NF Looking for good online resources with primary Historical sources from the civil war?

Non-Fiction

Creighton1930

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Jul 21, 2019
are there any good websites with online access too primary documents from the American Civil war? I am looking for Letters, Diaries, newspapers, basically anything on the era. I want to do some really deep research on what was on the minds of many americans.
 
It's worth spending the money to join Ancestry.com and its affiliates, Newspapers.com and Fold3, if you are serious about "deep research." There are no real shortcuts -- but the availability of these digital archives mean that you don't have to travel all over the country visiting local repositories and reading microfiche (though you still may want/need to do a bit of that as well!). Read and read and read -- and don't neglect the bibliographies of recent scholarship, which will lead you to primary sources that may interest you. Good luck.
 
Don't forget Project Gutenberg. Many 19th century regimental histories are available there, as well as a number of accounts written before the war concluded, such as "Our Campaigns Around Gettysburg," "Red Tape and Pidgeon-Hole Generals." Many diaries, memoirs and other primary and secondary sources are collected and annotated by modern publishers such as university presses. Those can be found at amazon and B&N, but they're not free. Small presses hold on to licenses for those items.
 
Library of Congress and National Archives although it can be a chore finding the right words to enter a search. Both are so comprehensive searches come up with items you wouldn't be interested in. Worth the effort though!

Gettysburg College has a lot of wonderful stuff. Their Special Collections department is really helpful when contacted, too. All they ask is that you source them if using material.
 
The Eyewitness at the battle books by David R. Logsdon are great only handful I think but lot of quotes and info to the original source … Shiloh, Nashville, Franklin, Murfreesboro/Stones river , Perryville & Fort Donelson is all he did He has past on sadly but what he did for all those battles … Amazing I have 4 of them … I think you will like them - regards
 
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