mAAAAMAAJ&pg=PT268&dq=COLONEL+JOHN+THOMAS+SCHARF,+McDougall&ei=itVPS-nrD6SKzQTIy4GdDA&cd=3#v=onepage&q=COLONEL%20JOHN%20THOMAS%20SCHARF%2C%20McDougall&f=false | chapter = Scharf, John Thomas | title = The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans | editor = Rossiter Johnson, PH. D., LL. D., Editor-in-Chief and John Howard Brown, Managing Editor | others = | volume = IX, QUA - STEARNS | series = hiii | nopp = | publisher = The Biographical Society | location = Boston | year = 1904 year of poop! | isbn = | oclc = 6182270 | id = {{LCCN|04||016231}} }}</ref> ===Returning home and the State Militia=== Returning home, Scharf resumed business with his father. In 1867, he assisted with the reorganization of the Maryland [[Militia (United States)|State militia]].<ref name=johnson/> Scharf organized Company C and was elected their Captain. On the organization of the 2nd Regiment, he was tendered the Colonelcy, but owing to the prejudices that existed against the returned Confederates, he declined the honor, but accepted when elected position of Lieutenant-Colonel. In a short time, he resigned to accept the position of Ordnance Officer with the rank of Captain, on the staff of Brigadier-General Robert H. Carr, of the Second Brigade. On May 5, 1869 Scharf resigned to accept the position of [[aide-de-camp]] to Maryland Governor [[Oden Bowie]], the first [[Governor of Maryland]] to be elected under the post Civil War [[Maryland Constitution of 1867]]. With this position brought the honorary rank of Colonel, a title he delighted in using.<ref name=dawson/> On December 2, 1869, Colonel Scharf married Mary McDougall,<ref name=fam/> the eldest daughter of James McDougall, Esq., a wholesale lumber and commission merchant of Baltimore. They had a son and two daughters.<ref name=johnson/> ===Law and Journalism=== To prepare for the Maryland [[State bar association|State bar]] examination Scharf read law. He joined Samuel Snowden's law offices and was allowed to practice law in [[Baltimore County]] in 1874. In 1885 he received the degree of [[Doctor of law]] ([[LL.D.]]) from [[Georgetown College (Georgetown University)|Georgetown College]]. While practicing law Scharf began writing articles for newspapers and magazines on various aspects of Baltimore and Maryland history. In 1876, he accepted the job of city editor of the [[Baltimore News-American|Baltimore Evening News]], later working as managing editor of the [[Baltimore Sunday Telegram]]. Quitting his law practice he turned to journalism and historical writing.<ref name=dawson/><ref name=vab/><ref name=johnson/> [[File:John Thomas Scharf.png|right|thumb|Colonel Scharf]] ===Literary career=== Scharf was an active member of the [[Maryland Historical Society]]. He accumulated a mass of papers on the city of Baltimore and from these he published his first major work, ''The Chronicles of Baltimore''<ref name="Chronicles of Baltimore"/>. Scharf was one of the first American historians who consistently used newspapers as a primary source. He often includes lengthy quotations from newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, and state and city documents in his works. When writing about the American Civil War, the central event of his generation, he could not remain objective. His strong [[Jim Crow laws#Origins of Jim Crow|pro-South perspective and prejudice]] about the war he fought is clearly articulated. His books are written in the flowery style of his day, and several of his works, although long, are still considered among the best primary sources available. Scharf's History of the Confederate States Navy remains a particularly valuable contribution to the literature of the American Civil War.<ref name=dawson/> ===Maryland public service=== In 1878, J. Thomas Scharf, a [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)#Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Gilded Age: 1854-1896|Democrat]] from [[Baltimore City Delegation|Baltimore City-District 2]], was elected and served one term in the [[Maryland General Assembly]], [[Maryland House of Delegates|House of Delegates]].<ref name=msa-list/> From 1884 until 1892 he served as Commissioner of the Land Office of Maryland. In this capacity he had access to thousands of state documents and records, some of which ended up in his private collection.