United States Civil War Era
The library maintains an extensive collection of materials relating to the Civil War, including the years leading up to and following the conflict. In addition to books and journals, we have newspapers on microfilm, letters and diaries of participants, and important government and other document collections. We also have reference tools that provide background information and quick facts and dates.
Guides to Resources in the Discipline (Research Guides and Bibliographies)
Facts, Dates and Terms (Chronologies, Dictionaries, and Encyclopedias)
Locating Books (Library Catalogs)
Locating Newspaper and Journal Articles (Article Indexes and Databases)
Historical Atlases, Maps and Battlefield Guides
Significant Document Collections (Official Records, Plantation Records, Abolitionist text and other collections of primary source documents)
Individuals in the Civil War (Personal Papers, Biographies, Autobiographies)
Regimental Histories & Rosters
Guides to Resources in the Discipline
The American Civil War: A Handbook of Literature and Research.
Call # Z1242.A47 1996, Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library.
The Civil War and Reconstruction: A Student Companion.
Call # E468.B319 2000, Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library.
Guide to Civil War Books: An Annotated Selection of Modern Works on the War Between the States.
Call # Z1242.B18 1996, Pattee Stacks Level 2.
The Official Records of the American Civil War: A Researcher's Guide.
Call # Z6207.U5A34, Pattee Stackes Level 2
A companion to the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Call #
E468.5.C64 2005
, Pattee Stacks Level 1. Contains essays summarizing the historical development and current state of the field for various Civil War topics.
BIBLIOGRAPHIES contain lists of resources, often books, on a topic. Examples include:
Civil War eyewitnesses : an annotated bibliography of books and articles, 1955-1986
E601.C78 1988 Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection. See Regimental Histories Section.
Civil War eyewitnesses : an annotated bibliography of books and articles, 1986-1996
E601.C79 2000 Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection. See Regimental Histories Section.
The Civil War in Books: An Analytical Bibliography.
Call # E468.E34 1997, Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library.
Civil War Novels: An Annotated Bibliography.
Call # Z1231.F4M46 1986, Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library.
Confederate Imprints : a Bibliography of Southern Publications from Secession to Surrender.
Call # Z1242.5.P37 1987, Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library.
Regimental Publications & Personal Narratives of the Civil War : a Checklist.
Call # Z1242.D6, Pattee Stacks Level 2.
Bibliography of State Participation in the Civil War 1861-1866.
Call # Z1242.U581 1913, Pattee Stacks Level 2.
Women and the American Civil War : an annotated bibliography
Call #
E628.M355 2003,
Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection
MORE BIBLIOGRAPHIES -- To locate a bibliography on your topic try a keyword search in The CAT combining your subject and the word bibliography. It typically works best if you use more general topics, e.g. military history and bibliography, nineteenth century and bibliography, women and bibliography, etc...
Locating Books
Search The CAT to look for books owned by the library. The CAT will tell you which books we own and where they are located.
Click here for an online guide to The CAT
LOOKING FOR MORE??? If you can't find what you need in The CAT, try locating it elsewhere.
- CIC University Libraries (Big Ten) (Search all the library catalogs of the Big Ten)
- OCLC WorldCat (40 million + records from library catalogs across the U.S. and selected international libraries. Use the ILL button to request materials be sent to PSU)
- National Union Catalog, pre-1956 Imprints (Early list of holdings of U.S. Libraries. Contains references to some material not in the online library catalogs)
Call #Z881.A1N2, Arts and Humanities Library, Reference Collection, Pattee Level 2 - Pa's Past: Digital Bookshelf
If you still cannot find what you are looking for consult the Bibliographies Section or ask for HELP.
Locating Journal articles
The databases below allow you to search for articles on a topic. Some also include books and dissertations
America: History and Life -- An index to works in U.S. and Canadian history
Historical Abstracts -- An index to works about World history (not including the U.S. and Canada).
