Civil War Collection (Subject)

Collection

Identifier: 0010-001

Civil War Collection

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Scope and Contents

The Civil War Collection (1861-1865) is an artificial collection of correspondence, documents and printed material relating to the American Civil War. The Collection is comprised of a variety of items donated or purchased primarily because of their relationship to the war; some of the material predates, or postdates, the Civil War. The reason for their collection had mainly to do with the war or to a person closely associated with the war. Rather than create a number of small collections, especially where only one document or letter constitutes the entire collection, we have chosen to bring them together as a subject oriented artificial collection. For ease of access, they have been grouped together as follows: Personal Documents, Photographs, Military Documents - USA, Military Documents - CSA, Prints and Drawings, and Published Material.

Dates

Creation: 1849 - 1914
Creation: Majority of material found within 1860 - 1865

Biographical or Historical Information

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The American Civil War (1861-1865) was a conflict that has been well documented over the past 150 years. Researchers will undoubtedly have consulted many sources relevant to their particular topic or interest. For a brief history of the conflict, we suggest looking at web sites such as "The American Civil War Homepage" (http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html), or consult your library for any number of published books and journal articles about the war or specific battles, events and persons. The American Civil War began with the secession of southern states. On 20 Dec 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union, followed within two months by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. These states formed a loose union of their own, the Confederate States of America (CSA). The armed conflict between the confederacy and the union began 12 Apr 1861 when CSA forces under Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The conflict continued for four years, until the CSA armies commanded by Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union forces under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on 9 Apr 1865. All remaining Confederate forces surrendered by the end of May 1865. The war was fought on many battlefields across many states and took the lives of over 620,000 Americans, with disease killing twice as many as those lost in battle. 50,000 survivors returned home as amputees. With the end of the war a period of Reconstruction began that eventually saw all the states that had seceded brought back into the Union. By 1870 all Confederate states had rejoined the Union but the last Union troops did not leave until 1877.

Note written by Chuck Hill