Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society
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Go directly to the collection, Civil War Treasures, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.
Civil War Treasures is drawn from archival collections housed at the New-York Historical Society. The materials in this collection include Civil War enlistment and recruitment posters, etchings and sketches, envelopes embossed with decorations related to events or portraits of prominent personalities, photographs, and stereographs. The collection also contains a copy of the Prison Times, a newspaper produced by Confederate prisoners of war at a federal prison camp in Delaware; several of Walt Whitman’s letters written from hospital visits to wounded servicemen; a series of letters from Sarah Blunt, a nurse in hospitals at Point Lookout, Maryland, and Harper's Ferry, West Virginia; and manuscripts relating to the work of William Oland Bourne, a New York social reformer, editor, and author. Background on the types of materials included can be found at Archival Collections from which the Civil War Treasures Are Drawn.
The Special Presentation: Before, During, and After the Civil War provides a brief overview of the events of the Civil War, illustrated with graphics from the Civil War Treasures collection. This presentation could be used to introduce students to the collection.
The digitized images and documents in the collection provide access to mid-19th century archival manuscripts and popular graphics that contain a wealth of information on the political and social history of this pivotal era in American history. However, some of the materials in this collection contain language or negative stereotypes that may be offensive to some readers. Students should be prepared for encounters with such historic materials before they begin working with the collection.
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After the fall of Fort Sumter, Union and Confederate forces mobilized for what each side assumed would be a short war. General Winfield Scott, commander of the Union Army at the beginning of the war, hesitated to put untrained troops into battle. Public pressure demanded action, however. When the opposing armies met at Bull Run (Manassas Junction, Virginia) in July 1861, Union troops were forced into a hasty retreat and hopes for a quick victory were dashed.
Despite the defeat at Bull Run, in the first months of the war Union popular graphics depicted the struggle as one-sided. For example, examine "The Hercules of 1861." Why does the artist use the myth of Hercules slaying the Hydra? According to the graphic artist, what hope does the Confederacy have of winning the war?
Less than six months after the fall of Fort Sumter, 75-year-old General Scott retired, and Lincoln appointed General George McClellan as general in chief. McClellan and Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard faced off in the vicinity of Washington, D.C., for nearly six months before engaging in battle. This situation was depicted in the sketch “24 Weeks on the Potomac.”
- How were the two generals portrayed on the pictorial envelope?
- How were the two opposing armies passing time?
- What was the artist implying in the sketch “24 Weeks on the Potomac”?
A naval blockade was one of the most effective Union strategies of the war. The U.S.S. Wabash operated off the Sea Islands of the Carolinas and Georgia to stop the flow of supplies to the Confederacy and prevent the South from exporting agricultural products to Europe. Search Wabash for photographs of the flagship of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Analyze the pictorial envelopes “I wonder if the coast is clear?” and “Running the blockade.”
- What is the point conveyed in the "I wonder if the coast is clear?" envelope? Why did the illustrator use cats and mice in the illustration?
- What is the point conveyed in the "Running the blockade" envelope? Why did the artist depict an alligator in the illustration?
- According to the illustrators of the pictorial envelopes, how effective was the blockade? Explain.
The Civil War was extensively photographed. Search the collection using names
of battles such as Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg for
photographs taken on the field shortly after the battle. A number of photographs
show the bodies of dead Union and Confederate soldiers, such as Timothy O'Sullivan's
"Union
Dead at Gettysburg" and Alexander Gardner's "He
Sleeps His Last Sleep."
- What aspects of war do the photographic images convey well? What aspects of war are not conveyed by the photographic images?
- Some images were given evocative titles such as “He Sleeps His Last Sleep” or “All Over Now,” but many had more straightforward titles such as “C.S. Soldier Killed in the Trenches.” Retitle one of the latter with a more heart-wrenching title. Do you think the impact of the image is heightened by the new title? Why or why not?
- Choose a topic that you think is covered well in the photographs and stereographs. What idea about this topic would you like to convey to 21st century Americans? Select ten images for a museum display on the topic. Arrange the images in an interesting and logical way. Give the display a title that evokes the idea you want to convey.