Cover Image

The Civil War : the first year told by those who lived it / Edited by Brooks D. Simpson, Stephen W. Sears, Aaron Sheehan-Dean.

Drawn from letters, diaries, speeches, articles, poems, songs, military reports, legal opinions, and memoirs, this collection brings together over 120 pieces by more than 60 men and women to create a firsthand narrative of the first year of the Civil War. Beginning on the eve of Lincoln's elect...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Simpson, Brooks D. (Editor), Sears, Stephen W. (Editor), Sheehan-Dean, Aaron Charles (Editor)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: New York, N.Y. : The Library of America, [2011]
Series:Library of America ; 212.
Subjects:
United States > History > Civil War, 1861-1865 > Sources.
United States > History > 1861-1865, Civil War.
United States > History > 1861-1865, Civil War > Personal narratives.
United States > History > 1861-1865, Civil War > Sources.
Table of Contents:
  • What Shall the South Carolina Legislature Do? November 3, 1860. Calling a Secession Convention, November 1860 / Charleston Mercury
  • "Alarms from the South" : Illinois, November 1860. Memoranda Regarding Abraham Lincoln, November 5-6, 1860 / John G. Nicolay
  • The Threat of Secession, November 1860. Going to Go, November 9, 1860 / New-York Daily Tribune
  • The Need for Southern Cooperation, November 1860 / Jefferson Davis to Robert Barnwell Rhett Jr., November 10, 1860
  • Debating Secession, Georgia, November 1860. Speech at Milledgeville, November 15, 1860 / Benjamin Hill
  • "States cannot exist disunited," November 1860. The Right of States to Secede, November 16, 1860 / New York Daily News
  • "I am for the Union as it is," Texas, November 1860 / Sam Houston to H.M. Watkins and Others, November 20, 1860
  • "Our sore national sickness : New York, November 1860. Diary, November 20, November 26-December 1, 1860 / George Templeton Strong
  • "This dangerous game" : Missouri, November 1860. Diary, November 22, 1860 / Edward Bates
  • The "Wicked Spirit" of Secession : Tennessee, November 1860 / William G. Brownlow to R.H. Appleton, November 29, 1860
  • Lincoln, and Slavery : December 1860. The Late Election, December 1860 / Frederick Douglass
  • Secessionism in Louisiana, December 1860. William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing Sr. and to John Sherman, December 1, 1860
  • Washington, D.C., December 1860. From the Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1860 / James Buchanan
  • The Benefits of Slavery : December 1860. The Non-Slaveholders of the South, December 5, 1860 / J.D.B. DeBow
  • Advocating Secession : Georgia, December 1860 / Joseph E. Brown to Alfred H. Colquitt and Others, December 7, 1860
  • Restating Positions on Slavery : December 1860 / Abraham Lincoln to John A. Gilmer, December 15, 1860
  • Rejecting Coercion : December 1860. The Right of Secession, December 17, 1860 / New-York Daily Tribune
  • "I stand by the Union" : December 1860. Remarks in the U.S. Senate, December 17, 1860 / Benjamin F. Wade
  • A Compromise over Slavery, December 1860. Remarks in the U.S. Senate, December 18, 1860 / John J. Crittenden
  • "Meanness and rascality" : Washington, D.C., December 1860 / Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., December 18-20, 1860
  • A Confidential Message : Illinois, December 1860. Memorandum Regarding Abraham Lincoln, December 22, 1860 / John G. Nicolay
  • Charleston, December 1860. South Carolina Declaration of the Causes of Secession, December 24, 1860
  • Occupying Fort Sumter : South Carolina, December 1860. From Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-'61 / Abner Doubleday
  • "A terrible revulsion of feeling" : South Carolina, December 1860. Diary, December 26-27, 1860 / Catherine Edmondston
  • Urging Kentucky to Secede: December 1860 / Stephen F. Hale to Beriah Magoffin, December 27, 1860
  • "The tempest bursting" : 1860. Misgivings / Herman Melville
  • "Sad foreboding": Georgia, January 1861 / Mary Jones to Charles C. Jones Jr., January 3, 1861
  • "All depends on Virginia" : Washington, D.C., January 1861 / Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., January 8, 1861
  • Jackson, January 1861. Mississippi Declaration of the Causes of Secession, January 9, 1861
  • "A warlike aspect." Washington, D.C., January 1861 / Elizabeth Blair Lee to Samuel Phillips Lee
  • The "Star of the West" : South Carolina, January 1861. Diary, January 9-13, 1861 / Catherine Edmondston
  • Washington, D.C., January 1861. Farewell Address in the U.S. Senate, January 21, 1861 / Jefferson Davis
  • The Evils of Anarchy and Civil War: January 1861 / Robert E. Lee to George Washington Custis Lee, January 23, 1861