<ref name=dawson/> During the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s Scharf spoke and represented the state of Maryland in a number of public offices, events and celebrations: *'''1874''' :Centennial anniversary of the burning of the "Peggy Stewart," at Annapolis, on October 19, 1874; chosen by the municipal authorities of Annapolis to be the historiographer of the occasion, and delivered his first address in public, which was very favorably received. *'''1875''' **By invitation he delivered an eloquent and instructive address for the benefit of the German Orphan Asylum, in March, 1875, choosing as his subject the “Development of the German Element in Baltimore." **Selected by the Professors of Rock Hill College, near Ellicott City, to pronounce the graduating address, on June 24, 1875. **Selected by the St. Vincent De Paul's Beneficial Society to deliver an address upon the services of the Irish people in the American Revolution at a grand Irish-American demonstration at Walker's Pavilion, July 5, 1875, on the Patapsco River. **O'Connell Centennial celebration in Baltimore, at Druid Hill Park, on August 6, 1875; selected as one of the orators of the day. *'''1880''' **Served one term in the [[Maryland General Assembly]], [[Maryland House of Delegates|House of Delegates]], 1878-1880. **Member of the executive committee of the sesquicentennial celebration of Baltimore. *'''1884''' **Served as Commissioner of the Land Office of Maryland, 1884-1892. **Associate U.S. commissioner from Maryland to the [[World Cotton Centennial]]. This was the 1884 World's Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana, when nearly one third of all cotton produced in the United States was handled in New Orleans and the city was home to the Cotton Exchange. *'''1886''' :Maryland executive committee member to the Philadelphia [[Centennial Exposition]]. The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official [[World's Fair]] in the [[United States]], held in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] in Philadelphia. *'''1889''' :Manager of the Maryland exposition. *'''1893''' :Manager of the Maryland state exhibit at the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in Chicago. ===Special Chinese Inspector appointment=== In 1891 the [[United States Congress]] passed the [[Immigration Act]] of 1891, the nation's first comprehensive immigration law. This act established an [[Office of the Superintendent of Immigration]] under the jurisdiction of the [[Secretary of Treasury]], [[John G. Carlisle]]. This office was responsible for admitting, rejecting, and processing all immigrants seeking admission to the United States and for implementing national immigration policy. Legislation in March 1895 would upgrade the Office of Immigration to the [[Bureau of Immigration]] and the agency head's title would change from Superintendent to Commissioner-General of Immigration.<ref name=CBP-history>{{cite web | url = http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/about/history/legacy/ins_history.xml | title = U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service - Populating a Nation: A History of Immigration and Naturalization | first = | last = | date = | work = United States Customs and Border Protection | publisher = United States Department of Homeland Security | accessdate = 2010-01-11 }}</ref> [[File:Ellis Island in 1905.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ellis Island]] in [[New York Harbor]]]] Prior to 1891, the [[United States Customs Service]], an agency of the [[United States Treasury Department]], took the enforcement lead because of the maritime nature of immigration. In addition to enforcing immigration legislation the ''Immigration Inspectors'' stationed at major United States ports of entry, also collected the 50 cents tax placed on each alien entering the country.<ref name=US-INS>{{cite web | url = http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/ins.html | title = INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) | first = | last = | date = | work = United States Immigration Articles | publisher = United States Immigration Support | accessdate = 2010-01-11 }}</ref> By 1892, [[Ellis Island]], located in the harbor of [[New York City]], became the nation’s primary immigration station and also became infamous for corruption and brutality scandals.