FREE CIVIL WAR RESOURCES ONLINE
This website was conceived after an extended bout of Civil War reading (specifically, finishing Shelby Foote's 3-volume Narrative, Billy Yank, Johnny Reb, Gettysburg, and Confederates in the Attic). Some of my favourite writings of the war are personal narratives, and I was frustrated that so many of the best letters and diaries should be limited in access to those living in the states whose historical commissions own them. As virtually all of these materials are now out of copyright (apart from those only recently discovered by great-great-ancestors and published in the wake of Ken Burns' success), there's little reason not to digitize and disseminate them, and indeed a number of sites have begun that process. So, drawing on websites specialising in out-of-copyright works available to the public, I'm endeavouring to share the fruits of my searches with others.
Note that titles listed without accompanying links are my "want" list. If anyone is able to procure a copy, I would be eternally grateful!
If you find this portal useful, want to make a correction or can recommend a title (available online) that deserves to be listed, please email me at civilwar@maz.ca
Fiction
- Bierce, Ambrose - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (buy a copy!)
- Coffin, Charles C. - My Days and Nights on the Battlefield
- Crane, Stephen - The Red Badge of Courage (buy a copy!)
- Dixon, Thomas - The Leopard's Spots (buy a copy!)
- Henty, G.A. - With Lee in Virginia (buy a copy!)
- Hill, A.F. - John Smith's Funny Adventures on a Crutch (buy a copy)
- O'Reilly, Miles, Pvt. (pseud.) - The Life and Adventures, Songs, Services and Speeches of Private Miles O'Reilly *NY Herald humor serial (buy a copy)
- Optic, Oliver - The Soldier Boy; or, Tom Somers in the Army (buy a copy)
- Stowe, Harriet Beecher - Uncle Tom's Cabin (buy a copy)
- Twain, Mark - Private History of a Campaign that Failed (buy a copy)
Letters
Miscellaneous
Non-Fiction
- Houghton-Mifflin's Civil War Battlefield Guides
- Cornell University's Making of America Archive - issues of popular periodicals from the 1860s
- Excellent resources on the Lincoln Assassination
- Battles and Leaders of the Civil War
- An Account of the Lawrence Massacre
- The Lincoln Douglas Debates
- Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress (General correspondence 1833-1865)
- Soldiers' Letters from Camps, Battlefield and Prison (published for the US Sanitary Commission)
- VMI materials on the execution of John Brown
- US War Dept Instructions for Making Muster-rolls, Mustering into Service, Periodical Payments and Discharging from Service
- Confederate States of America War Dept - Southern History of the War; Official reports of battles
- Adams, Charles Francis - Tis 60 Years Since (a retrospective of 1853)
- Adams, Henry - The Education of Henry Adams
- Beall, John Y. - Trial of John Y. Beall as a Spy and a Guerrillero, by Military Commission
- Bond, W. R., Capt (CSA) - Pickett or Pettigrew? An Historical Essay
- Boynton, William - Sherman's Historical Raid (written as a counterspin to Sherman's Memoirs)
- Brewerton, George D. - The War in Kansas: a rough trip to the border (1856)
- Brockett, L.P. - Woman's Work in the Civil War: A record of heroism, patriotism and patience
- Browne, A.K. - Ths Story of the Kearsarge and Alabama
- Browne, Francis Fisher - The Every-Day Life of Abraham Lincoln
- Coggeshall, William T. - Lincoln Memorial: The journeys of Abraham Lincoln (Springfield->Washington, Washington->Springfield)
- Connelly, William E. - Quantrill and the Border Wars
- Davis, Varina H., - Jefferson Davis: Ex-President of the CSA, A Memoir by his wife Part 1 Part 2
- Devens, Richard M. - The Pictorial Book of Anecdotes and Incidents of the War of the Rebellion
- Dodge, Theodore A. - The Campaign of Chancellorsville
- Emilio, Luis F., - History of the 54th Regt of MA Volunteer Inf.
