Manuscript Resources on The Civil War
This guide describes collections documenting the Civil War in the Lower Mississippi Valley, including the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas, in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC) at LSU. The guide includes not only materials from the war years (1861-1865) themselves, but also materials from later periods containing manuscript sources for Civil War history. Thus such sources as post-war reminiscences and records of veterans' groups--materials dealing with the war as memory and experience--will be found alongside soldiers' and civilians' letters, diaries, and daybooks from the war itself. In addition, the guide includes collections of papers of Louisiana and other area soldiers who fought outside of the Lower Mississippi Valley.
LSU's holdings of Civil War manuscripts make LLMVC a rich treasure-trove for researchers. Many researchers are studying these documents from new perspectives, to see what they have to tell us about women's experiences on the home front and about Louisiana's African Americans, a significant number of whom fought for the Union. Louisiana played a central role in the war, with the fall of Port Hudson in July 1863 a critical event. Much of the state was long occupied by Union forces, and LLMVC contains the papers of numerous Union as well as Confederate soldiers. Other areas of strength include materials documenting the siege of Vicksburg, the Battle of Shiloh, and the Red River campaign.
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Anonymous Civil War order, circa 1864. 1 item. Location: Misc:A Union order from headquarters, Department of the Gulf, requesting the 9th Connecticut and the 14th Maine regiments together with a section of Thompson's Battery be sent to St. Charles [Arkansas] in order to rid the area of Confederate soldiers. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1424. Referenced in Guides: Civil War
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Anonymous Civil War poem, 1864 June 3. 1 item. Location: Misc:A. Confederate love poem signed 'Mystic,' Petersburg, Virginia. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2121. Referenced in Guides: Civil War, Literature
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Anonymous Civil War scrapbook, 1856-1863. 1 volume. Location: UU:110. Clippings, mostly from Mobile, Alabama, Advertiser and Register, of poems and Civil War news. Scrapbook also includes fashion designs from magazines. Available on microfilm 5750: University Publications of America Southern Women and Their Families in the 19th Century: Papers and Diaries Series E, Reel 1. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 893. |
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Anonymous Confederate civilian letters, 1863 August 27-29. 2 items. Location: Misc:A Pages from a letter-diary of a plantation owner, possibly the wife of a Confederate soldier, recording daily activities, local news, plantation work, and slave health. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2997. |
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Anonymous Confederate letter, 1861 July 3. 1 item. Location: Misc:A Letter written from New Orleans, Louisiana describing a method of blocking the Mississippi River to federal military boats. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2899. |
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Anonymous Confederate poems, circa 1864. 2 leaves. Location: Misc:A. Anonymous poems titled 'Somebody's Darling,' 'Waiting,' and 'The Picket Guard' deal with war themes, death, and the Southern struggle. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2918. Referenced in Guides: Civil War, Literature
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Anonymous Confederate scrapbook, circa 1865-1889. 1 volume. Location: M:18. Scrapbook of prints from engravings of Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, his cabinet, and his generals; and five newspaper clippings referring to incidents concerning Davis during Reconstruction. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1846. Referenced in Guides: Civil War
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Anonymous household notebook, 1897-1927. 1 volume. Location: F:2. Notebook contains handwritten entries and newspaper clippings related to Camp Beauregard, recipes, medical remedies, stain removal, and other items of household interest. Short biographical sketches of James John Audubon and Dr. Francois Autommarchi are also included. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 572. |
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Anonymous letter from New Orleans, 1864 November 15. 1 item. Location: Misc.A. Letter from Sarah, apparently a young girl and resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, written upon her return from a trip to New York City, commenting on a minstrel show in New Orleans, Louisiana, and expressing interest in the New York presidential election returns. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1418. |
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Anonymous letters, 1864-1865. 2 items. Location: Misc:A. Letters from a Louisiana Confederate soldier in the Civil War wintering at New Dalton, Georgia, to his sister, relating personal news and from Natchez describing his reception upon returning from the service and his adjustment to civilian life. Available on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 1. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1032. Referenced in Guides: Civil War, Natchez, Mississippi
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