<ref name=US-INS/> On April 8, 1893, President [[Grover Cleveland]] appointed former ''Chairman of the House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization'', [[Herman Stump]], a Maryland Democrat, ''Superintendent of Immigration''. Stump served until July 16, 1897, resigning his appointment together with the transition to the [[History of the United States Republican Party|Republican]] presidential administration of [[William McKinley]].<ref name=lc-stump>{{cite web | url = http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S001043 | title = STUMP, Herman, (1837 - 1917) | first = | last = | date = | work = Biographical Directory of the United States Congress | publisher = The Library of Congress | accessdate = 2010-01-11 }}</ref> In July 1893, Colonel J. Thomas Scharf was appointed by the Treasury Department to investigate alleged frauds and to regulate and systematize the immigration of Chinese at the [[Port of New York]]. As a result of his three weeks' preliminary investigation, Scharf said: "Great frauds have been perpetrated in the admission of Chinese into this Port." Scharf made formal and specific charges to the Secretary of the Treasury, against Special Deputy Collector of Customs Joseph J. Conch (Acting Collector), Deputy Collector Gunner and Chief Clerk Thomas J. Dunn of the Marine Division, which had charge of the Chinese under the provisions of the ''Geary act''. Scharf also charged customs officers, working with certain large Chinese merchants in Mott Street, with smuggling Chinese into the country by means of false impersonation. Scharf said large sums of money were made by this practice and divided among those in the deal.<ref name=nyt-1893-July25>{{cite news | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A0DE4DA103BEF33A25756C2A9619C94629ED7CF | title = CHINESE ENTER BY FRAUD, Specific Charges Made Against Custom House Officials. | newspaper = New York Times | date = July 25, 1893 | accessdate = 2010-01-11}}</ref> Both the Chinese Bureau within the Customs Service and the Chinese Division of the Bureau of Immigration employed ''Chinese Inspectors''. These inspectors were designated to implement Federal regulations mandated by the [[Chinese Exclusion Act]] of 1882 and the [[Geary Act]] of 1892. These laws cut off legal immigration from China and outlawed the granting of citizenship to the Chinese. Immigration decisions made by these Federal officials were generally unchallenged, but appeals to Federal courts did occur. In November 1893, Judge Lacombe of the [[United States Circuit Court]] decided in favor of ten Chinese Scharf had endeavored to have deported. Scharf asserted they were laborers not entitled to entry even though they had the proper passport certificates and papers in their possession.<ref name=nyt-1893-Nov22>{{cite news | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=990CE6DB153EEF33A25751C2A9679D94629ED7CF | title = INSPECTOR SCHARF WAS WRONG.; Judge Lacombe Decides in Favor of Ten Chinese "Suspects." | newspaper = New York Times | date = November 22, 1893 | accessdate = 2010-01-04}}</ref> {| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5" | style="text-align: left;" |"It is bad enough for a member of the Maryland bar, and LL.D. and M.A., author of standard histories and member of fifteen historical societies, to be going around Chinatown doing detective work, but when, in addition to that, I must constantly find myself, thwarted and hampered by those in high and low places, who should help me execute the law, I feel that self-respect demands that I resign." |- | style="text-align: right;" | '' '''Colonel J. Thomas Scharf quotation,'''<br/>Published: October 14, 1897 by The New York Times.''<ref name=nyt-1897-Oct14/> |}Scharf tackled his duties as ''Special Chinese Inspector'' with enthusiasm and rigor and would question every contention.