- Fowler, William H. (CSA) - Guide for Claimaints of Deceased Soldiers...
- Fox, William F., - Regimental Losses in the US Civil War
- Grant, Ulysses, S. - Archive of Writings
- Greene, Ramsay, Watson & Worden - The Monitor and the Merrimac - both sides of the story
- Hardee, William J., Gen. (CSA) - [Hardee's] Tactics for Riflement and Light Infantry
- Hay, John & Nicolay, John - Abraham Lincoln, A History (1 2)
- Hay, John & Nicolay, John - A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln (condensed from Abraham Lincoln: A History)
- Henderson, G.F.R. - Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War
- Herndon, William - Herndon's Lincoln
- Horton, Rushmore, G. - A Youth's History of the Great Civil War in the United States
- Johnston, William P., - Life of General Albert Sidney Johnston (written by his son)
- Kirke, Edmund (pseud.) - Down in Tennessee and Back by Way of Richmond
- Kirke, Edmund (pseud.) - Among the Pines; or, South in Secession-Time
- Lincoln, Abraham - Archive of Writings
- Lincoln, Abraham - The Papers of Abraham Lincoln
- Logan, John A. "Black Jack" (USA) - The Great Conspiracy (sadly, he wrote only a history of the war instead of a personal narrative)
- Lowell, James Russell - Abraham Lincoln
- Lyle, William W. - Lights and Shadows of Army Life; Pen Pictures from the Battlefield, the Camp and the Hospital
- Mahan, A.T. - Admiral Farragut
- Marszalek, John (ed.) - The Civil War in the Western Theater
- McClure, Alexander K. - Lincoln's Yarns and Stories
- Miller, George - Missouri's Memorable Decade 1860-1870
- Moore, Frank (ed.) - Anecdotes, Poetry and Incidents of the War
- Nicolay, Helen - The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln
- Nott, Charles C. - Sketches in Prison Camps; A Continuation of Sketches of the War
- Owens, John A. - Sword and Pen - Ventures and Adventures of Willard Glazier
- Pollard, Edward A. - The Lost Cause Regained
- Pollard, Edward A. - The Lost Cause: A new southern history of the war of the Confederates
- Pollard, Edward A. - Southern History of the War: the first year of the war
- Pollard, Edward A. - Southern History of the War: the second year of the war
- Pollard, Edward A. - The Southern Spy: letters on the policy and inauguration of the Lincoln War
- Pollard, Edward A. - Echoes From the South: comprising the most important speeches, proclamations and public acts... from the South
- Quintard, Charles T. - The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions
- Reid, Whitelaw - After The War: A Southern Tour
- Rochelle, James H. - Life of Rear Admiral John Randolph Tucker
- Ruffin, Edmund - Anticipations of the Future...
- Russell, Almira - Reminisces of Winfield Scott Hancock (written by his wife)
- Russell, William H, Sir. - Pictures of Southern Life; social, political and military
- Spencer, Cornelia Phillips - The Last Ninety Days of the War in North Carolina
- Stephenson, Nathaniel W. - Abraham Lincoln and the Union: A chronicle of the embattled North
- Stephenson, Nathaniel W. - Day of the Confederacy; a chronicle of the embattled South
- Steward, Austin - 22 Years a Slave, and 40 Years a Freeman
- Still, William - The Underground Railroad (Facts, narratives, etc.)
- Thompson, L.S. - The Story of Mattie J. Jackson
- Trow, Harrison - Charles W. Quantrell: a true history of his guerrilla warfare...
- Trowbridge, John T. - The South: A tour of its battle-fields and ruined cities...
