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The National Archives and Records Administration has a substantial, though scattered, set of records for 'Black Confederates.' Thousands of body servants, laborers, cooks, musicians. teamsters, etc., encamped with and served [...]

Which Civil War general can boast the largest following, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, maybe even Nathan Bedford Forrest? Decades spent responding to inquiries at the National [...]

As the Sesquicentennial begins, it's only fitting to recall how we came to know so much about the events of 1861-65. Major General Frederick Crayton Ainsworth (18521934) and his powerful [...]

A major part of the conflict's rich military documentation at the National Archives is in the form of written orders. A few are famous, and some could be called infamous. [...]

As researchers can attest, most of the manuscripts they get to see these days are reproductions in some form or other. This has obvious benefits, and makes information--what most archives [...]

Most of us hold our documentary heritage sacred. But some folks will do anything to turn a buck, even when it comes to scavenging irreplaceable papers. Such 'researchers' might look [...]

Soldiers on both sides tended to requisition whatever they needed on the spot. Sheep, cows, chickens, corn, hay, fence rails, horses and mules were all considered fair game. Civilians soon [...]

There are comparatively few memoirs, unit histories and other printed sources for U.S Colored Troops. Monuments are rare, and some reminders of their service, such as regimental colors, have been [...]

When Walter Williams died on December 19, 1959, reportedly at age 117, he was widely hailed as the last survivor not only of the Confederate Army but also the war. [...]

Of all the positions officers held, it would be difficult to determine the most reviled. But perhaps the likeliest villain was the quartermaster. Almost everyone who considered himself poorly fed, [...]

The United States War Department brought together a vast collection of documents on Southern civilians in 1891-92, designated as 'Confederate Papers Relating to Citizens or Business Firms.' Now digitized, they [...]

A file labeled 'Letters Received by the Confederate Secretary of War, 1861-1865' sounds like its contents must surely have come from bigwigs. In fact, all the high-level reports were removed [...]

The article discusses the author's opinion on the handling of original historic documents and manuscripts pertaining to the history of the U.S. Civil War by archivists and historians.

A news brief is presented on the theft and illegal sale of U.S. Civil War documents, with information on whom to contact about documents stolen from the U.S. National Archives.

The article discusses research on correspondence during the Civil War. The U.S. National Archives has communications from a range of Southern citizens including well educated citizens to farmers with many asking to be exempt from military service. There has been a name index created as well as a small subject index.