History Cooperative -- full text history journal
Muse -- Contains the full-text of recent journal articles in various fields
JSTOR -- Contains the full-text including back issues of journal articles in various fields
Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies -- free archive of the back issues.
Periodicals Archive Online -- full-text of back issue of academic journals
Articles written during the Civil War Era
America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922 Full-text of hundreds of papers, many from the 19th century
Accessible Archives Full-text collection of three Civil War Newspapers, as well as prominent African-American Newspapers, including the Frederick Douglass Paper and the Provincial Freeman.
American Periodicals Series Online, 1740-1900 -- Full-text of American magazines and journals that originated between 1741 and 1900
Pennsylvania Civil War Newspapers
New York Times Historical, 1851-2003
Call #AI21.N44, News and Microforms Library, Basement Level, Pattee.Times of London , 1785-1985 Print volumes are available for 1790-present in the News and Microforms Library, Basement Level, Pattee.
Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1906. A subject index to articles appearing in over 200 magazines and journals.
You can browse to see which additional newspapers the library has from the Civil War Era using MicroFinder. This resources lists the newspapers on microfilm in the library. You can browse geographically by state, or by time period.
Historical Atlases, Maps & Battlefield Guides
American Memory: Civl WAr Maps
Atlas for the American Civil War.
Call # G1201.S5A8 1986 F, Maps Library, Basement level Paterno.
Atlas to Accompany Confederate Military History.
Call # E484.C65 1962 Maps Library, Basement level Paterno.
Civil War Battlefield Guide. Call # E641.C58 1998, Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library.
Civil War Maps: An Annotated List of Maps and Atlases in the Library of Congress.
Call #Z6027.U5U55 1989, Maps Library, Basement level Paterno.
Civil War Maps in the National Archives.
Call # Z6027.U5U58, Maps Library, Basement level Paterno.
Civil War Newspaper Maps.
Call # G1201.S5B6 1993, Maps Library, Basement level Paterno.
Civil War Sites, Memorials, Museums, and Library Collections: A State-by-State Guidebook to Places Open to the Public.
Call # E641.G45 1997, Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library.
The Official Military Atlas of the Civil War: Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.
Call # G1201.S5U6 1983 F, Maps Library, Basement level Paterno.
Significant Document Collections
The library has acquired a number of collections containing texts of works pertaining to the Civil War Era. A few of the major collections are listed below. Consult Microfinder for a larger listing of our major collections on microfilm and microfiche. For personal papers see the section on Prominent Individuals. Some of the collections require the use of printed guides to determine what is available. Ask for HELP locating materials in these collections. The Special Collections Library, also has significant holdings on the Civil War, many of which are not listed in the library's online catalog. Contact Special Collections for further information.
Access Pennsylvania Digital Repository - A statewide digitizaation 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. Based on the American Antiquarian Society's collection this database offers fully searchable facsimile images of approximately 15,000 broadsides printed between 1820 and 1900, and 15,000 pieces of ephemera printed between 1760 and 1900.
Black Abolitionist Papers, 1830-1865. Collection Description.
Black Literature, 1827-1940. Collection Description
Civil War Letters and Diaries Full-text of writings from over 400 authors, as well as author biographies, a Civil War chronology and bibliography.
Letters received by the Secretary of War, irregular series, 1861-1866.
Call #
Microfilm A441,
News & Microforms, West Pattee, Ground Floor
Congressional Documents. Collection of document: including committee hearings and reports.
Letters received by the Secretary of War, irregular series, 1861-1866 (Microfilm)
Call #Microfilm A441,
News & Microforms, West Pattee, Ground Floor - Microforms
Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion (1861-1865).
Call # RD205.U5, vol. 1-12, Life Sciences Library, 4th Floor Paterno.
The Civil War CD-ROM II : official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. (on CD-ROM)
Call # E591.U582 1999, Music and Media Center, 2nd Floor West Pattee Library. The print volumes are in the Annex. The records are also available on Microcrard in the News and Microforms Library, Basement West Pattee Library.
Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery.
