Confederate States of America collection
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Abstract
This collection is comprised of records and correspondence relating to the Confederacy and Confederate army. The materials in this collection have been digitized and are available online to on-site researchers and to users affiliated with subscribing institutions via EBSCOhost.
Arrangement
This collection has been organized into the following three series:
Series I: Correspondence, records and reports
Series II: Documents relating to the Confederate defeat
Series III: Confederate forms (blank)
Scope and Contents
The Confederate States of America Collection is an "artificial" collection of documents that were donated or acquired from a variety of sources but have been organized together by subject matter. The collection consists primarily of government and military records relating to the Confederacy and the Confederate army. The materials in this collection have been digitized and are available online to on-site researchers and to users affiliated with subscribing institutions via EBSCOhost.
This material has been arranged into three series. Series I, Correspondence, Records and Reports, includes several folders of official correspondence, primarily of South Carolina Governor Francis W. Pickens and his successor Milledge Bonham. Topics addressed include secession, the formation of the Confederate government and army, and the prosecution of the war. Also included in Series I are reports of battles and field operations, general and special military orders, detail assignments, certificates of disability and discharge, travel passes, quartermaster records, muster rolls, official forms, and legislative bills. Notable documents include a draft of Brigadier General Sibley's Proclamation to the People of New Mexico; a copy of the memorandum setting forth the terms of surrender agreed upon by Generals Taylor and Canby; and a circular issued by the State Collector of Virginia which includes a table showing the average value of slaves in Virginia in 1860. In addition to these official documents, there is one folder of personal correspondence and narratives (including the reminiscences of Leonidas Sebastian Daniel, a telegrapher in Vicksburg), and a list of subscribers to a pamphlet defending slavery on biblical grounds.
Series II, Documents relating to the Confederate defeat, consists primarily of lists of Confederate prisoners paroled at Richmond, Virginia when the Union army took control of the city in April, 1865. Also included is a deposition regarding suspected Confederate guerilla activity and a Confederate soldier's petition for amnesty after the war.
Series III, Confederate forms, consists of blank copies of official forms used by the Confederate government and army, including conscription forms, requests for exemption, and requisition and receipt forms.
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Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Items that include presidential signatures will be presented to researchers in duplicate form.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
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Immediate Source of Acquisition
This is an artificial collection composed of material acquired by the New-York Historical Society at various times. Some material donated from the estate of Thomas F. DeVoe, May 3, 1892.