American Civil War: Letters and Diaries
Database Description
Note: Use of this resource is restricted to current University of Pittsburgh faculty, students, and staff, and may be used for individual research purposes only. Any other use is prohibited.
Access:
Description:
The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries knits together more than 1,000 sources of diaries, letters, and memoirs to provide fast access to thousands of views on almost every aspect of the war, including what was happening at home. The writings of politicians, generals, slaves, landowners, farmers, seaman, wives, and even spies are included. The letters and diaries are by the famous and the unknown, giving not only both the Northern and Southern perspectives, but also those of foreign observers. The materials originate from all regions of the country and are from people who played a variety of roles.
The collection includes approximately 100,000 pages of published memoirs, letters, and diaries from individuals, in addition to 4,000 pages of previously unpublished materials. Drawn from more than 1,000 sources, the collection provides in-depth coverage of all aspects of the war. More than 1,000 biographies will enhance the use of the database.
In order to be selected for this database, items:
- Must have been written between 1855 and 1875
- Letters and diaries must have been written contemporaneously with the events they describe.
- Letters must be of a personal nature, e.g., official dispatches, reports, military orders, and "public" letters are excluded.
- Memoirs are restricted to those that describe events during the war (1860-1865)
Coverage
- 1855-1875
Information Type:
- Citations? No
- Abstracts? No
- Full Text? Yes
Frequency of Updates:
- Annually
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