A Guide to Civil War Materials in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library Duke University

[ General search strategies | Specific topics | Selected other resources ]

The Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library houses a large collection of manuscripts and printed materials pertaining to the Civil War. Most of the individual manuscript collections contain less than a thousand items and both Union and Confederate sides are represented. Topics include specific battles and regiments, medical concerns, camp life, and civilian life during the war. Views regarding slavery leading up to the Civil War are also reflected in the library�s holdings.

In order to find materials on specific topics, it is necessary to use a combination of searches to make sure all relevant manuscript collections and published works have been located. Following are three main tools to consult in order to make a comprehensive search:

• Finding Aids On-line at http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/findaids/
  The finding aids searched through this web site include descriptions and detailed container lists for various manuscript collections as well as the 1980 Guide to the Cataloged Collections in the Manuscript Department of the William R. Perkins Library Duke University and the Historic American Sheet Music web site. Not all manuscript collections have encoded finding aids, so the other two tools also should be used.
• Duke University Libraries On-line Catalog at http://www.lib.duke.edu/online_catalog.html
  The on-line catalog contains records for almost all of our manuscript and printed materials. Keyword searches can be effective in searching for individual names, geographic locations, and discrete topics. Keyword searches will search authors, titles, subjects, publication and note fields. In addition, the Library of Congress subject heading list can be quite useful in narrowing the search for relevant materials. See suggestions under topics. In order to find printed materials on a topic, the principal method is to search the Duke University Libraries on-line catalog.
• Card Catalog in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library
  The card catalog contains detailed information and subject access for many, but not all, of the manuscript collections. The card catalog is not accessible on-line but may be consulted when one comes to the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. Unless otherwise specified, the subject file section of the card catalog is the one that should be consulted in order to find materials on the topics listed below.

Below are a number of aspects of the Civil War and ways to find out what materials the library has on the topic and what terms to use to help in your search.

Guide to Civil War Materials
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/pathfinders/civil-war/
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library - Duke University
Compiled November 2001 by Janie Morris
See our contact information page if you have any questions.