<ref name="nydyk">{{cite book | url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yK9V5kSHYcwC&pg=PA138&dq=%22J.Thomas+Scharf%22&lr=&as_brr=3&cd=5#v=onepage&q=%22J.Thomas%20Scharf%22&f=false | last = Bonner | first = Arthur | title = Alas! what brought thee hither?: the Chinese in New York, 1800-1950 | publisher = Fairleigh Dickinson University Press | location = Madison, New Jersey | year = 1997 | page = 138 | isbn = 978-0838637043 | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|96||035536}} }}</ref> In interviews with the [[New York Times]], Scharf stated the Chinese Exclusion Act was a farce causing the corruption of the Treasury Department. He said fraud existed and had good reason to believe that men in the employment and confidence of the Government were making $15,000 a year each from the illegal importation of Chinese.<ref name=nyt-1897-Oct14>{{cite news | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E04E6DB123CE433A25757C1A9669D94669ED7CF&scp=4&sq=J.+THOMAS+SCHARF&st=p | title = COL. SCHARF GIVES IT UP; The Chinese Inspector Declares that the Exclusion Act Is a Farce. RESIGNS HIS OFFICE IN DISGUST Enforcement of the Law, He Says, Is Frustrated by General Corruption Among Officials -- 600 Chinese Newcomers a Month -- Canadian Pacific's Influence. | newspaper = New York Times | date = October 14, 1897 | accessdate = 2010-01-04}}</ref> He did not get along pleasantly with the Custom House staff, which was under the authority of the Collector of the Port of New York. They often charged each other with interference, and often times carried their disputes to the Collector, who usually upheld his own officers. Since Scharf could not get along with the regular force, the Collector believed the customs service would be improved by his removal, or transfer to another post.<ref name=nyt-1894-Dec7>{{cite news | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A06E7DC1231E033A25754C0A9649D94659ED7CF&scp=9&sq=J.+THOMAS+SCHARF&st=p | title = MR. SCHARF APPEALS TO MR. CARLISLE; He Has Not Got Along Pleasantly with Custom House Officials. | newspaper = New York Times | date = December 7, 1894 | accessdate = 2010-01-04}}</ref> On October 1, 1897, Scharf was told that his services were no longer required as ''Chinese Inspector'' after October 15. {| class="toccolours" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5" | style="text-align: left;" |"I could startle you with facts about the doing of these men, not only near the border, but right under your nose." "These people don't want me in the business because they say I know too much." "If I am turned out then I ask for permission to resign as I don't wish to be disgraced by dismissal." |- | style="text-align: right;" | '' '''Substance of Scharf's letter to Treasury Secretary Gage,'''<br/>Published: October 14, 1897 by The New York Times.''<ref name=nyt-1897-Oct14/> |} On October 6 Scharf wrote to Secretary of the Treasury, [[Lyman J. Gage]]. He pointed out that he knew another man had been appointed to take his place and said public officials were influenced by corrupt motives. He said he had returned more illegal immigrants then the other inspectors put together and suspected it was the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] who had planned his downfall. Scharf caused the substance of his letter to be released to the press<ref name="nyt-1897-Oct14"/> and the Secretary withdrew an offer to allow him to resign before being dismissed at once. "Mr. Scharf was fertile in suspicion, but not very fruitful in evidence." said Secretary Gage.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0DE4D71F39E433A2575AC1A9669D94669ED7CF | title = CASE OF J. THOMAS SCHARF; Circumstances of His Leaving the Post of Chinese Inspector at This Port. | newspaper = New York Times | date = October 19th 1897 | accessdate = 2009-12-21}}</ref><ref name=nyt-1897-Oct16>{{cite news | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E02E0DC1039E433A25755C1A9669D94669ED7CF&scp=1&sq=J.+THOMAS+SCHARF&st=p | title = SECRETARY GAGE AND COL. SCHARF | newspaper = New York Times | date = October 16, 1897 | accessdate = 2010-01-04}}</ref> ===Epilogue=== Colonel John Thomas Scharf, the author, politician and Confederate veteran, after being ill for three days, died of paralysis of the heart and pneumonia on February 28, 1898, at his home, 80 Manhattan Avenue, New York City, New York .