this is online at http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/civ-war.htm updated September 2006

Civil War and Reconstruction:
Jensen's Guide to WWW Resources

Jensen is a scholar with many books and articles; he was professor of history for over 35 years at several schools, including the University of Illinois, Harvard, Michigan, West Point, and Moscow State University. Write him at rjensen@uic.edu
Civil War on the Web at AMAZON.COM

  • A. Web Sites

  • Links from LSU
  • Links from Jim Janke; very good guide to topics
  • Jensen's Civil War Guides
  • Alice E. Carter and Richard Jensen The Civil War on the Web: A Guide to the Very Best Sites (2003) book and cd-rom, evaluates 400+ sites,
  • Gilder-Lehrman guide to American History, to 1865. how to read and analyze primary documents recommended
  • Antebellum
  • Civil War
  • B. Full text Histories of the War

  • Military History of Civil War original essay by Richard Jensen, with hot links to documents, maps & URLs
  • James Ford Rhodes, History of the Civil War, 1861–1865 (1918) best of older histories of the war years; strong on politics and character analysis of leaders recommended best place to start
  • Abraham Lincoln, a History (10 vols, 1890) by John George Nicolay and John Hay; Nicolay and Hay were senior aides to Lincoln; This is the longest and most detailed scholarly history of the war, noted for completeness, clarity, and psychological and political insight into the men and challenges Lincoln faced; portions appeared in Century magazine, as listed below. recommended
  • Horace Greeley, The American Conflict (1866) full text of complete history of the war, vol 1, origins to 1862; strong on antislavery issues; Horace Greeley, The American Conflict (1866) vol 2, 1862-65
  • Heather Cox Richardson, 'The Greatest Nation of the Earth: Republican Economic Policies during the Civil War (Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1997)
  • The American Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1861 full text online and searchable at Google.books.com, An unusually valuable resource recommended Events of 1862
  • C. Scholarly Articles and Book Reviews

  • Lalor ed, The Cyclopaedia of Political Science, Political Economy, and the Political History of the United States (1881) good reference book written soon after the war
  • scholarly essays very good 1966 collection ed. Charles Crowe
  • America: History and Life Abstracts of 400,000+ history articles from ABC-CLIO; 1950-present; campus subscription required (check with Librarian) recommended some of the journals are available online in JSTOR or Project MUSE
  • Ingenta search free (or purchase) scholarly articles from all journals, last decade or so recommended
  • Civil War History best scholarly resource; recent issues online via Project Muse and Infotrac; consult librarian
  • Reviews in American History excellent long book reviews; online via Project Muse; consult librarian
  • Journal of Military History occasional outstanding article; online via JSTOR; consult librarian
  • D. Primary sources

  • Antislavery Literature Project recommended collection or primary documents
  • New York Times 1860-66 complete text recommended
  • Brooklyn Eagle major newspaper, 1841-1902; searchable; recommended
  • Harper's Weekly valuable weekly newspaper 1857-1912; superb illustrations; available at 500+ academic libraries recommended
  • Congressional Globe complete text of all speeches in Congress, 1833-1873

  • Words and Boundaries in a Secessionist Age Interactive course on 1850s by Lloyd Benson, Furman U.
  • NY Times complete, 1854-1923; searchable complete online NY Times available at some libraries
  • Cabinet Reports 1861 recommended complete reports from State, War, Navy, Interior and other departments
  • Kentucky Digital Library books and pamphlets
  • E. Coming of War 1850-1859

    F. Political Crisis, 1860

  • G. Secession

  • causes of Civil War documents
  • 1861 Crisis class exercises, from Richard Latner Tulane U.
  • Reluctant Confederates scholar Daniel Crofts shows the upper South seceded because Lincoln's hostile military invasion violated the rights of the states
  • Historiographical Interpretations of the Secession Crisis of 1860-1 student paper
  • Extract from a speech by Alexander H. Stephens, vice-president of the Confederate States, delivered in the secession convention of Georgia, January 1861. often quoted to show slavery was cause of secession of Lower (Cotton) South
  • A Constitutional View of the Late War between the States major 1868 book by Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens. Volume 1 full text
  • A Constitutional View of the Late War between the States Volume 2
  • Adams. When in the Course of Human Events: Arguing the Case for Southern Secession book review
  • A Constitutional History of the United States (1935) Pulitzer-winning textbook by leading scholar Andrew McLaughlin ch 37-44 to 1865; recommended
  • H. Lincoln Administration

  • James Ford Rhodes, History of the Civil War, 1861–1865 (1918) best of older histories of the war years; strong on politics
  • Horace Greeley, The American Conflict (1866) full text of complete history of the war, vol 2, 1862-65; strong on politics
  • Lincoln's cabinet
  • Financing the war
  • Lincoln and the First Shot thoughts by historian Kenneth Stampp
  • Abraham Lincoln
  • Abraham Lincoln Online selected texts
  • Lincoln Papers 51,000 documents--mostly incoming letters, many of them transcribed; from Library of Congress
  • Lincoln's complete works searchable recommended
  • Jaffa on Lincoln (2000) book review
  • short 1918 bio of Lincoln by scholar stress on his speeches
  • Guelzon on Lincoln (1999) book review
  • Assassination
  • "The Enrollment and the Draft," by Nicolay and Hay (1889)
  • "Financial Measures," by Nicolay and Hay (1889)
  • "The Homestead Bill," by Robert J. Walker (1862)
  • My Diary North and South. By William Howard Russell full text of astute 1863 book by British journalist
  • "Lincoln Reelected," by Nicolay and Hay (1889)
  • "Second Inaugural to Appomattox," by Nicolay and Hay (1889)
  • "Assassination" by Nicolay and Hay (1890)
  • Diplomacy
  • overview by leading historian J F Rhodes pp 261-286
  • "English Opinion of the American War," by W. M. Rossetti (1866)
  • France & Confederacy by Aldis in North American Review (Oct 1879) 342-61
  • Trouble with Britain 1861 Mason-Slidell episode, by leading historian J F Rhodes pp 64-83
  • Jay Sexton. "Review of Duncan Andrew Campbell, English Public Opinion and the American Civil War," H-CivWar, H-Net Reviews, January, 2005
  • I. Homefront South

