Virginia Historical Society
Virginia Historical Society: Conclusion: Did the Civil War End at Appomattox?
While the American Civil War officially ended at the Battle of Appomattox, Confederate sensibilities ran deep and it was not until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s that blacks were able to fully assert their equality....
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech: Special Collections: American Civil War Manuscript Guides
A large repository of letters and diaries from both Union and Confederate soldiers, homefront letters, memoirs, and contemporary research files. Includes materials from the war years, 1861-1865, as well as materials from later periods...
University of Maryland
University of Maryland: John Jacob Omenhausser, Civil War Sketchbook
Point Lookout, Maryland, 1864-1865 John Jacob Omenhausser was a Confederate soldier who was imprisoned towards the end of the American Civil War, from June 1864 to June 1865, at Point Lookout, Maryland. During his stay there, he...
Other
Gettysburg College: Civil War Institute: Killed at Gettysburg
Read in-depth accounts of the lives of the soldiers who died in the Battle of Gettysburg. Each story looks at the soldier's community and home life at the beginning of the war, his wartime experiences, and the impact his death had on...
University of Michigan
Making of America: The Spirit of the South Towards Northern Freemen and Soldiers
The full text of a William Lloyd Garrison's compilation of newspaper articles and letters of Southerners railing against the North in the Civil War. There is no commentary, only the primary source documents.
University of Virginia
E Text Center: American Civil War Collection
Collection of primary documents--letters, diaries, photographs, and newspaper articles of both the Union and Confederate.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Presidential Reconstruction
After the death of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson was responsible for implementing Reconstruction in the South after the Civil War. Read about his views on African-Americans, and the leniency he offered Confederate leaders and soldiers....
University of North Carolina
Documenting the South: John H. Worsham
At this site from the University of North Carolina there is a firsthand account from a foot soldier who fought under the command of "Stonewall," Jackson during the Civil War. Download the full text of John H. Worsham's text, which was...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Gettysburg National Military Park
This exhibit of Civil War collections showcases some of the belongings made or used by soldiers in Union and Confederate Camps. Soldiers used these items to cope with the long days in camp.
Kidport
Kidport Reference Library: Uniforms of the Civil War
Shows actual photographs of the uniforms of the Union and Confederate soldiers in the Civil War.
University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina: The Civil War Day by Day
These primary sources offer a glimpse into the mentality of those living in the South during the Civil War. Included are pictures, letters from soldiers, letters from women on the homefront, and reactions to the Confederate surrender and...
Read Works
Read Works: Passages: "Patrick Cleburne's Proposal to Arm Slaves"
[Free Registration/Login Required] In this letter from January 2, 1864, Patrick R. Cleburne, a Confederate commander, writes to a Confederate general proposing that black soldiers be added to their ranks as they were in grave danger of...
Other
North Carolina Museum of History: North Carolina and the Civil War
This museum from North Carolina has collected artifacts, personal accounts of soldiers, biographies, and information about battles in North Carolina.
Curated OER
Library of Congress: Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Portraits
View this entire collection of beautiful ambrotype and tintype photographs of Union and Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. Many have personal notes found in the case. It is very touching to see the young faces of these...
Cornell University
Cornell University: Library: Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the War
This collection of photographs from the Civil War is divided into seven different themes. Along with each picture, there is a lengthy description, the name of the photographer, and the date taken.
Library of Congress
Loc: A Sharpshooter's Last Sleep
An informative three-page site on the famous image by photographer Alexander Gardner at Gettysburg. There is a detailed description of the photograph as well as a great discussion on the authenticity of the image.
Virginia Historical Society
Virginia Historical Society: Home Front: How Did Slaves Support the Confederacy?
Read about the different roles that slaves and freed blacks took on in Virginia during the Civil War. They provided labor while the white men were away fighting and they helped with the military efforts. Many took the opportunity to...
Black Past
Black Past: Fort Pillow Massacre
In this encyclopedia entry you'll learn about the Fort Pillow Massacre where Confederate soldiers attacked a Union garrison of whom roughly half, about 300, were runaway slaves who joined the Union Army. Over two-thirds were slaughtered...
Other
West Virginia in the Civil War: The Jessie Scouts
A thorough discussion of the formation and use of the Jessie scouts who were mainly cavalrymen who gathered intelligence. Dressed as Confederate soldiers, they were used extensively by General Sheridan in the Shenandoah Campaign.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Northern Plans to End the War
By 1863 Northern military strategists developed a five-pronged plan to end the war. Read about how these goals were accomplished and at what great cost to both the Union and Confederate soldiers and civilians.
State Library of North Carolina
N Cpedia: Hiram Rhoades Revels
Biography of Hiram Rhoades Revels, who is best remembered as not only the first African American to hold a seat in the U.S. Senate, but also for his dedication to improving the spiritual and educational needs of the African American...
US National Archives
National Archives: Comparing Civil War Recruitment Posters
The Lincoln administration struggled with the idea of recruiting black troops until it became a necessity for the Union army. Compare and contrast the following recruitment posters - one for recruiting black men for the Union army and...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Gettysburg National Military Park: Camp Life
An online exhibit that shares items made or used by Confederate or Union camps. It also describes some of the soldiers' activities in camps between battles.
American Battlefield Trust
American Battlefield Trust: Civil War Biography: Moses Ezekiel: Vmi Cadet
Biographical profile of Moses Ezekiel, who served in the Confederate ranks when still a student at the Virginia Military Institute, and later became a well-known sculptor.