Librarian
Historical Atlases, Maps, and Battlefield Guides
- Atlas of the Civil War byOffering the clearest and most comprehensive examination of the conflict that transformed the United States, the Atlas of the Civil War reveals the full dimensions of this historic confrontation. Pairs expert scholarship with bold mapping to vividly depict the ebb and flow of destruction and reconstruction.
- The Civil War battlefield guide [electronic resource] 2nd ed. byfull text online
Primary Source Collections
- Historical Newspapersfor more extensive newspaper resources
- POWER Library: PA Photos and DocumentsA statewide digitization service on behalf of the Office of Commonwealth Libraries. Includes digitized collections created by libraries and other entities located throughout Pennsylvania
- American Broadsides and Ephemera This link opens in a new windowBroadsides created from 1820 to 1900 and printed ephemera from between 1760 and 1900.
- Black Abolitionist Papers (Legacy) This link opens in a new windowLetters, speeches, editorials, articles, sermons, and essays by African Americans actively involved in the movement to end slavery in the United States between 1830 and 1865. The majority of the content is from the United States, with some coverage of the abolitionist movement in England, Scotland, Ireland and Canada.
- Congressional This link opens in a new windowExtensive collection of 19th century government documents: including hearings, reports, and other materials ordered printed by Congress.
- The Civil War CD-ROM II : [computer file] : official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion by"This CD-ROM disc contains 30 volumes of the Navy Official Records from 1861-1865, including dispatches and reports of engagements of both the Confederate and Federal navies."--Container.
- Pennsylvania Abolition Society collections at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania by32 microfilm reels ; 35 mm. Contains the official records and papers of the Society for the years 1775-1975; also includes the records of 15 related organizations, collectively spanning the period 1794-1870.
- Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War (History Vault)Includes letters, diaries, economic records, and other documents on everyday life on southern plantations.
- Records of the Confederate States of America, 1859-1872 by70 microfilm reels ; 35 mm. General Note: "These records, consisting of about 18,500 pieces, span the years 1858-1872, with the bulk of the material falling in the period April 1861-April 1865."--Leaf 2 of guide.
- Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive This link opens in a new windowA massive digital collection of 18th and 19th century documents; Pamphlets, Books, Correspondence, Newspapers, Legal Documents, Manuscripts, and other materials. Includes over 1 million pages of unpublished archival material produced by pro and anti-slavery organizations and individuals.
- Slavery and the Law (History Vault)Includes judicial cases and petitions relating to African-Americans to Southern courts and legislatures.
- Supplement to the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies byContains information left out of the original Official Records.
Individuals in the War
To locate a biography do a Subject [Advanced] search in the Catalog. Enter the name of the person as the subject. For autobiographies do an Author search.
Unfortunately, ,any people are not famous enough to have entire books devoted to them (or you may not want to read an entire book!) In these cases, consult a biographical dictionary or encyclopedia. These sources provide a brief essay (a paragraph to a few pages) summarizing the individual's major accomplishments. The library has hundreds, if not thousands, of these sources. The ones below will get you started.
For service records see the "Military Records" section of the Genealogy and Family History guide.
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors SystemAn attempt by the National Park Service to provide basic information about all who served in the war.
- Genealogy and Local History [State Library of Pennsylvania]Includes the Harrisburg Newspaper Index containing marriages and deaths from four newspapers from 1799 to 1827; the Necrology Scrapbook with obituaries clipped from Pennsylvania newspapers from October 1891 to March 1904, including many Civil War veterans; and Courts & Lawyers of Pennsylvania, a History, 1623-1923, as well as a number of other family history related books and pamphlets.
Regimental Histories and Rosters
The sources below often give minimal information about individuals, but can be useful to verify service, and to place people within their historical context.
- Civil War eyewitnesses : an annotated bibliography of books and articles, 1955-1986 byDescribes published accounts written by those who witnessed the Civil War
- Civil War eyewitnesses : an annotated bibliography of books and articles, 1986-1996 byDescribes published accounts written by those who witnessed the Civil War
- History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5. Index byCall # E527.B32, Rare Books and Special Collections Library, 1st Floor Paterno.
- History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5 / prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature by Samuel P. Bates.Source: HathiTrust (Public Domain & Copyright Works)
- Pennsylvania Civil War Project/Pennsylvanians in the Civil WarA searchable set of data on men who served in during the Civil War and were either residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or enlisted in the military units in the state. Data presented was gathered from the Volumes: History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5 by Samuel P. Bates (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902, descendants of the servicemen, and other public records.
- Regimental publications & personal narratives of the Civil War : a checklist.Source: HathiTrust (Public Domain & Copyright Works) v.1, pt.1-6
Useful Web Sites
The links below are for general sites and those that provide starting points for research.
- Digital Collections [Library of Congress]Includes African-American Pamphlets, Civil War Era Band Music, Civil War Images, Maps, Papers of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas, Slave Narratives and other 19th Century collections.
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors SystemAn attempt by the National Park Service to provide basic information about all who served in the war.
- Documenting the American SouthAn online collection of sources, including diaries, oral histories, and literature from the South.
- Valley of the ShadowA hypermedia archive of thousands of sources for the Civil War era in Augusta County, Virginia, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
- H-CivWar Discussion NetworkA discussion list for the culture and history of the Civil War. The web site contains an archive as well as reviews.
- Digital Collection [Penn State University Libraries]An online collection of historical works, including Pennsylvania county histories, atlases, illustrated works, Civil War histories, writings by and about prominent Pennsylvanians, and publications produced by state and local historical agencies.
- Internet Modern History Sourcebook: U.S. Civil WarFull-text of source documents.
- Making of AmericaOver 8,000 texts originally published in the 19th Century, with an emphasis on the period from 1850-1875.
- Secession Era Editorials Project [Furman University Department of History]Provides full-text of editorials grouped around major political issues in the pre-Civil War years.