<ref name="obit">{{cite news | url = http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9501E2D61039E433A25752C0A9659C94699ED7CF | title = Col. J. T. Scharf dead | date = March 1, 1898 | work = New York Times | accessdate=2009-12-23}}</ref> He had entered the practice of law in New York after his tenure as Special Chinese Inspector for the Southern District of New York, at the Port of New York, ended on October 15, 1897. In addition to the Maryland Historical Society, he was also President of the Bureau of American History, Genealogy and Heraldry; a member of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, the Southern Historical Society; an honorary member of the Georgia Historical Society and a corresponding member of the historical societies of New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Carolina, Virginia, and of the Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio, of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society. ==Published works== {{Table |type=class="wikitable sortable" |hdrs=Year!!Published works of J. Thomas Scharf |row1=1874{{!!}}{{cite book | title = The Chronicles of Baltimore; Being a Complete History of "Baltimore Town" and Baltimore City from the Earliest Period to the Present Time | url = http://www.archive.org/details/chroniclesbalti02schagoog | publisher = (Baltimore: Turnbull Brothers) | isbn = | oclc = 11971847 | doi = | id = {{LCCN|rc01||003472}} | year = 1874 }} {{LCCN|81||150529}} <br/><small>'''REPUBLISHED: (Kennikat Press. 1972. {{LCCN|73||186086}}. ISBN 978-0804686075). (Heritage Books. 1989. ISBN 978-1556132421).'''</small> |row2=1877{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Maryland, Prepared for the Use of the Public Schools of the State, by Scharf and William H. Browne | url = http://www.archive.org/details/historyofmarylan00brow | publisher = (Baltimore: Turnbull Brothers) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|rc01||003395}} | year = 1877 }} {{LCCN|rc01||003396}}. |row3=1879{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Maryland from the Earliest Period to the Present Day, 3 Volumes | url = | publisher = (Baltimore: Kelly, Piet & Co.) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|rc01||003407}} | accessdate = | year = 1879 }} <br/><small>'''REPUBLISHED: (Tradition Press. 1967. {{LCCN|67||005141}}).'''</small> |row4=1880{{!!}}{{cite book | title = Oration Delivered on the 11th of October 1880, the Opening Day of the Grand Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Founding of the City of Baltimore | url = | publisher = (Baltimore: Press of the Sun printing office) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|rc01||003474}} | accessdate = | year = 1880 }} |row5=1881{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Baltimore City and County from the Earliest Period to the Present Day: Including Biographical Sketches of Their Representative Men | url = | publisher = (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|rc01||003473}} | year = 1881 }} <br/><small>'''REPUBLISHED: (Regional Pub. Co. 1971. {{LCCN|74||173259}}. ISBN 0806379847).''' </small> |row6=1882{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Western Maryland, Being a History of Frederick, Montgomery, Carroll, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties from the Earliest Period to the Present Day; Including Biographical Sketches of Their Representative Men, 2 Volumes | url = | publisher = (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|rc01||003408}} | year = 1882 }}<br/><small>'''REPUBLISHED: (Regional Pub. Co. 1968. {{LCCN|68||026127}}. ISBN 978-0806379654). (Heritage Books Inc. 2002. CD-ROM. ISBN 9780788421556). (Genealogical Pub Co. 2008. ISBN 978-0806380506).''' </small> |row7=1883{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Saint Louis City and County, from the Earliest Periods to the Present Day: Including Biographical Sketches of Representative Men, Volume 1 | url = http://www.archive.org/details/cihm_13266 | publisher = (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|rc01||001411}} | year = 1883 }} |row8=1883{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Saint Louis City and County, from the Earliest Periods to the Present Day: Including Biographical Sketches of Representative Men, Volume 2 | url = http://www.archive.org/details/cihm_13267 | publisher = (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|rc01||001411}} | year = 1883 }} |row9=1884{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, by Scharf and Thompson Westcott, Volume 1 | url = http://www.archive.org/details/historyofphilade01scha | publisher = (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|01||015973}} | year = 1884 }} |row10=1884{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, by Scharf and Thompson Westcott, Volume 2 | url = http://www.archive.org/details/historyofphilade02scha | publisher = (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|01||015973}} | year = 1884 }} |row11=1884{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, by Scharf and Thompson Westcott, Volume 3 | url = http://www.archive.org/details/historyofphilade03scha | publisher = (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|01||015973}} | year = 1884 }} |row12=1886{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Westchester County, New York, Including Morrisania, Kings, Bridge, and West Farms, Which Have Been Annexed to New York City, 2 Volumes | url = http://www.archive.org/details/historywestches00schagoog | publisher = (Philadelphia: L. E. Preston & Co) | isbn = | oclc = 01027948 | id = {{LCCN|01||014295}} | year = 1886 }} |row13=1887{{!!}}{{cite book | title = Deer Park and Oakland: Twins of the Alleghanies | url = http://www.archive.org/details/deerparkoaklandt00scha | publisher = (Baltimore: Lorborn) | isbn = | oclc = 12636364 | id = {{LCCN|03||024603}} | year = 1887 }}<br/><small>'''REPUBLISHED: (BiblioLife. 2009. ISBN 978-1113322012).''' </small> |row14=1887{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of the Confederate States Navy from Its Organization to the Surrender of its Last Vessel | url = http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924032779609 | publisher = (New York: Rogers & Sherwood; San Francisco: A. L. Bancroft; Atlanta: W. H. Shepard) | isbn = | oclc = 28886589 | id = {{LCCN|03||021375}} | year = 1887 }}<br/><small>'''REPUBLISHED: (Books for Libraries Press. 1969. {{LCCN|69||016852}}). (Fairfax Press. 1977. {{OCLC|4361326}}). (Gramercy. 1996. ISBN 978-0517183366).''' </small> |row15=1888{{!!}}{{cite book | title = History of Delaware, 1609-1888, 2 Volumes | url = http://www.archive.org/details/historyofdelawar11scha | publisher = (Philadelphia: L.J. Richards) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|01||013423}} | year = 1888 }}<br/><small>'''REPUBLISHED: (Kennikat Press. 1972. {{LCCN|73||186094}} ISBN 978-0804686150). (Historical Society of Delaware. 1976. {{LCCN|76||372848}}).''' </small> |row16=1888{{!!}}{{cite book | title = Report of J. Thomas Scharf, Commissioner, from December 1st, 1885, to January 1st, 1888, to Governor Elihu E. Jackson, with a Series of Carefully Prepared Articles on Maryland's Resources, with a Description of Every County in the State and the City of Baltimore | url = | publisher = (Annapolis: J. Young, state printer) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|rc01||003433}} | year = 1888 }} |row17=1890{{!!}}{{cite book | title = Orkney Springs, Shenandoah County, Virginia. It's Attractions as a Summer Resort. It's Baths, Hotels, Cuisine, Amusements, Scenery ... and the Medical Virtue of Its Waters | url = | publisher = (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|03||009552}} | year = 1890 }} |row18=1891{{!!}}{{cite book | title = An Historical Address Delivered at the Unveiling of the Monument Erected by the State of Maryland to the Memory of Leonard Calvert, the First Governor of Maryland | url = http://www.archive.org/details/historicaladdres00scha | publisher = (Baltimore: J. H. Medairy) | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|07||015644}} | accessdate = | year = 1891 }} |row19=1892{{!!}}{{cite book | title = The Natural and Industrial Resources and Advantages of Maryland, Being a Complete Description of All the Counties of the State and the City of Baltimore | url = http://www.archive.org/details/naturalindustria00scha | publisher = (Annapolis: C. H. Baughman & Co., state printers) | isbn = | oclc = 6132693 | id = {{LCCN|rc01||003434}} | year = 1892 }} |row20=1892{{!!