Call #Microfilm A52 and Microfilm A253, News and Microforms Library, Basement West Pattee Library. Collection Description.
Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War.
Records of the Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands.
Records of the Confederate States of America, 1859-1872.
Call #Microfilm A347, News and Microforms Library, Basement West Pattee.
Guide: Call # JK9665.L53 1967.
Serial Set. Full-text of U.S. government publication, including Congressional reports, executive and department reports and other documents ordered printed by Congress.
Slavery Pamphlets. Collection Description
Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.
Call # E464.U62 1994, Pattee Stacks Level 1. Contains information left out of the original Official Records (see "War of the Rebellion" below)
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Call # E464.U6 1985, Pattee Stacks Level 1A; also available ONLINE. Also on CD-ROM, E464.C51997b, Music and Media Center, 2nd Floor West Pattee Library. Also see the Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies described above.
Travels in the Confederate States. Collection Description.
Wright American Fiction, 1851-1875 Contains full texts of American novels first published between 1851 and 1875. Includes works by Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and others.
Writers' Program. Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Prepared by the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938. Collection Description. Also online as part of American Memory: Born in Slavery. Slave Naratives from the Federal Weriter's Project, 1936-1938
Locating Information about Individuals
Personal Papers and Other Primary Source Materials
Also see: Biographies and Regimental Histories
The library has acquired reproductions of documents produced by prominent individuals including Thaddeus Stevens, Lydia Maria Child, Frederick Douglass, Jefferson Davis, Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Grant, and Andrew Johnson. To determine if the library has sources for the person you are interested in try a keyword search in The CAT using their name combined with one of the following terms: Letters, Papers, Sources, Correspondence, Diary/Diaries, Archives. The Special Collections Library, also has manuscripts from the Civil War, many of which are not listed in the library's online catalog. Contact Special Collections for further information.
Many papers and other primary sources have not been published and can only be accessed at the library or archive holding the original documents. To identify libraries that may have items of interest consult the following:
American National Biography Online -- Offers portraits of more than 17,000 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation.
ArchivesUSA -- A subject guide to special collections in archives across the country. Contains entries from the National Union Catalogue of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC). You can also search detailed finding aids contained in the National Inventory of Documentary Sources (NIDS), Call # MICRO 4 NIDS, News and Microforms Library, Basement Level West Pattee.
Civil War Letters and Diaries (U.S.Civil War)
ArchiveGrid - Searchable database of finding aid from U.S. and international collections.
Civil War Manuscripts a Guide to Publications in the Library of Congress.
Call # Z1242.L48 1986, Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library.
Guide to the Archives of the Government of the Confederate States of America.
Call # CD3047.B4, Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library.
Guide to Federal Archives Relating to the Civil War.
Call # CD3047.M8, Pattee Stacks Level BA.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries
Biographies of Individuals associated with the Civil War
The easiest way to locate a biography is to do a Browse Subject search in The CAT. Enter the name of the person as the subject. For autobiographies do an Author search.
Unfortunately the above approach only works if most or all of the book is about the individual. Many 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 your best bet is to consult a biographical dictionary or encyclopedia. Typically 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. If your interest is related to Genealogy you might also consult: Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor. Call # CD3047.G76, Pattee Stacks Level BA.
Biographical Dictionary of the Confederacy
Call #E467.W2, Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection
Biographical Dictionary of the Union : Northern Leaders of the Civil War
Call #E467.B56 1995,
Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection
Biography and Genealogy Master Index An online index to biographies published in biographical encyclopedias and dictionaries on all topics/regions/disciplines.
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System An attempt by the National Park Service to provide basic information about all who served in the war.
Leaders of the American Civil War : a Biographical and Historiographical Dictionary
Call #E467.L43 1998,
Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection .
Pennsylvania Scrap Book Necrology, (Obituaries from circa 1891-1904, mostly of PA Civil War veterans).
Pennsylvania Civil War Project/Pennsylvanians in the Civil War
A 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 Histories & 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. If your interest is related to Genealogy you might also consult: Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor. Call # CD3047.G76, Pattee Stacks Level BA.