  • Montgomery, Alabama, February 1861. Inaugural Address, February 18, 1861 / Jefferson Davis
  • Hopes for Lincoln's Administration: March 1861. The New President, March 1861 / Frederick Douglass
  • Washington, D.C., March 1861. First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861 / Abraham Lincoln
  • "That wretch Abraham Lincoln" : North Carolina, March 1861. Diary, March 4, 1861 / Catherine Edmondston
  • Vindicating Slavery: Georgia, March 1861. "Corner-Stone" Speech, March 21, 1861 / Alexander H. Stephens
  • Relieving Fort Sumter: Washington, D.C., March-April 1861. Diary, March 9-April 8, 1861 / Edward Bates
  • Seward and Fort Sumter: Washington, D.C. March 1861. Memoir of Events, March 1861 / Gideon Welles
  • Challenging Lincoln: Washington, D.C., April 1861. Memorandum for the President, April 1, 1861 / William H. Seward
  • "I must do it": Washington, D.C., April 1861 / Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, April 1, 1861
  • The War Begins: South Carolina, April 1861. Diary, April 7-15, 1861 / Mary Chesnut
  • Bombardment and Surrender: South Carolina, April 1861. From Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-'61 / Abner Doubleday
  • New Yorkers Respond : April 1861. Diary, April 13-16, 1861 / George Templeton Strong
  • Vindicating National Honor: April 1861. The People and the Issue, April 15, 1861 / The New York Times
  • Fighting "the mad rebellion": April 1861. The War Begun-The Duty of American Citizens, April 15, 1861 / Pittsburgh Post
  • Celebration in Charleston: South Carolina, April 1861. From My Diary North and South, April 17, 1861 / William Howard Russell
  • "Infidel" Enemies : Georgia, April 1861 / Charles C. Jones Sr. to Charles C. Jones Jr., April 20, 1861
  • Secessionism in Richmond: Virginia, April 1861. Diary, April 15-22, 1861 / John B. Jones
  • The Baltimore Riot: April 1861. From Historical Sketch of the Old Sixth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers / John W. Hanson
  • "I have but one sentiment now": Illinois, April 1861 / Ulysses S. Grant to Frederick Dent, April 19, 1861, and to Jesse Root Grant, April 21, 1861
  • Montgomery, Alabama, April 1861. Message to the Confederate Congress, April 29, 1861 / Jefferson Davis
  • "Strike down slavery itself": May 1861. How to End the War, May 1861 / Frederick Douglass
  • New York, Spring 1861. First O Songs for a Prelude / Walt Whitman
  • A Strategic Plan : May 1861 / Winfield Scott to George B. McClellan, May 3, 1861
  • Life in Army Camp : Michigan, May 1861. Diary, May 3-12, 1861 / Charles B. Haydon
  • Predicting a Short War: May 1861 / Ulysses S. Grant to Jesse Root Grant, May 6, 1861
  • Life in the Executive Mansion : Washington, D.C., May 1861 / John Hay : Diary, May 7-10, 1861
  • Fearing Attack in Alexandria : Virginia, May 1861. Diary, May 10, 1861 / Judith W. McGuire
  • Rioting in St. Louis : Missouri, May 1861 / William T. Sherman to John Sherman, May 11, 1861
  • Slaves Seeking Freedom: Virginia, May 1861 / Benjamin F. Butler to Winfield Scott, May 24, 1861
  • Defining Runaway Slaves : Virginia, May 1861. General Butler and the Contraband of War, June 2, 1861 / The New York Times
  • "Our Cause is just" : Louisiana, May 1861. Journal, May 15-27, 1861 / Kate Stone
  • A Visit to Washington : May-June 1861. Diary, May 29-June 2, 1861 / George Templeton Strong
  • Massachusetts, May 1861 : John Brown's Body, May 1861
  • The Writ of Habeas Corpus : Maryland, May 1861. Opinion in Ex parte Merryman, June 1, 1861 / Roger B. Taney
  • "I rejoice in this war" : Virginia, June 1861. Speech at Richmond, June 1, 1861 / Henry A. Wise
  • The "blinded, fanatical" North: Georgia, June 1861 / Charles C. Jones Jr. to Charles C. Jones Sr. and Mary Jones, June 10, 1861
  • Anglo-American Relations : London, June 1861 / Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., June 10-11, 1861
  • Cherokee Neutrality : Indian Territory, June 1861 / John Ross to Benjamin McCulloch, June 17, 1861
  • Emancipating Northern Opinion : June 1861. The Pickens-and-Stealin's Rebellion, June 1861 / James Russell Lowell
  • Washington, D.C., July 1861. Message to Congress in Special Session, July 4, 1861 / Abraham Lincoln
  • An Unobserved Holiday: Louisiana, July 1861. Journal, July 4, 1861 / Kate Stone
  • Facing the Enemy: Missouri, July 1861. From Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant / Ulysses S. Grant
  • Defeats in Western Virginia: July 1861. From Richmond During the War / Sallie Brock
  • A Farewell Letter : July 1861 / Sullivan Ballou to Sarah Ballou, July 14, 1861
  • Battle of Manassas : Virginia, July 1861. From Letters from Lee's Army / Charles Minor Blackford
  • The Union Army Retreats : Virginia, July 1861. From My Diary North and South / William Howard Russell