- Whipple, Wayne - The Story of Young Abraham Lincoln
- Widger, David - Quotes and Images from the Writings of Abraham Lincoln
- Wilson, Harriet E. - Our Nig, or sketches from the life of a free black
- Wood, William - Captains of the Civil War: A chronicle of the blue and the gray
Poetry and Song Lyrics
Personal Narratives - Combatants
- Documenting the American South - Personal Narratives - Confederate
- Addeman, Joshua M. Capt. (USA) - Reminiscences of two years with the colored troops (buy a copy)
- Alexander, Edward Porter, Gen. (CSA) - Military Memoirs of a Confederate: a critical narrative buy a copy
- Bacon, Edward, Col. (USA) - Among the Cotton Thieves (buy a copy)
- Bardeen, Charles, (USA) - A Little Fifer's War Diary (buy a copy)
- Batten, John M., (USA) - Reminiscences of Two Years in the United States Navy (buy a copy)
- Beauregard, Pierre G.T., Gen. (CSA) - The First Battle of Bull Run
- Billings, John D., (USA) - Hardtack and Coffee (buy a copy)
- Buell, Don C., Gen. (USA) - Shiloh Reviewed
- Burnett, Alf (USA) - Incidents of the War: humorous, pathetic and descriptive (buy a copy)
- Butler, Benjamin F., Gen. (USA) - Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences (buy a copy)
- Chamberlain, Joshua L., Col. (USA) - Through Blood and Fire At Gettysburg (buy a copy)
- Chamberlain, Joshua L., Col. (USA) - The Passing of the Armies (buy a copy)
- Copley, John M (CSA) - A Sketch of the Battle of Franklin; with reminiscences of Camp Douglas (buy a copy)
- Cox, Jacob Dolson, Gen. (USA) - Military Reminiscences of the Civil War Part I Part II (buy a copy)
- Crotty, Daniel G., Color Sgt. (USA) - Four Years Campaigning in the Army of the Potomac (buy a copy)
- Dodd, Ephraim Shelby (CSA) - Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D, Terry's Texas Rangers (buy a copy)
- Doubleday, Abner, Gen. (USA) - Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-61 (buy a copy)
- Doubleday, Abner, Gen. (USA) - Chancellorsville and Gettysburg Campaigns of the Civil War (buy a copy)
- Dunaway, Wayland F., Capt. (CSA)- Reminiscences of a Rebel (buy a Kindle copy)
- Early, Jubal A., Gen (CSA)- Narrative of the War Between the States (buy a copy)
- Early, Jubal A., Gen (CSA)- A Memoir of the Last Year of the War for Independence (buy a copy)
- Force, M.F., Gen. (USA) - From Fort Henry to Corinth (buy a Kindle copy)
- Ford, Arthur P., Pvt. (CSA) - Life in the Confederate Army (buy a copy)
- Geer, John J. (USA) - Beyond the Lines: A Yankee Prisoner Loose in Dixie (buy a copy)
- Gordon, John B., Gen (CSA) - Reminiscences of the Civil War (buy a copy)
- Grant, Ulysses S., Gen. (USA) - Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant (buy a copy)
- Harnden, Henry, Lt Col. (USA) - The Capture of Jefferson Davis (buy a copy)
- Haskell, Frank, Lt. (USA) - Letter to His Brother Describing the Battle of Gettysburg (buy a copy)
- Haskell, Milo S., Gen. (USA) - Personal Recollections and Experiences Concerning the Battle of Stone River (buy a copy)
- Higginson, Thomas W., Col. (USA) - Army Life in a Black Regiment (buy a copy)
- Hood, John B., Gen. (CSA) - Advance and Retreat: Personal Experiences in the US and Confederate Armies (buy a copy)
- Houghton, W.R. & M.B. (CSA) - Two Boys in the Civil War and After (buy a copy)
- Johnston, David E. (CSA) - The Story of a Confederate Boy in the Civil War (buy a copy)
- Johnston, Isaac N. (USA) - Four Months in Libby: and the campaign against Atlanta (buy a copy)
- Johnston, Joseph E., Gen. (CSA) - Narrative of Military Operations During the Civil War (buy a copy)
