Research Guides: HIST 2600: American Civil War: Primary Sources

Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary means written at or near the time of the historical event.

Secondary means written many years later, probably by a scholar researching the historical event.

How-To Video: Searching Historical Newspapers

Searching for Primary Sources
This learning module will help you understand how to develop a list of keywords and identify and search within appropriate databases to find primary sources.

Primary Sources Databases

African American Newspapers Series 1: 1827-1998 This link opens in a new window
Provides access to U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African-American experience. This collection includes historically significant papers and features many rare 19th-century titles.
American Civil War: Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Provides access to more than 400 sources of diaries, letters, and memoirs from the Civil War era.
American Periodicals This link opens in a new window
Full text periodicals published between 1740 and 1940.

Chronicling America: Historic Newspapers 1789-1963
Chronicling America is a Website providing access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages, and is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). Supported by the NEH and the Library of Congress.
Documenting the American South
Primary source materials relating to Southern history. Open access.
more...less...
A collection of sources on Southern history, literature and culture from the colonial period through the first decades of the 20th century. Includes: First-Person Narratives of the American South; Library of Southern Literature; North American Slave Narratives; The Southern Homefront, 1861-1865; The Church in the Southern Black Community.

Harper's Weekly: 1857-1912 This link opens in a new window
A 19th century illustrated newspaper from 1857-1912. Includes news stories, illustrations, cartoons, editorials, biographies, literature and advertisements.
New York Times Historical Archives (1851-2020) This link opens in a new window
Major global newspaper including news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, as well as photos and advertisements.
Historic North Carolina Digital Newspaper Collection This link opens in a new window
Newspapers.com North Carolina Collection includes digitized content from over 1,000 NC county newspapers.
History Commons - North America This link opens in a new window
19th Century African American newspapers, American County Histories to 1900, American Civil War Primary Sources, and more.
North Carolina Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
North Carolina Historical newspapers from late 1700s to 1859
ProQuest Congressional Hearings This link opens in a new window
Access congressional publications dealing with the wide variety of topics addressed by Congress.
South Carolina's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
South Carolina Historical newspapers from late 1700s to 1859.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
Reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1817-1962.

Internet Resources

War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (HTMLfrom e-History). You can also search Cornell University's image copies of the War of the Rebellion. Reports, letters, telegrams, and general orders from the War Department. This is a primary source.

Civil War Maps from the Library of Congress. This is a primary source.

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System National Parks Service search of individual soldiers. This is a primary source.
If you would like to order information about your ancestor who served in the Civil War, follow the instructions on this link.

Nationwide Graveside Locator Burial locations of veterans and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker.

Southern Homefront Documents from UNC Charlotte's Documenting the American South history website. Southern Homefront includes Southern life during the Civil War. Collection includes over four hundred Civil War era maps, broadsides, photographs, printed works, Confederate currency, and manuscript letters and diaries. This is a primary source.

Government Documents

ProQuest Congressional Hearings This link opens in a new window
Access congressional publications dealing with the wide variety of topics addressed by Congress.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
Reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1817-1962.
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Legal history and government documents. Contains the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and entire databases of treaties, constitutions, case law, world trials, international trade, foreign relations, and more.

Featured Books

How the Slaves Saw the Civil War
ISBN: 9781440828232
Practicing Medicine in a Black Regiment
ISBN: 1558497390

Edited Collections

You can find some primary sources in books. Below is a list of relevant subject headings. When searching for these in the catalog, try adding "sources", "documents", "correspondence" or "letters" to your search.

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives, Confederate.

Confederate States of America -- History -- Sources.

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives.

North Carolina -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources.

United States -- Politics & government -- 1861-1865 -- Sources.