}}{{cite book | title = Essay on [[John Hanson]] | url = | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|mm79||002184}} | year = 1892 }} }} ==Personal Collections== ===J. Thomas Scharf Collection, 1730s-1892=== The [[Maryland Historical Society]], H. Furlong Baldwin Library preserves the ''J. Thomas Scharf Collection, 1730s-1892''. The collection was estimated in 1972 to number about 50,000 manuscripts. Scharf and Thompson Westcott collected the contents of this collection during the late 19th century. Roughly 80% of the total collection is Maryland state documents. The manuscripts of the collection can be divided into four categories:<ref name=mhs-jts>{{cite web | url = http://www.mdhs.org/library/mss/ms001999.html | title = J. Thomas Scharf Collection, 1730s-1892 | work = H. Furlong Baldwin Library | publisher = Maryland Historical Society | author = Cynthia H. Requardt | month = May | year = 1978 | accessdate = 2009-12-28 }}</ref> #'''Personal papers of J. Thomas Scharf''' - His personal papers consist of incoming letters (1866–1892), his research notes, and drafts of his various histories of Maryland. An especially large part of his personal papers is biographical research on Marylanders. #'''Personal papers of Thompson Westcott''' - A smaller portion of the collection is that of Thompson Westcott (1820–1888) of Philadelphia. Westcott and Scharf collaborated on a history of Philadelphia, and on Westcott's death Scharf purchased some of Westcott's papers, largely his correspondence, notes, and the Philadelphia documents Westcott collected. #'''Maryland and Pennsylvania state documents''' #*'''Maryland documents''' - The Maryland state documents Scharf collected are the largest part of the total collection. Many were acquired during his tenure as Commissioner of the Land Office of Maryland from 1884 until 1892. These state documents were separated from the collection in July 1975 and sent to the Maryland Hall of Records to be indexed and microfilmed. #*'''Pennsylvania documents''' - The Pennsylvania state documents were presumably collected by Thompson Westcott, and acquired by Scharf through a purchase of Westcott's papers. This group of documents is almost entirely Philadelphia court records; especially prominent are petitions for tavern licenses. #'''Confederate States of America naval documents and other original manuscripts''' #*'''Confederate States of America naval documents''' - Scharf collected about 1,500 official documents that pertain to the Confederate States Navy. These documents (1863–1864) are largely financial and originated in [[Shreveport, Louisiana]]. Presumably he acquired these while writing his history of the [[Confederate States Navy]]. #*'''Other original manuscripts''' - These documents are largely non-official papers. The items do not have any unifying subject and it is assumed these were collected by Scharf or Westcott ===John Thomas Scharf papers=== The [[Johns Hopkins University]], [[Milton S. Eisenhower Library]], preserves the ''John Thomas Scharf papers''<ref name=jhu-cir>{{cite book | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=JljnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA110&dq=colonel+Scharf's+Gift+of+an+Important+Historical+Collection&cd=1#v=onepage&q=colonel%20Scharf's%20Gift%20of%20an%20Important%20Historical%20Collection&f=false | title = Colonel Scharf's Gift of an Important Historical Collection | date = | work = John Hopkins University Circulars 1889-1891 | publisher = The John Hopkins Press | location = Baltimore | page = 110 | accessdate = 2009-12-23 }}</ref>. The collection consists of his manuscript notes and those of other historians relating to various aspects of American history. Subjects include events from the Revolutionary period, settlement of Native Americans in Florida, and early histories of cities in New York and Pennsylvania. The collection consists of original documents and manuscript notes of historian and author, John Thomas Scharf, and those of other historians including Henry B. Dawson and Thompson Westcott. The material relates to various aspects of American history in the 18th and 19th centuries. Subjects include events from the period of the American Revolution, settlement of Native Americans in Florida, and early histories of cities in New York and Pennsylvania.