Manuscript Resources on The Civil War
This guide describes collections documenting the Civil War in the Lower Mississippi Valley, including the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas, in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC) at LSU. The guide includes not only materials from the war years (1861-1865) themselves, but also materials from later periods containing manuscript sources for Civil War history. Thus such sources as post-war reminiscences and records of veterans' groups--materials dealing with the war as memory and experience--will be found alongside soldiers' and civilians' letters, diaries, and daybooks from the war itself. In addition, the guide includes collections of papers of Louisiana and other area soldiers who fought outside of the Lower Mississippi Valley.
LSU's holdings of Civil War manuscripts make LLMVC a rich treasure-trove for researchers. Many researchers are studying these documents from new perspectives, to see what they have to tell us about women's experiences on the home front and about Louisiana's African Americans, a significant number of whom fought for the Union. Louisiana played a central role in the war, with the fall of Port Hudson in July 1863 a critical event. Much of the state was long occupied by Union forces, and LLMVC contains the papers of numerous Union as well as Confederate soldiers. Other areas of strength include materials documenting the siege of Vicksburg, the Battle of Shiloh, and the Red River campaign.
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Beauchamp, A. H. (Andre Hamille). Letters, 1863. 2 items. Location: Misc.:B. Letters from Private Andre Hamille Beauchamp in the 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment from Port Hudson to his wife, Margaret. Beauchamp mentions the scuttled ship Indianola and the Essex, Vicksburg, Miss., federal deserters, and rumors of impending attacks. He describes an artillery attack on his position by federal gunboats. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4305, 4403. Referenced in Guides: Civil War
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Beauregard, G. T. (Gustave Toutant), 1818-1893. Family Papers, 1818-1912 (bulk 1850-1880). 671 items, 106 vols. (13 ms. vols., 93 printed vols.). Location: U:10-12, F:3, OS:B. American army officer, Confederate general during the Civil War, and superintendent of the New Custom House in New Orleans. Collection includes paper and items of financial, legal, political, and personal interest. Other items include recipes; scrapbooks; pamphlets; photographs; notebooks; and some papers of the Cenas family. Included are papers on New Orleans related to railroad, improvement, and other city projects. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 601. Referenced in Guides: Politics, New Orleans to 1861, New Orleans in the Civil War, New Orleans 1866-, Civil War
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Beauregard, G. T. (Gustave Toutant), 1818-1893. Miscellany, 1839-1918 (bulk 1861-1865). 181 items [photocopies). Location: U:13, Map case:D-8, S-1, Mss. Mf.:B. Miscellany consists of correspondence, military records, succession papers, and other documents created and accumulated by Beauregard and family members. Records document Beauregard's military service, his actions during the Civil War, post-war activities, and the settlement of his estate. Family papers include a letter by his father, Jacques Toutant Beauregard (1851), and an undated memoir by his son, Rene Toutant Beauregard. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 763, 780, 785, etc. |
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Beck, John E. Letter, 1863 March 7. 1 item. Location: Misc:B. Letter written by John E. Beck to Mrs. Margaret Tuckett informing her that her 'companion' George A. Tuckett died of measles at Port Hudson, Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3793. |
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Beebe, William S. Papers, 1864 April 17-June 14. 2 items. Location: Misc:B. Union lieutenant, chief of ordnance in the field and assistant chief of ordnance at Headquarters, Department of the Gulf, in New Orleans. Letter from Louisiana in 2 parts. Part 1 from Grand Ecore mentions Beebe taking prisoners in a battle, 'poor Sanderson's' death, and General Stone's departure from the field. Part 2 from Alexandria describes leading his regiment and taking enemy ground. Included is a copy of a letter of General N. P. Banks recommending Beebe to Andrew G. Curtin, governor of Pennsylvania. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3302. Referenced in Guides: New Orleans in the Civil War, Civil War
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