The tragic impact
the Civil War had on our nation has made it one of the most
heavily
researched periods
in our nation’s history. The Library Congress estimates it
holds over 70,000 volumes that deal directly with the war, with
numerous other volumes dealing partially or indirectly with some
aspect of the conflict. Added to the published material are the
untold manuscript collections, letters, diaries, newspapers, and
state and Federal government records related to the Civil War.
The problem is not necessarily finding information, but knowing
where to start. This problem hold true even if you are concentrating
on just South Carolina’s involvement in the Civil War.
Listed below are different resources to help you discover and
investigate
this devastating, but formative period in our history.
Researching the Civil War can be a daunting task because of
the number of books and repositories that may hold information
important to your research. The section on publications lists
several general histories that will provide an overview of the
war as well as provide bibliographical essays that can lead you
to more specific information. Also included on the list are several
publications that are strictly bibliographies of other published
works. Finding manuscript sources is more problematic because
of the sheer number of repositories involved and the accessibility
of guides to those collections. Major repositories may have a
web presence that includes digital and searchable guides, but
many smaller repositories will not.
Online Sources
The US Civil War Center at LSU
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/
The American Civil War Homepage (University of Tennessee)
http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/
Civil War Trust: Primary Source Documents
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/
Library of Congress Civil War Records
http://www.loc.gov/topics/content.php?subcat=8
National Archives Civil War Records
http://www.archives.gov/research/military/civil-war/
National Park Service: Civil War Soldier and Sailor System
http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/
The War of Rebellion: The Official Records of the Union and
Confederate Armies
http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/sources/records/
Civil War Interactive and Blue & Gray
Daily
http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/
Virginia Center for Civil War Studies
http://www.civilwar.vt.edu/index.html
University of South Carolina Libraries
http://library.sc.edu/digital/collections/civilwar.html
Publications
Library of Congress Selected Bibliography
http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/uscw_rec_links/bibliography.html
South Carolina Department of Archives & History
Guide
to Civil War Records
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