<ref name=jhu-mse>{{cite web | url = http://ead.library.jhu.edu/ms081.xml#id0x045b7140 | title = John Thomas Scharf papers | work = Milton S. Eisenhower Library | publisher = Johns Hopkins University | accessdate = 2009-01-03 }}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==Further reading== *'''References used by'''&nbsp;&ndash; {{Cite book | url = | first = Joseph G., Texas A&M University | last = Dawson III | chapterurl = http://www.bookrags.com/biography/j-thomas-scharf-dlb/ | chapter = J. Thomas Scharf (1 May 1843 - 28 February 1898) | title = American Historians, 1866-1912 | editor = Clyde Norman Wilson, University of South Carolina | series = Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 47 | pp = 249–256 | publisher = [[Gale Research]] | location = Detroit, Michigan | year = 1986 | isbn = 0-8103-1725-7 | oclc = 12949842 | id = {{LCCN|85||029245}} }} **Richard J. Cox, ''A Century of Frustration: The Movement for a State Archives in Maryland, 1811-1935'', Maryland Historical Magazine, 78 (Summer 1983): 106-117. **Francis B. Culver, ''The War Romance of John Thomas Scharf'', Maryland Historical Magazine, 21 (September 1926): 295-302. **Edward G. Howard, ''Introduction to History of Baltimore City and County'', by J. Thomas Scharf (Baltimore: Regional Publishing, 1971). **Morris L. Radoff, ''An Elusive Manuscript—The Proceedings of the Maryland Convention of 1774,'' [[American Archivist]], 30 (January 1967): 59-65. **Radoff, ''Foreword to The History of Maryland'', by J. Thomas Scharf (Hatboro, Pa.: Tradition Press, 1967). **Frank F. White, Jr., ed., ''Correspondence of Jefferson Davis and J. Thomas Scharf'', Journal of Mississippi History, 10 (April 1948): 118-131. * Tom Kelley, ''The personal memoirs of Jonathan Thomas Scharf of the First Maryland Artillery'', Baltimore: Butternut and Blue, (1992). {{LCCN|93||216151}}. ISBN 0935523308. *{{cite book | last = Andrews | first = Richard Snowden | editor = Smith, Tunstall | title = Richard Snowden Andrews, lieutenant-colonel commanding the First Maryland Artillery (Andrews' battalion) Confederate States army; a memoir | url = http://www.archive.org/details/richardsnowdenan00smit | publisher = Press of the Sun job printing office | location = Baltimore | isbn = | oclc = | id = {{LCCN|10||025096}} | year = 1910 }} *Maryland Historical Society, ''Proceedings of the Maryland historical society, in connection with the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of Baltimore'', Baltimore:J. Murphy & Co, (1880). {{LCCN|rc01||003466}}. * ''Catalogue of aportion of the library of J. Thomas Scharf'', Boston, Mass: C.F. Libbie & Co, (1883). {{LCCN|unk81||031593}}. ==External links== {| width=100% |width=75% valign=top align=left | * [http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Scharf%2C%20J.%20Thomas%20(John%20Thomas)%2C%201843-1898%22 J. Thomas Scharf works available in digital form through The Internet Archive], a non-profit digital library of Internet sites and cultural artifacts. * [http://www.mdhs.org/library/mss/ms001999.html J. Thomas Scharf Collection, 1730s-1892], preserved by the Maryland Historical Society, H. Furlong Baldwin Library *[http://www.msa.md.gov/ Maryland State Archives], a Maryland historical agency and central depository for government records of permanent value. *[http://www.2ndmdinfantryus.org/csart1.html History of 1st Maryland Artillery, CSA], available through [http://www.2ndmdinfantryus.org/sites.html Maryland Units in the Civil War], a website devoted to said topic. |width=25% valign=bottom align=right| {{portalbox | name1 = Maryland | image1 = Flag of Maryland.svg | name2 = American Civil War | image2 = Acw bs 7a.png }} {{commonscat}}<br/> |} <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> {{Persondata |NAME= Scharf, John Thomas |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= J. Thomas Scharf |SHORT DESCRIPTION= Confederate soldier, lawyer, historian, and antiquarian |DATE OF BIRTH= 1843 |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[United States]] |DATE OF DEATH= 1898 |PLACE OF DEATH= }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Scharf, J. Thomas}} [[Category:People from Maryland]] [[Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland]] [[Category:People of Maryland in the American Civil War]] [[Category:1843 births]] [[Category:1898 deaths]] [[Category:American Roman Catholics]] [[Category:American sailors]] [[Category:American journalists]] [[Category:American historians]] [[Category:Confederate States Army soldiers]] [[Category:Deaths from pneumonia]] [[Category:History of Maryland]] [[Category:History of Baltimore, Maryland]] [[Category:Maryland Democrats]] [[Category:Members of the Maryland House of Delegates]]'