- Jones, Jenkin L. (USA) - An Artilleryman's Diary (buy a copy)
- Keifer, Joseph Warren, Col. (USA) - Slavery and Four Years of War (buy a copy)
- Keiley, Anthony M. (CSA) - In Vinculis; The prisoner of war, being the experience of a Rebel in two federal pens (buy a copy)
- Lee, Robert E., Gen (CSA) - Recollections and Letters of General Robert E Lee (buy a copy)
- Longstreet, James, Gen. (CSA) - From Manassas to Appomattox (buy a copy)
- Lyman, Theodore, Col. (USA) - With Grant and Meade from the Wilderness to Appomattox (buy a copy)
- McCarthy, Carlton, Pvt. (CSA) - Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life in the Army of Northern Virginia (buy a copy)
- McElroy, John (USA) - Andersonville (buy a copy)
- Meade, George G., Gen. (USA) - Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade (buy a copy)
- Miller, Delavan S. (USA) - Drum Taps in Dixie: Memories of a Drummer Boy (buy a copy)
- Mosby, John S., Col. (CSA) - Memoirs of Colonel John S Mosby (buy a copy)
- Nichols, George W., Maj. (USA) - The Story of the Great March (Sherman's March) (buy a copy)
- Noyes, George F., Capt. (USA) - The Bivouac and the Battlefield; Campaign sketches in Virginia and Maryland (buy a copy)
- Oats, Sgt. (USA) - Prison Life in Dixie (buy a copy)
- Olney, Warren Pvt. (USA) - Shiloh, as seen by a private soldier (buy a copy)
- Pettis, George H., Lt. (USA) - Frontier Service During the Rebellion (buy a copy)
- Pickett, George E., Gen. (CSA) - The Heart of a Soldier, as revealed in the intimate letters of... (buy a copy)
- Porter, Horace, Gen. (USA) - Campaigning with Grant (buy a copy)
- Ransom, John, (USA) - John Ransom's Andersonville Diary* known to be exaggerated/inaccurate (buy a copy)
- Robson, John S, Pvt. (CSA) - How A One-Legged Rebel Lives: Reminiscences of the Civil War (buy a copy)
- Scott, John, Maj. (CSA) - Partisan Life with Col. John S. Mosby (buy a copy)
- Semmes, Raphael, (CSA) - Memoirs of Service Afloat During the War Between the States (buy a copy)
- Sheridan, Philip H., Gen. (USA) - Personal Memoirs of P.H. Sheridan (buy a copy)
- Sherman, William T., Gen. (USA) - Memoirs of Gen. William T. Sherman (buy a copy)
- Shellenberger, John K., Capt. (USA) - The Battle of Spring Hill, TN (buy a copy)
- Sherrill, Miles O. (CSA) - A Soldier's Story: Prison life and other incidents in the war of 1861-65 (buy a copy)
- Smith, Henry B., Maj. (USA) - Between the Lines; Secret service stories told 50 years after (buy a copy)
- Sprague, Homer B., Col. (USA) - Lights and Shadows in Confederate Prisons (buy a copy)
- Stiles, Robert, Pvt. (CSA) - Four Years Under Marse Robert (buy a copy)
- Stillwell, Leander - Sgt. (CSA) - The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War (buy a copy)
- Taylor, Benjamin F. (USA) - Pictures of Life in Camp and Field (buy a copy)
- Taylor, Richard, Gen. (CSA) - Destruction and Reconstruction: Personal experiences of the late war (buy a copy)
- von Borcke, Heros, Maj. (CSA) - Memoirs of the Confederate War for Independence* known to be exaggerated/inaccurate (buy a copy)
- Watkins, Sam, Pvt. (CSA) - Co. Aytch (Or A Sideshow of the Big Show) (buy a copy)
- Wilkenson, Frank, Pvt (USA) - Recollection of a Private Soldier in the Army of the Potomac (buy a copy)
- Wilkinson, John (CSA) - The Narrative of a Blockade-Runner (buy a copy)
- Worsham, John H, (CSA) - One of Jackson's Foot Cavalry (buy a copy)
- Young, Lot D., Lt. (CSA) - Reminiscences of a Soldier of the Orphan Brigade (buy a copy)
Personal Narratives - Non-Combatants (Civilians, Politicians, Observers)
- American Slave Narratives
