Summary
Overview
American Civil War Collection
2.1 linear feet, 1 archival boxes and 1 oversize flat box
Princeton University. Library. Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections
Manuscripts Division
One Washington Road
Princeton, New Jersey 08544 USA
Abstract
Consists of selected correspondence and documents related to the American Civil War.
Description
Description
The collection consists of selected correspondence and documents related to the American Civil War. Included are letters from individuals in the army to their families or friends describing their experiences in the war and their life in army camps. There are letters of orders from army generals, with orders for brigades, pardons, promotions, and one about the return of army prisoners, and one of a Confederate prisoner describing a Civil War prison at Point Lookout, Maryland. Correspondents include Henry M. Bond and Luke Lyman who wrote letters to James Walker about their life in Union army camps; others are Henry L. Benning, John Archibald Campbell, Gen. Charles H. T. Collis, and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. There are circulars, "Returns for Provisions" for Fort Sumter, S.C.; receipts for food and supplies for army personnel and for the horses; a "Parole of Honor" (1865) for J. C. Whitwell; and a musters roll for Capt. S. D. Rainey. Also included are a piece of a Confederate flag, a drawing of "Rebel" and Union "Picket Pits" at Fort Sedgwick ("Fort Hell") in Petersburg, Virginia, and a manuscript poem titled "Lines by a Confederate Major," dated May 1865 and written on the back of a Confederate one dollar note. In addition, there is a sample of paper manufactured by the Southern Confederacy during the Civil War.
Collection Creator
History
The American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military installation at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Eleven Southern slave states had declared their secession from the U.S. and formed the Confederate States of America (the Confederacy). Led by Jefferson Davis, they fought against the U.S. federal government (the Union), which was supported by all the free states and the five border slave states in the north.
The Civil War was the deadliest war in American history, causing 620,000 soldier deaths and an undetermined number of civilian casualties. Its legacy includes ending slavery in the United States, restoring the Union, and strengthening the role of the federal government.
Collection History
Acquisition
"Parole of Honor" for C. J. Whitwell, was a gift of John Colman Whitwell.
"Returns of Provisions" for Fort Sumter were a gift of George Blight Halsted, Princeton Class of 1839, on June 29, 1937.
Letters of Henry Bond were a gift of Mrs. Wilson Farrand, wife of Wilson Farrand, Princeton Class of 1886, on Nov. 29, 1938 and Sept. 1940. AM 11486, 12029-12030. November 29, 1938 and September 1940. Various AM.
Custodial History
The collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Dina Britain on August 18, 2009. Finding aid written by Elizabeth Mulvey on August 20, 2009. Folder Inventory added by Jameson Creager (2015) in 2012.
Access and Use
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be requested from the Associate University Librarian for Rare Books and Special Collections.
Preferred Citation
American Civil War Collection; 1861-1865, Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
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