79-224: The Civil War: A Resource Guide

• Background
• Books
• Diaries, Documents, Papers, Records
• Internet Guides
• Magazines and Journals from the Civil War Period
• Maps
• Newspapers from the Civil War Period
• Pictorial Resources
• Scholarly Journal Articles

Background

• Boatner, Mark M. The Civil War Dictionary. New York, N.Y.: McKay Books, 1988.
  HUNT REF-1 973.703 B66CA

• Brown, Thomas J. American Eras: 1850-1877: Civil War and Reconstruction. Detroit: Gale Research, c1997-.
  HUNT REF-1 73.8 A512 1850-1877

• Burton, Orville V. "Sectional Conflict, Civil War, and Reconstruction." in Encyclopedia of American Social History, edited by Mary Kupiec Cayton, Elliott J. Gorn, and Peter W. Williams. 3 vols. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1993.
  HUNT REF-1 306.0973 E56 v. 1

• "Civil War." In War and American Popular Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia, edited by M. Paul Holsinger. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999.
  HUNT REF-1 973 W253

• Current, Richard N., ed. Encyclopedia of the Confederacy. 4 vols. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.
  HUNT REF-1 973.713 E56

• Faust, Patricia L. Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War. New York: Harper & Row, c1986.
  HUNT REF-1 973.7 H673

• Heidler, David S. and Jeanne T. Heidler, eds. Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History. 5 vols. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, c2000.
  HUNT REF-1 973.703 H46E

• Neely, Mark E. The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia. New York: McGraw-Hill, c1982.
  HUNT REF-1 973.703 N37A

• Shrader, Charles R., ed. Reference Guide to United States Military History, 1815-1865. New York: Facts on File, 1993.
  HUNT REF-1 973 R332 VOL. 2

• Vandiver, Frank E. "The Civil War," in Encyclopedia of the American Military: Studies of the History, Traditions, Policies, Institutions, and Roles of the Armed Forces in War and Peace, edited by John E. Jessup. 3 vols. New York: Scribner's, c1994.
  HUNT REF-1 355.00973 E56 v. 2

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Books

If you need help finding books on your topic, ask at the Hunt Library reference desk. The reference staff can help you identify appropriate terms and search strategies to use for your topic.

• Cameo
  Catalog of the materials in the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, including books, dissertations, journals, magazines, newspapers, and videos.

• The Catalog (The EIN Library Catalog) (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
  Catalog of Pittsburgh's public libraries, which are a rich repository of resources. Not all of the items in the libraries will be in the online catalog. For a comprehensive idea of the holdings, you may still have to look at card catalogs and card files. Carnegie Mellon faculty, staff, and students can borrow materials by getting a Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh library card at the Main Library lending desk. Library Cards are free to residents of Allegheny County (bring proof of address), as well as out-of-town college students residing in the county (bring your Carnegie Mellon ID card and proof of local address). You can also have materials brought to one of the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries by the Courier Service via Interlibrary Loan.

• Pittcat (University of Pittsburgh Libraries)
  Catalog of the University of Pittsburgh Library System, including all branch campus libraries. Carnegie Mellon faculty, staff, and students can borrow materials by getting a Special Borrower's card at the Hillman Library circulation desk with their Carnegie Mellon ID cards and proof of current Carnegie Mellon affiliation. See University of Pittsburgh Library System Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement for details. You can also have materials brought to one of the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries by the Courier Service via Interlibrary Loan.

• Worldcat (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1200-present (Updated daily)
  Citations to books, titles of journals, manuscripts, and other materials in libraries throughout the United States, as well as some international libraries. You can limit your search to books by by selecting Book in the Type option. Each record will let you know which libraries have that item. Use Interlibrary Loan for materials not in the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries.

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Diaries, Documents, Papers, Records

If you need help finding diaries, documents, papers, or records, ask at the Hunt Library reference desk. The reference staff can help you identify appropriate terms and search strategies to use.

• Abraham Lincoln Papers (American Memory, Library of Congress)
  Search or browse incoming and outgoing correspondence and enclosures, drafts of speeches, and notes and printed material. An ongoing project.