  • "Death and confusion everywhere" : Virginia, July 1861 / Samuel J. English to his Mother, July 24, 1861
  • News of Manassas : South Carolina, July 1861. Diary, July 22-23, 1861 / Emma Holmes
  • Straggling Soldiers: Washington, D.C., July 1861 / Elizabeth Blair Lee to Samuel Phillips Lee, July 23, 1861
  • "A terrible shock": Washington, D.C., July 1861. From Specimen Days / Walt Whitman
  • Washington, D.C., July 1861. Memoranda on Military Policy, July 23, 1861 / Abraham Lincoln
  • Celebrating Victory : Virginia, July 1861. Diary, July 24, 1861 / Mary Chesnut
  • Noninterference with Slavery: July 1861. Crittenden-Johnson Resolutions, July 22-25, 1861
  • Assuming Command: Washington, D.C., July 1861 / George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen McClellan, July 27, 1861
  • "Our men are not good Soldiers" : July 1861 / William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, July 28, 1861
  • "Our late awful disaster": July 1861 / Horace Greeley to Abraham Lincoln, July 29, 1861
  • Washington, D.C., August 1861. Memorandum for the President, August 2, 1861 / George B. McClellan
  • A Measure Against Slavery: August 1861. Confiscation Act, August 6, 1861
  • "The Presdt is an idiot": August 1861 / George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen McClellan, August 8, 9, and 16, 1861
  • Battle of Wilson's Creek : Missouri, August 1861. From The Lyon Campaign in Missouri / E. F. Ware
  • Confederate Artillery at Wilson's Creek : Missouri, August 1861. From With the Light Guns in '61-'65 / W. E. Woodruff
  • Freeing the Slaves of Rebels: Missouri, August 1861. Proclamation, August 30, 1861 / John C. Frémont
  • Modifying a Proclamation : September 1861 / Abraham Lincoln to John C. Frémont, September 2, 1861
  • The Need for Black Soldiers: September 1861. Fighting Rebels with Only One Hand, September 1861 / Frederick Douglass
  • Revoking Frémont's Proclamation: September 1861 / Abraham Lincoln to Orville H. Browning, September 22, 1861
  • A Cherokee-Confederate Alliance: Indian Territory, October 1861. Message to the National Council, October 9, 1861 / John Ross
  • Battle of Ball's Bluff: Virginia, October 1861 / Henry Livermore Abbott to Josiah Gardner Abbott, October 22, 1861
  • Replacing Winfield Scott: October 1861 / George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen McClellan, October 25, 26, 30, and 31, 1861
  • "I am tired of incompetents": November 1861 / Charles Francis Adams Jr. to Henry Adams, November 5, 1861
  • Preparing for the Next Battle : November 1861 / George B. McClellan to Samuel L. M. Barlow, November 8, 1861
  • Battle of Belmont: Missouri, November 1861 / Ulysses S. Grant to Jesse Root Grant, November 8, 1861
  • A Doctor at Belmont : Missouri, November 1861 / Lunsford P. Yandell Jr. to Lunsford Yandell Sr., November 10, 1861
  • The Capture of Port Royal : South Carolina, November 1861 / Samuel Francis Du Pont to Sophie Du Pont, November 13-15, 1861
  • A Former Slave Remembers : South Carolina, November 1861. Narrative of the capture of the Sea Islands, November 1861 / Sam Mitchell
  • A Confederate Sermon : Georgia, November 1861. God in the War, November 15, 1861 / Henry Tucker
  • Richmond, Virginia, November 1861. Message to the Confederate Congress, November 18, 1861 / Jefferson Davis
  • The Army of the Potomac : Virginia, November 1861. The Great Review / Harper's Weekly
  • Slavery and the Press: November 1861 / Ulysses S. Grant to Jesse Root Grant, November 27, 1861
  • Shortages and Inflation : Virginia, Autumn 1861. From Richmond During the War / Sallie Brock
  • The "Trent" Affair : London, November-December 1861. Journal, November 27-December 3, 1861 / Benjamin Moran
  • War with England : London, November 1861 / Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., November 30, 1861
  • Washington, D.C., December 1861. Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1861 / Abraham Lincoln
  • Preparing to Enlist : Boston, December 1861 / Charles Francis Adams Jr. to Henry Adams, December 10, 1861
  • A Song of the Contrabands : Virginia, 1861. Let My People Go
  • Not Relying on Foreign Aid : December 1861 / Robert E. Lee to George Washington Custis Lee, December 29, 1861
  • The President's Duty to Act : Washington, D.C., December 1861. Diary, December 31, 1861 / Edward Bates
  • Lincoln and McClellan : Washington, D.C., January 1862. Memorandum, January 10-13, 1862 / Irwin McDowell
  • "The bottom is out of the tub" : Washington, D.C., January 1862. Memoir of Meetings with President Lincoln, January 10-13, 1862 / Montgomery C. Meigs
  • "This army has got to fight" : January 1862 / Edwin M. Stanton to Charles A. Dana, January 24, 1862.

Similar Items