Primary Resources

The Union in the Civil War



Courtesy of the Andover Historical Society

Civil War Envelopes
Patriotic images adorn these envelopes from the Civil War.

Civil War Pocket Map of the Mississippi with notations.
Patriotic images adorn these envelopes from the Civil War.

Soldiers’ Bible.
The author of this interesting narrative, Chaplain of the Georgia Hospitals in Richmond, uses the belongings of a deceased Confederate soldier to talk the soldiers life and death. His narrative is broadly illustrative of the suffering of the Civil War and the individual sacrifices of the soldiers who took part in it.

Letters to Mary Hanson, 1862-1864, Chauncey Thurston
Thurston’s letters discuss the” inhumanity” of the war and his belief that a million more men will need to be drafted to meet the needs of the Union Army. Thurston took part in the Battle of Gettysburg and was taken captive by the Confederates during the battle. He was taken captive again in November, 1863 and sent to Richmond.

Memorial Hall Subscriptions, 1871

Soldiers’ Aid Society, Sanitary Commission Letters.
This document includes a letter from the U.S. Sanitary Commission in Boston commending the women of New England for their work in the Soldiers’ Aid Societies and reminding them of the value of the labor.

Soldiers’ Aid Society, Sanitary Commission Papers
The Constitution and minutes of the Soldiers’ Aid Society in Andover. The Soldiers’ Aid Society regularly sent food, medical supplies, and garments to the Sanitary Commission. These articles were then distributed among the Union soldiers. These papers include lists of supplies sent to the Sanitary Commission and accounts of the society’s membership and meetings. The author of the letter is particularly enthusiastic about the fact that the women of the country can do “their share of the patriotic duty” by participating in the Soldiers’ Aid societies.

Courtesy of the Boston Public Library

United States Sanitary Commission. New-England Women's Auxiliary Association. Boston : Prentiss and Deland, 1864
This document includes the Constitution and by-laws of the New England Women’s Auxiliary to the United States Sanitary Commission. It also includes letters from men in the military thanking the commission for its work.

Dolly and John Hawkes Letters

Charlestown, MA Soldiers’ Relief Society. “Board of Government and the Society Constitution.” 1861
Letters and Constitution of the Charlestown Soldiers’ Relief Society.


Courtesty of the Massachusetts Historical Society

Dear Brother, Feb. 7th, 1863
William Gage Hammond papers, 1842—1906

Soldiers’ Charity Accounts, selections from 1861-1862 and 1861-1867
These account books list the supplies sent to the soldiers by the Soldiers’ Aid Societies

Courtesy of the Beverly Historical Society

Hannah Rantoul Collection
The Hannah Rantoul Collection is part of a larger collection of items belonging to the Rantoul family of Beverly, Massachusetts. Hannah Rantoul served as a liaison for the New England Sanitary Commission in the Beverly area and received many letters from servicemen and their families, thanking her for her efforts to procure donations of provisions, clothing, blankets, and other badly needed supplies for various Massachusetts infantries during the Civil War. The items listed below are from that collection and are just a sample of what is included in the collection of papers from the Sanitary Commission and letters and correspondence from servicemen and others.

A Circular to the Benevolent
Educational Commission
New England Women’s Auxiliary Association Monthly Meeting
Rantoul Letters Hanson
Rantoul Letters Giddings
Rantoul Letters Donation
Letter from Endicott to Robert Rantoul, 1861.

Links

Duke University – Civil War Women
From the website: “As a result of the Duke bibliography Women and the Civil War, we consistently receive requests from students and teachers who would like to see primary sources on this topic available to them via the Internet. In response, we have begun to transcribe and scan some of our manuscript collections which document women's experiences in the Civil War. Given the wealth of information about the Civil War already on the Internet, there is a relatively small amount of material that reflects women's lives and experiences during this time period. Below are links to primary sources on the Internet that are directly related to women and the Civil War.” Resources include diaries and letters of women living in occupied areas, letters of Confederate spy Rose Greenhow, and love letters between women and soldiers on the front.


TeacherOz.Com
This website was created by a high school teacher in Dallas, Texas. It includes links to primary documents relating to the Civil War including letters, diaries, music, poems, cartoons, and literature.


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