THE CIVIL WAR
Part I: A Newspaper Perspective.

Contains major articles gleaned from over 2,500 issues of The New York Herald, The Charleston Mercury and the Richmond Enquirer, published between November 1, 1860 and April 15, 1865. Coverage begins with the events preceding the outbreak of war at Fort Sumter, continues through the surrender at Appomattox and concludes with the assassination and funeral of Abraham Lincoln. Included are descriptive news articles, eye-witness accounts and official reports of battles and events, editorials, advertisements and biographies. A major effort has been made to include articles describing other than military concerns including travel, arts and leisure, geographical descriptions, sports and sporting, and social events. Since all major events are described in detail by both Union and Confederate newspapers, opposing perspectives are readily available for comparative evaluations.

Part II: The Soldiers’ Perspective.

Provides an in-depth look at the day-to-day actions of the troops themselves primarily in the form of regimental histories. Usually written by an individual, but sometimes compiled by a committee, these books were published after the war to document what actually happened. While some battle and war narratives are included, the focus was primarily on the individual rather than on regimental action. Additional contents include rosters and muster lists containing the names of those killed, wounded and missing in action. All Union regiments are represented.

Part III: The Generals’ Perspective.

These volumes allow a look into the way the battles within the war were fought. Here the emphasis is on strategies and tactics as planned and executed by the commanding officers, with a longer-term view as opposed to daily concerns. Many of these books were written to raise money. For example, General Grant wrote his memoirs to provide for his family as he was dying of cancer. As memoirs, many of the books go beyond the war to describe an officer’s entire career. While the emphasis is on the Union, a number of Confederate generals’ narratives are included, as well.

Part IV: A Midwestern Perspective.

This collection consists of seven newspapers published in Indiana between 1855 and 1869. Thus, it provides pre-and post-Civil War information in addition to coverage of the war itself. Ownership varied between Democrats, Republicans and the Know-Nothings.

    Vincennes Gazette (1855-1869); The Vincennes Times (1865-1866); Vincennes Western Sun (1856-1869); Stars & Stripes (1862: 2 issues); The Old Post Union (1862: 5 months worth) - became The Vincennes Times; Vincennes Courant (1855-1856) and News of the Day (1855-1857)

Part V: Iowa's Perspective.
This collection consists of memoirs, pamphlets, and regimental histories from the Civil War holdings at the University of Iowa. The newly-added materials provide battle perspectives from both soldiers and generals, with additional accounts of Midwest action. Iowa provided more troops per capita than any other Union state, and these writings reflect the experiences of Iowa soldiers as they fought in nearly all the campaigns and major battles throughout the war years. The Second, 14th, 15th, Twentieth, Twenty-first and 22nd Iowa Infantry Brigades are represented here, along with the 2nd Iowa Cavalry and Crocker's Iowa Brigade.

Contained books include One Year’s Soldiering, Embracing the Battles of Fort Donelson and Shiloh, by the chaplain of the 14th Iowa Infantry,1863; Sketches of the War, 2nd Edition, Charles Henry Nott, 1865; and The Twenty-First Regiment of the Iowa Infantry, George Crooke, 1891.

Coverage in relation to the Civil War is both informative and eclectic.  In-depth articles discuss trade with foreign countries, and how their governments viewed the United States in light of the Civil War.  There is information on specific industries of the time, such as the oyster trade in New York. Slavery is an important topic, and countless editorials discuss pre- and post-war attitudes from both sides, as well as troop movements during the war.  There is coverage of the Copperheads, Northerners sympathetic to the South, who advocated the violent overthrow of the governments of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri in 1864. Events occurring in other states, such as Texas, are included.   There is analysis of the trans-continental railroad and its effect on the region, and page after page of general news articles from around the world (the most humorous being the in-depth description of a 7 foot long, 3.5 ton piece of cheese on display at the Toronto Agricultural Fair in 1866).  Letters from correspondents travelling with the Indiana troops (and all of the troops) describe their daily activities in detail.  One issue is titled “Abraham Lincoln Death” issue, with the type in bold black.