- First-Person Narratives of the American South (Library of Congress)
- Alcott, Louisa M. Nurse (USA) - Hospital Sketches
- Beers, Fannie, Nurse (CSA) - A Record of Personal Experience and Adventure During 4 Years of War
- Boyd, Belle, Spy (CSA) - Belle Boyd in Camp and Prison Part 1 Part 2
- Buehler, Fannie J. (USA) - Recollections of the Rebel Invasion and One Woman's Experiences During the Battle of Gettysburg
- Carpenter, Francis B., Artist (USA) - Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln; The story of a picture
- Chesnut, Mary B. (CSA) SC. - A Diary From Dixie
- Dana, Charles A. Reporter (USA) - Recollections of the Civil War
- Davis, Jefferson (CSA) - The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government Part 1 Part 2
- Dawson, Sarah Morgan (CSA) - A Confederate Girl's Diary
- De Gurowski, Adam G, Count (USA) Diary March 4, 1861-November 12, 1862, November 12, 1862-October 18, 1863
- Dupre, Louis J. reporter - Fagots from the Campfire
- Edmonds, S. Emma E. Nurse (USA) - Nurse and Spy in the Union Army* partly fictionalised
- Ellis, Thomas T., Surgeon (USA) - Leaves from the Diary of an Army Surgeon; Incidents of field, camp and hospital life
- Eppes, Susan Bradford, (CSA) FL. - Through Some Eventful Years
- Fremantle, Arthur J., (CSA) English Military Observer in the CSA - Three Months in Southern States
- Gay, Mary A.H. (CSA) - Life in Dixie During the War
- Greeley, Horace (USA) Editor, New York Tribune - The American Conflict: A history of the great rebellion
- Howe, Julia Ward (USA) - Reminiscences: 1819-1899
- Hughes, Thomas (CSA) - A Boy's Experience in the Civil War
- Huse, Caleb, Purchasing Agent (CSA) - The Supplies for the Confederate Army - how they were obtained in Europe, and paid for
- Jones, John B. clerk (CSA) - A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital
- Keckley, Elizabeth (USA) - Behind the Scenes, or, Thirty Years A Slave, and Four Years in the White House
- Knox, Thomas W. (USA) NY Herald Correspondent - Campfire and Cotton Field; Southern adventure in time of war
- Leale, Charles A., Dr. (USA) - Lincoln's Last Hours
- Loughborough, Mary Ann Webster (CSA) - My Cave Life in Vicksburg
- Nicolay, John G. (USA) - A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln (condensed from Hay and Nicolay's Abraham Lincoln: A History)
- Nicolay, John G. (USA) - The Outbreak of Rebellion
- Pringle, Cyrus G., Conscientious Objector (USA) - The Record of a Quaker Conscience
- Rains, George W., Col. (CSA) - History of the Confederate Powder Works
- Russell, Sir William H. (USA) London Times Correspondent - My Diary North and South
- Stephens, Alexander H. (CSA) Vice-President - A Constitutional View of the Late War
- Taft, Horatio N. (USA)- Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft (accessible via this if other link doesn't work)
- Welles, Gideon (USA) Secretary of the Navy - Diary Vol 1., Vol 2., Vol 3.
- Williams, Noble C. (CSA) - Echoes from the Battlefield: Southern life during the war
- Woolsey, Jane Stuart (USA) nurse - Hospital Days
Corps/Division/Regimental/Company Histories, Military handbooks
- Co F., 1st Regiment, R.I. Volunteers (USA) - During the Spring and Summer of 1861
- 2nd Massachusettes Regiment of Infantry (USA) - Regimental History
- 2nd Connecticut Regiment of Volunteer Heavy Artillery (USA) - The County Regiment
- Co E., 6th Minnesota Regiment of Volunteer Infantry (USA) - Regimental History
- 9th Army Corps (USA) - Woodbury, Augustus - Major General Ambrose E Burnside and the Ninth Army Corps: A narrative of campaigns...
