Edmund Ruffin (1794-1865), circa 1860-1865

Published by E. & H.T. Anthony, New York. Farmer and slaveholder, a Confederate soldier, and 1850s political activist. He advocated states’ rights, secession, and slavery and was described by opponents as one of the Fire-Eaters. He was an ardent supporter of the Confederacy and a longstanding enemy of the North. He argued for secession for many years before the American Civil War.