• Chase, Salmon P. Inside Lincoln's Cabinet; The Civil War Diaries of Salmon P. Chase. Edited by David Donald. New York: Longmans, Green, 1954.
  HUNT STACKS-2 973.71 C48I

• Grant, Ulysses S. The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant. 24 vols. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1967-2000.
  HUNT STACKS-2 973.820924 G76G

• Grant, Ulysses S. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant. New York: AMS Press, [1972] .
  HUNT BIOG-BSMT 92 G763GAA

• Johnson, Andrew. The Papers of Andrew Johnson. 9 vols. Edited by LeRoy P. Graf and Ralph W. Haskins. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1967-1991.
  HUNT STACKS-2 973.81 J66P

• Lee, Robert E. Memoirs of Robert E. Lee; His Military and Personal History, Embracing a Large Amount of Information Hitherto Unpublished, by A. L. Long ... Together with Incidents Relating to His Private Life Subsequent to the War, Collected and ed. with the Assistance of Marcus J. Wright. New York: J. M. Stoddart & Company, 1886.
  HUNT STACKS-2 973.742 L84M

• Lincoln, Abraham. Abraham Lincoln; Complete Works, Comprising His Speeches, Letters, State Papers, and Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by John G. Nicolay and John Hay. 2 vols. New York: The Century co., 1894.
  HUNT STACKS-2 308.1 L73A

• Lincoln, Abraham. The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. 9 vols. Roy P. Basler, ed. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers Univ. Press, 1953-55.
  HUNT STACKS-2 308.1 L73C

• Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion: Journal Contents (1861 - 1865) (Making of America, Cornell University Library)
  Compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate navies published under the direction of the Secretary of Navy, The Honorable H.A. Herbert, Lieut. Commander Richard Bush, Superintendent of Naval War records, U.S. Navy, and Mr. Robert H. Woods in 1894.

• Sheridan, Philip H. Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan. 2 vols. New York: C. L. Webster & Company, 1888.
  HUNT DESK-4-NON 92 S5523S

• Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities: Two Communities in the American Civil War
  Maps, images, letters and diaries, church records, newspapers, population censuses, agricultural censuses, military records, etc. for two communities, one from the North and one from the South. The sources cover the period before, during, and after the Civil War.

• War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (Making of America, Cornell University Library)
  Contains the formal reports, both Union and Confederate, of the first seizures of United States property in the Southern States, and of all military operations in the field, with the correspondence, orders, etc.

• Welles, Gideon. Diary. Edited by Howard K. Beale. 3 vols. New York: W.W. Norton, [1960].
  HUNT BIOG-BSMT 92 W449WE

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Internet Guides

• American Civil War Homepage (Dr. George H. Hoemann, University of Tennessee)
  Links to images, records, general resources, battles and campaigns, etc.

• WWW-VL: History: USA: The Civil War 1855-1865
  Links to documents, maps, sources, etc.

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Magazines from the Civil War Period

Below are some full text databases for finding magazines from the Civil War period. To find others use:

• Hoornstra, Jean and Trudy Heath, eds. American Periodicals, 1741-1900: An Index to the Microfilm Collections--American periodicals 18th century, American periodicals, 1800-1850, American periodicals, 1850-1900, Civil War and Reconstruction. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms International, 1979.
  HUNT REF-1 016.05 A512
  This index can help identify titles that were available during the Civil War period. Hillman Library, University of Pittsburgh has the periodicals on microfilm for the 18th century and 1800-1850. Titles from 1850-1890 as well as any others may be in Hunt Library, Carnegie Mellon, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, or the University of Pittsburgh in either paper or microform. Check the library catalogs to see if they are available. If not, interlibrary loan may be an option.

• Riley, Sam G., comp. Index to Southern Periodicals. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986.
  HUNT STACKS-2 015.73 R57I
  Chronologically arranged list of magazines from the South.

• Poole's Index to Periodical Literature.
  Available: Poole's Plus: The Digital Index of the Nineteenth Century (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Print: 1802-1906.
  HUNT REF-1 INDEX
  Titles may be in Hunt Library, Carnegie Mellon, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, or the University of Pittsburgh in either paper or microform. Check the library catalogs to see if they are available. If not, interlibrary loan may be an option.

• HarpWeek (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1857-1865.
  Contains all the pages of Harper's Weekly from 1857-1865 as scanned images. Users can browse by date or literary genre. Searches can be done by occupation or role in society, or by searching any combination of four indexes: subject; illustrations; literature and publishing; advertising. Since the scanned images in HarpWeek (11 x 15.5") are too large to print full size on 8.5 x 11" paper, please see Printing from HarpWeek for printing and downloading information.

