Civil War Collections

Drawn from several manuscript collections at the New-York Historical Society, Abraham Lincoln drafted, signed, endorsed, or received the 192 documents presented in this digital collection during his presidency. They range from correspondence with his Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, to proclamations and other official documents signed by Lincoln, to letters, telegrams, and petitions received by him from government officials, military leaders…

The diaries of Charles Willoughby Dayton (1846-1910) date from 1863 to 1865: and contain entries about the weather and war news. He writes negatively about African Americans, African American soldiers, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Abraham Lincoln. He also mentions the New York Draft Riots and his fear of being killed by the mobs. Other events and topics noted by Dayton include the marriage of Tom Thumb, the death of Edwin Booth's wife,…

The 304 Civil War Posters in this collection consist predominantly of recruiting posters, as well as advertisements for public meetings, auctions and social functions pertaining to the Civil War. This collection includes posters from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine. Within the collection are posters for artillery, cavalry and infantry divisions of the United States Army, as well as state National Guard…

The collection of Civil War stereographs from the New-York Historical Society's Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections covers the entire period of the Civil War, from the first Battle of Bull Run through the surrender at Appomattox, and the triumphal parade of Union forces in Washington D.C. Most of the images were made in the eastern theatre of the war, with a majority of scenes from Virginia. Compelling images of…

65 autograph letters, signed, between James B. Collins and his brother Joseph T. Collins, their parents John W. and Mary Anne Collins, and a handful of friends and relatives, all dated between February 4, 1862 and July 9, 1863. The bulk of the letters from the front are written by James B. Collins. Also includes a manuscript copy of lyrics to a song entitled "Song of the Louisiana Lowlands."

This collection contains 111 images of drawings and text, depicting both important events and everyday scenes from the Civil War. The pencil, pen-and-ink, crayon and wash drawings range in size from 5 x 5 inches to 19 x 12 inches.

Album of 77 albumen photographic prints taken from 1861 to 1865 and printed later. Images include Navy ships and sailors during the blockade of southern ports; army camps; Edisto Island, South Carolina; plantations and African Americans; Fort Warren, Massachusetts; and Andersonville Prison, Georgia. Many of the Edisto Island photographs were taken by Henry P. Moore of New Hampshire. This album is volume 20 from a 31 volume set of photograph…

Sarah R. Blunt (born in 1830 or 1831) was a Union nurse during the Civil War. Leaving her home and family in Brooklyn's third ward, Blunt aided soldiers at Point Lookout, Maryland, and Harper's Ferry, Virginia. This collection includes Sarah R. Blunt's letters to her mother, father, sisters, and cousin in Brooklyn, New York, written from hospitals in Point Lookout, Maryland and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (March 4, 1862-July 24, 1865:). She…

This collection of thirteen sketches (graphite, and black ink and wash on paper) has been digitized from a small sketchbook in the New-York Historical Society's Museum. Most of these Civil War-era sketches were done by an artist identified only as 'J.H.W.', with other sketches inscribed 'Bart del.' Although there are other subjects in the sketchbook, including New York City street scenes and depictions of various types of people, only those…

Walt Whitman's letters to the parents of Erastus Haskell of the 141st New York Volunteers, who died on August 2, 1863 in Armory Square Hospital, Washington, D.C., where Whitman frequently visited the sick and wounded. He wrote the Haskells, of Breseport, New York, on July 27, 1863 to inform them that their son was very ill with typhoid fever. In a letter written August 10 he describes his visits with Erastus and their son's last days. In the…

The William Oland Bourne collection in the New-York Historical Society's Manuscripts Department includes correspondence, papers, broadsides, and unpublished manuscripts related to his work as a social reformer, editor and author in New York City during the 1850s and 60s. Through his publication, The Soldier's Friend, he sought to aid disabled soldiers by offering prizes to those who had lost their right arms in combat during the American Civil…