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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Alsip, Thomas. Letters, 1861-1865. 6 items. Location: Misc:A. Resident of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and a soldier in the Union army in Kansas during the Civil War. Letters describe Alsip's military service in Kansas, camp life at Fort Scott, and Confederate guerilla activities. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3019. Referenced in Guides: Civil War
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Amacker, Obadiah Pearson and family. Papers, 1861-1959 (bulk 1861-1865). 4 items, 1 volume. Location: U:118. Residents of the Florida parishes, Louisiana. Obadiah Amacker was an officer in the 3rd (Wingfield's) Regiment, Confederate cavalry. Papers include a Civil War diary of Abigail Amacker, and a list of the officers and men of the first company to leave St. Helena Parish as part of the 4th Louisiana Infantry. Confederate records transcribed from the State Library Commission document. A printed pamphlet contains genealogical records. Available on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 1. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1604. |
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Amite County Record Book, 1851-1864, 1879, 1895. 1 ms. Vol. Location: M:21. Records of the appointed trustees of the Common Schools for District No. 2 in Amite County, Mississippi. Reports from various schools list name of parents, name and age of scholar, and amounts drawn from the public fund. Some minutes are included. For further information online catalog. Mss. 6. |
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Anderson, Harrod C. (Harrod Clopton). Papers. 1849-1888 (bulk 1885-1887). 6 items, 3 volumes. Location: F:1, Misc:A. Planter of Magnolia, Haywood County, Tennessee. Papers include a cashbook, photoprints, and diaries which discuss opinions on philosophical, religious, political, and Civil War issues. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 5322: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 2, Reel 20. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 8, 490, 539. |
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Anderson, Henry. Letter, 1863. 1 item. Location: Misc.:A. Union soldier during the Civil War, probably from Indiana, stationed at New Madrid, Missouri. Letter to a friend expresses lack of interest in the cause of slavery and a personal revulsion to African AmericansFor further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1427. Referenced in Guides: Civil War, African Americans
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