• Making of America.
  A collaborative effort between the University of Michigan and Cornell University to use digital technology to preserve primary sources, and to make them accessible. The collections are especially strong the areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology.
  • Making of America (Cornell University Library)
    Browse or search journals and books from the antebellum period through reconstruction.
  • Making of America. (University of Michigan)
    Browse or search books and journals materials from the antebellum period through reconstruction, 1850-1877.

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Maps

• Civil War Maps (American Memory, Library of Congress)
  Search or browse reconnaissance, sketch, coastal, and theater-of-war maps which depict troop activities and fortifications during the Civil War.

• Bosse, David C. Civil War Newspaper Maps: A Historical Atlas. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.
  HUNT OVRSZQ-2 973.7 B74C

• Martis, Kenneth C. The Historical Atlas of the Congresses of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994.
  HUNT REF-1 ATLAS 973.702 M38H

• McPherson, James M. The Atlas of the Civil War. [New York]: Macmillan, c1994.
  HUNT OVRSZQ-2 973.73 A881

• U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Selected Civil War Maps, Reproduced from Originals Made by the U. S. Coast Survey, 1861-1865. [Washington, D.C.]: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1962.
  HUNT REF-1 ATLAS 973.7 U58S

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Newspapers from the Civil War Period

• African American Newspapers: the 19th Century
  Full text: Accessible Archives (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Major 19th century African-American newspapers published in the United States. An ongoing project, new text is added to the database each month. Newspapers included are:
  • Freedom's Journal (New York, NY) 1827-1829.
  • Colored American (Weekly Advocate) (New York, NY) 1837-1841.
  • North Star (Rochester, New York) 1847-1851.
  • National Era (Washington, D. C.) 1847-1960 (complete through 1853).
  • Provincial Freeman (Chatham, Canada West) 1854-1857.
  • Frederick Douglass Paper (Rochester, N. Y.) 1851-1859 (complete through 1852).
  • Christian Recorder (Philadelphia, Pa.) 1861-1902 (complete through April, 1862).

• Historical New York Times Project: Chapter 2: The Civil War Years, 1860-1866. (Universal Library, Carnegie Mellon University)
  Digital archive of the New York Times for selected years.

• Historical Newspapers Online (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  ca. 1790-1980 (updated irregularly).
  Searches the historical indexes of The Times (London) and The New York Times.
  • The Historical Index to The New York Times, 1863 to 1905, 1913-1923.
  • Palmer's Index to the Times 1790-1905.
  
  The text of the New York Times is available on microfilm from 1851-present (the paper is kept until the microfilm arrives) on HUNT MFILM-3. The text of the Times (London) is available at University of Pittsburgh, Hillman Library, Microforms (2nd Floor) from 1785-present (Current issues in periodicals until microform copy received).

• New York Times Index.
  Print: 1851-present.
  HUNT REF-1 INDEX
  Historical Index to the New York Times.
  1863-1923.
  Available: Historical Newspapers Online (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  The text of the New York Times is available on microfilm from 1851-present (the paper is kept until the microfilm arrives) on HUNT MFILM-3.

• Valley of the Shadow: Newspapers
  Transcripts of selected newspapers to search or browse from the before the Civil War, the Civil War, and the after. These papers are part of the materials offered thourgh the Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the Civil War, an award winning project.

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Pictorial Resources

• Civil War Treasures from the New York Historical Society (American Memory, Library of Congress)
  Search or browse recruiting posters for New York City regiments of volunteers; stereographic views documenting the mustering of soldiers and of popular support for the Union in New York City; photography showing the war's impact, both in the north and south; and drawings and writings by ordinary soldiers on both sides.

• Selected Civil War Photographs (American Memory, Library of Congress)
  Search or browse 1,118 photographs, most made under the supervision of Mathew B. Brady.

• Geurnsey, Alfred Hudson and Henry M. Alden. Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War. [New York]: Arno, [197-?] 2 vols.
  HUNT FOLIOS-2 973.7 G39H

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Scholarly Journal Articles

• America: History and Life (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1964-present (updated monthly).
  Citations and some abstracts to journal articles, dissertations, and book and media reviews on United States and Canadian history from prehistory to the present. Covers all historical topics and a variety of disciplines including popular culture, gender studies, anthropology, literature, and folklore, etc.

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See also:

African American History

Women's History