Civil War Eyewitnesses: An Annotated Bibliography of Books and Articles.
Vol 1, 1955-1986, Call #E601.C78 1988, Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection.
Vol. 2, 1986-1996,
Call #E601.C79 2000,
Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection. Describes published accounts written by those who witnessed the Civil War
Compendium of the War of the Rebellion.
Call #973.7D988c, Pattee Stacks Level 2.
History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5.
Call # E527.B32, Rare Books and Special Collections Library, 1st Floor Paterno; also ONLINE
Pennsylvania Civil War Project/Pennsylvanians in the Civil War
A 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 and Personal Narratives of the Civil War: A Checklist.
Call #Z1242.D6, Pattee Stacks Level 2.
The Roster of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865.
Call #E548.R65 1995, Pattee Stacks Level 1.
The Roster of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865.
Call # E494.H4, Pattee Stacks Level 1.
Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.
Call # E464.U62 1994, Pattee Stacks Level 1. Contains information left out of the original Official Records (see "War of the Rebellion" below)
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Call # E464.U6 1985, Pattee Stacks Level 1A; also available ONLINE. Also on CD-ROM, E464.C51997b, Music and Media Center, 2nd Floor West Pattee Library. Also see the Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies described above.
Facts, Dates, and Terms
Civil War: Day by Day: An Almanac, 1861-1865.
Call #E468.3L6, Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection.
Encyclopedia of the Confederacy.
Call # E487.E55 1993, Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection.
Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History.
Call #E468.E53 2000, Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection.
Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century.
Call #E169.1.E626 2001, Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection.
Everyday Life During the Civil War: A Guide for Writers, Students and Historians.
Call #E468.9.V37 1999, Pattee Stacks Level 1.
Historical Dictionary of Reconstruction.
Call #E668.T66 1991, Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection.
"A House Divided"--: a Century of Great Civil War Quotations.
Call #E468.9.H68 1997, Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection.
The Language of the Civil War.
Call #E468.9.W755 2001, Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection. Contains definitions of common terms used during the Civil War.
Useful Web Sites
Many of the sections above contain useful web resources. The links below are for general sites and those that provide starting points for research. Also see the printed guide: The Civil War on the Web: A Guide to the Very Best Sites, Call # E468.9.C35 2003, Pattee Stacks Level 1.
Penn State Civil War Era Center
The United States Civil War Center
American Memory 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 System An attempt by the National Park Service to provide basic information about all who served in the war.
Documenting the American South An online collection of sources, including diaries, oral histories, and literature from the South.
Valley of the Shadow A hypermedia archive of thousands of sources for the Civil War era in Augusta County, Virginia, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
H-CivWar Discussion Network A discussion list for the culture and history of the Civil War. The web site contains an archive as well as reviews.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook: U.S. Civil War Full-text of source documents.
Making of America Over 8,000 texts originally published in the 19th Century, with an emphasis on the period from 1850-1875.
Secession Era Editorials Project Provides full-text of editorials grouped around major political issues in the pre-Civil War years.
Selected Civil War Photographs (Library of Congress)
The American Civil War Home Page
Links to (mostly free) sites with information on all aspects of the war (music, fiction, regimental histories, state resources, etc...). Includes scholarly resources produced by libraries, archives and museums as well as personal websites and commercial sites.
Can't Find what you are looking for here?
Help is Available.
| Arts & Humanities Library | 2nd Floor Pattee | 814-865-6481 |
| Special Collections Library | 104 Paterno | 814-865-7931 |
| Microforms & Newspapers Library | Basement Level Pattee | 814-863-0377 |
History Librarian, Eric Novotny, W321 Pattee Library. 814-865-1014, ecn1@psu.edu, IM: HistoryLibrarian
You might also consider posting a question to the H-net discussion list, H-CivWar Discussion Network the list's web page contains an archive of previously posted questions and answers.