  • Overview of Confederate homefront by leading historian J F Rhodes, pp 366-397 recommended
  • Encyclopedia of Georgia recommended
  • The Handbook of Texas best guide to any state; multivolume 1996 encyclopedia
  • Gone With the Wind great 1938 novel of wartime Georgia; don't miss the movie!
  • Primary Sources
  • Three Months in the Southern States: April, June, 1863. English writer Sir Arthur James Lyon Fremantle went from Mexico to Texas, eastward
  • Confederate Home Front original documents from U North Carolina recommended
  • overview & documents
  • political pamphlets
  • Economic issues wartime documents
  • literature novels, poems, strories from the CSA homefront
  • private diaries & letters
  • Kenneth W. Noe. "Review of Robert R. Mackey, The Uncivil War: Irregular Warfare in the Upper South, 1861-1865," H-CivWar, H-Net Reviews, January, 2005.
  • Belle Boyd in Camp and Prison, complete text
  • Mary Chestnut Diary major Southern diary
  • States
  • Nicolay and Hay on Tennessee and Kentucky, 1861 (1888)
  • Handbook of Texas recommended scholarly encyclopedia
  • Virginia
  • Virginia & Pennsylvania in the war years from "Valley of the Shadow"
  • Blockade
  • "The Union Navy's Blockade Reconsidered" 1998 scholarly article by by David G. Surdam
  • Weddle, Kevin John. "The Blockade Board of 1861 and Union Naval Strategy" in Civil War History 48.2 (2002) 123-142 in Project Muse
  • Fisher, Noel C. "Feelin' Mighty Southern: Recent Scholarship on Southern Appalachia in the Civil War" Civil War History 47.4 (2001) 334-346 in Project Muse
  • "The Finances of the Confederate States" scholarly article by J. C. Schwab in Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 1. (Mar., 1892), pp. 38-56; via JSTOR
  • "The State Government of Mississippi During the Civil War" article by leading scholar James Wilford Garner in Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 16, No. 2. (Jun., 1901), pp. 283-302. in JSTOR
  • J. Homefront North

  • Overview of US homefront by Rhodes, pp 341-364 recommended
  • Bibliography
  • Railroad history links by Richard Jensen
  • review of Clark, Railroads in the Civil War (2001)
  • Dissent & Disloyalty
  • "Conspiracies in the North", scholarly article by J. G. Nicolay and John Hay
  • The Great North-Western Conspiracy In All Its Startling Details (1865) by I. Windslow Ayer
  • Gov. Morton & Sons of Liberty 1893 article on Copperheads in Indiana
  • Kenneth Stampp on peace Democrats comments by leading scholar
  • "The Enrollment and the Draft," by Nicolay and Hay (1889)
  • labor competition & 1863 draft riots scholarly article
  • New York City 1863 Draft Riots
  • Indians
  • Sand Creek massacre 1864 PBS report
  • Indian threat in Nebraska
  • The Civil War in Indian Territory
  • Battles in Oklahoma the Indians split N-S and fought their own war that devastated Indian Territory (Oklahoma)
  • Railroads
  • R.E. Riegel, "Federal Operation of Southern Railroads" Mississippi Valley Historical Review (1922) 9:126 + in JSTOR
  • R.S. Cotterill, "Southern Railroads" Mississippi Valley Historical Review (1924) 10:396+ in JSTOR
  • C. W. Ramsdell, "Confederate Government and Railroads" American Historical Review (1917) 22: 794+ in JSTOR
  • Jensen Guide to Railroad History
  • Religion & Ethnicity Catholic Enclopedia, 1913 ed full text of all 11,000 articles; strong on state and city histories; Indian tribes.
  • Geschichtstheatergesellschaft 1848 E.V. A German site devoted to German '48ers (refugees from the failed revolution of 1848), who played a major role in the war. Mostly in English.
  • Jews
  • Germans in Missouri also Hungarians
  • States & Cities
  • links
  • Encyclopedia of Chicago (2005) Recommended
  • Indiana
  • Kansas good chapter from 1883 history by Robert Cutler
  • Missouri
  • Missouri battles & homefront links
  • Indian threat in Nebraska
  • Ohio by Larry Stevens
  • "Groping Toward Victory: Ohio's Administration of the Civil War" scholarly 1996 article by Noel Fisher
  • Virginia & Pennsylvania in the war years from "Valley of the Shadow"
  • An Illustrated History of the State of Wisconsin by Charles R. Tuttle, 1875
  • Women & Children

    K. Emancipation & Freedmen

    L. Military: Topics