- 14th Army Corps (USA) - Bickham, William D. - Rosecrans' Campaign with the 14th Army Corps, or the Army of the Cumberland
- 19th Army Corps (USA) - Irwin, Richard B. - History of the 19th Army Corps
- 1st Division, 14th Corps (USA) - McElroy, John - The Red Acorn
- 25th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers (USA) - Bissell, George P. - In the War of the Rebellion
- 75th Ill. Inf. (USA) - Dodge, William S. - A Waif of the War; The history of the 75th Illinois Infantry
- 86th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry (USA) During its term of service
- 114th NY Volunteers (USA) - Pellet, Elias P., Major - History of the 114th Regiment, NY State Volunteers
- 132nd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (USA) War from the Inside
- Chatham Artillery (CSA) - Jones, Charles C. Jr. - Historical Sketch of the Chatham Artillery During the Confederate Struggle for Independence
- Connecticut Yankees at Gettysburg - Powell, Walter L.
- Little, George & Maxwell, James R. - A History of Lumsden's Battery, C.S.A.
- Pickett's Division (CSA) - Harrison, Walter - Pickett's Men: A fragment of war history
- The Army of the Cumberland (USA) - Cist, Henry Martyn - The Army of the Cumberland
- United States War Department - Instructions for making muster rolls, mustering, payments, discharging volunteers or militia
Images
Sound Effects
Battlefield, National Parks, Historical Sites Websites
Websites
Fiction
Not-So-Free Civil War Resources (asterisks indicate a personal recommendation!)
- Benson, Berry (ed. Susan Williams Benson) - Berry Benson's Civil War Book: Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter
- Dana, Charles A. - Recollections of the Civil War
- * Foote, Shelby - The Civil War: A Narrative
- * Foote, Shelby - Shiloh (Fiction) - make an effort to find the audiobooks, with Foote reading two of the episodes!
- * Foote, Shelby - The Stars in Their Courses (an extract from Narrative Book II, dealing with the Gettysburg campaign - an excellent primer to Foote's writing! Also available as an audiobook read by Foote himself.)
- * Foote, Shelby - The Beleaguered City (also an extract from Narrative Book II, dealing with the Vicksburg campaign. More dense than the Gettysburg extract, but highly listenable as an audiobook read by Foote.)
- * Goodwin, Doris Kearns - Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
- * Horwitz, Tony - Confederates in the Attic
- * Kantor, MacKinlay - Andersonville (fiction)
- Marvel, William - Andersonville: The Last Depot
- Patterson, Gerard A. - Debris of Battle: the Wounded of Gettysburg
- Ransom, John L. - Andersonville Diary (known to be exaggerated)
- Ripley, Edward Hastings - Vermont General: The Unusual War Experiences of Edward Hastings Ripley
- Ripley, Edward Hastings - The Capture and Occupation of Richmond
- Ripple, Ezra Hoyt - Dancing Along the Deadline: Andersonville Memoir of a Prisoner of the Confederacy
- Sheldon, George - When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg
- Slade, Jim/Alexander, John - Firestorm at Gettysburg (civilian accounts)
- * Trudeau, Noah Andre - Gettysburg
- Vowell, Sarah - Assassination Vacation (lots of discussion of Seward and Lincoln)
- Welles, Gideon - The Diary of Gideon Welles (available for free in its original, heavily-edited edition. Consensus is that the modern edition, a transcription of the original diaries, is better.
- Werner, Emmy E. - Reluctant Witnesses: Children's Voices from the Civil War
- White, Henry S., Chaplain (USA) - Prison Life Among the Rebels: Recollections of a Union Chaplain
- Whitman, Walt - Walt Whitman's Civil War
- * Wiley, Bell Irwin - Billy Yank
- * Wiley, Bell Irwin - Johnny Reb
- Winters, William, Sgt. (USA) - The Musick of the Mocking Birds, the Roar of the Cannon
- Zeller, Bob - The Blue and Gray in Black and White: A History of Civil War Photography