Original Item: Only One Available. The American Civil War was a unique affair, fought between educated people over political arguments that only partially mapped to geography. Telling friend from foe when not in uniform was incredibly difficult. Nevertheless, both the North and the South saw the necessity of restricting the movement of its citizens. Freedom of movement gave aid to spies, saboteurs and smugglers so it had to be regulated. This was made even more difficult by the fact that the United States was founded on liberty, with certain rights and freedoms enshrined in the constitution.

Freedom of movement was not restricted until the front lines had defined themselves after the battles of Bull Run in Virginia and Wilson’s Creek in Missouri. Up until then, both sides figured the conflict would be a short, with the rebellion crushed or secession succeeding by Christmas of 1861. The rich and powerful in Washington traveled to Manassas, Virginia to view the first major battle of the war as it unfolded and impeded troop movements. Prior to that, officers moved freely from any point in the North to the Southern states as they resigned their commissions in order to join secessionist forces. No attempt was made to stop this flow of trained military personnel, or the important information about troop buildups and fortifications they took with them.

As the front lines formed, both sides saw the danger in unrestricted movement across the border, and both sides responded in the same way. In order to travel across the border, citizens needed travel passes, or “passports”.

This travel pass was given to Lunsford L. Loving of Company D, 3rd Virginia Local Defense Infantry on May 14, 1862 in Richmond, Virginia. Loving had a son who shared the same name, so researching can get tricky. Loving Jr also served in the Virginia infantry but in various units. The document is in a double sided frame so both sides can be viewed when hung away from a wall (a shelving bracket would be ideal for display) where you can flip it around to see both sides. The condition of both the frame and the document is very good considering the age. All writing and printed font is still legible and very easily read.

Comes more than ready for further research and display.