Civil War & Reconstruction
The purpose of this research guide is to help you discover primary sources related to the Civil War in the Library's collections. The links in this guide will lead you to diaries, letters, memoirs, travel narratives, newspaper articles, government treatises and documents published in Falvey's print, microform and digital collections. The catalog search links below will generate lists of books that include primary sources.
Visit the Library's Primary Sources Research Guide for more detailed information.
Primary Sources in Books
- The Library's Catalog
Here is a list of suggested catalog searches for primary sources. Include "civil war" and the number 1861 in the search string to limit search results to the American Civil War. Personal narratives, diaries, correspondence, speeches, and sources are descriptors for primary sources in the Library's catalog. Note that groups of persons such as women, soldiers or nurses are always used in the plural form in the catalog's subjects. Use the links below as a starting point and feel free to edit the search string in the catalog search box by replacing women with soldiers or diaries with correspondence. Pay attention to the circulation status of print titles. Use the EZ-Borrow service, if a title that you would like to use is already checked out.
subject search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND "personal narratives"
keyword search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND diaries
keyword search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND correspondence
keyword search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND women AND diaries
keyword search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND refugees AND "personal narratives"
subject search: "civil war 1861-1865" AND "african americans" AND "personal narratives"
subject search: "civil war 1861-1865" AND "german american" AND "personal narratives"
keyword search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND nurses AND diaries
keyword search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND nurses AND correspondence
keyword search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND nurses AND "personal narratives"
keyword search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND soldiers AND correspondence
keyword search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND soldiers AND diaries
keyword search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND soldiers AND "personal narratives"
subject search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND speeches
subject search: "civil war" AND 1861 AND sources - WorldCat
Books that are not owned by the Library can be discovered via WorldCat. WorldCat is an online catalog that includes the collections of most U.S. libraries as well as a large number of libraries abroad. Titles owned by Falvey Memorial Library are tagged, those not held by Falvey can be requested through interlibrary loan with the Borrow from another library link. WorldCat uses the same Library of Congress subjects as the Library's catalog. - E-Z Borrow and Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary loan is available for books and journals that are not owned by Falvey. EZ-Borrow is usually faster than interlibrary loan, since the books come from a local library network. EZ-Borrow can also be used for books that the Library owns, but that are currently checked out by somebody else.
Newspapers & Magazines
- Historical New York Times
Complete digital archive of the New York Times back to 1851. - America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922
A digital collection of early American newspapers from 1690 to 1922. It includes the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1860-1920. Searches can be limited by town, state, and time period. - American Periodicals Series Online
Search a selection of periodicals that first began publishing between 1740 and 1900, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines, and many other historically-significant periodicals. - The Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective
Contains full-text of the Charleston Mercury, the New York Herald, and the Richmond Enquirer published between 1860 and 1865. Contains news articles, eye-witness and official reports of battles, editorials, advertisements, biographies and images of battlefield maps and illustrations. - Pennsylvania Civil War Era Newspaper Collection
A collection of newspapers from the civil war era dated from February 23,1831 to February 14,1877. Includes full text of articles, photographs and advertisements. - African American Newspapers: The 19th Century
Includes the complete text of major 19th century African-American newspapers. Also included are early biographies, essays and editorials and vital statistics in 8 works such as Freedman's Journal (1827-1830), The North Star (1847-1851) and Frederick Douglass Paper (1851-1859). - Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper
1861-1864 - Harper's Weekly
1861-1865 - Harper's Weekly
1861-1865 (print volumes) - OpinionArchives
Includes the complete archives of Harper's Magazine (1850-) and The Nation (1865-)
Links to the full text work only from on-campus locations.
Research Jump-start
American National Biography Online
This is the standard biographical dictionary for American history. Entries often include images of the subjects. The bibliography of each entry lists memoirs, published letters, archival holdings of personal papers collections and other useful sources.
Take advantage of the "Research Ideas" option at the top of the search screen. One of the themes on the Research Ideas page is Civil War. Here you will find lists with links to biographical entries of important political figures, military leaders, financiers, industrialists and "recorders of and witnesses to the war." The last list includes a link to the entry on Louisa May Alcott.
Alternatively you can also do a simple keyword search for any person of interest or limit your search by "occupations and realms of renown." One of the options available is Civil War. Choose any of the suggested subject areas from the drop down menu.
Dictionary of American History
Available online. The standard dictionary on American history.
Encyclopedia of the American Civil War
5 volumes, available in print only. Shelved on the second floor of the Library.
The last volume includes numerous source documents such as proclamations by Lincoln and letters from soldiers.
Atlas of the Civil War
Available online.
Civil War: Primary Documents on Events from 1860 to 1865
Available online.
Historical Dictionary of the Civil War
Available online.
This is the standard biographical dictionary for American history. Entries often include images of the subjects. The bibliography of each entry lists memoirs, published letters, archival holdings of personal papers collections and other useful sources.
Take advantage of the "Research Ideas" option at the top of the search screen. One of the themes on the Research Ideas page is Civil War. Here you will find lists with links to biographical entries of important political figures, military leaders, financiers, industrialists and "recorders of and witnesses to the war." The last list includes a link to the entry on Louisa May Alcott.
Alternatively you can also do a simple keyword search for any person of interest or limit your search by "occupations and realms of renown." One of the options available is Civil War. Choose any of the suggested subject areas from the drop down menu.
Dictionary of American History
Available online. The standard dictionary on American history.
Encyclopedia of the American Civil War
5 volumes, available in print only. Shelved on the second floor of the Library.
The last volume includes numerous source documents such as proclamations by Lincoln and letters from soldiers.
Atlas of the Civil War
Available online.
Civil War: Primary Documents on Events from 1860 to 1865
Available online.
Historical Dictionary of the Civil War
Available online.
Other Sources
- America: History & Life
The standard index to scholarly journals in the field of American history. Scholarly journal articles may include primary sources and often reference them in footnotes or bibliographies. Includes book reviews and dissertations. - Sabin Americana, 1500-1926
Limit to "civil war" under subject area. All titles from this digital collection are included in the Library's catalog. - The Southern Homefront, 1861-1865
Part of "Documenting the American South," a digital collection created by the University of North Carolina. - First Person Narratives of the American South, 1860-1920
Part of the "American Memory" project of the Library of Congress. - The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War
Letters, diaries, speeches, newspapers, census, and church records from Augusta County, Virginia, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania selected and digitized by the Virginia Center for Digital History.
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Last Modified: Friday, January 18th, 2013
