LibGuides: Teaching with Special Collections and University Archives: Civil War

Introduction

This guide describes the manuscript collections containing materials for Civil War research in the Special Collections of the Library at Old Dominion University. The collections are few in number but rich in material containing diaries, correspondence, orders, dispatches, reports, petitions, telegrams and currency. This material covers a wide variety of events, attitudes, and perspectives, from both the Confederate States and United States. Politics, military affairs, life as a soldier and the hardships of war are all documented in these collections. The descriptions primarily discuss the papers of the collections which pertain to the Civil War; however, the preceding decades and Reconstruction are also described.

The entries are arranged alphabetically, including the collection number, the inclusive dates of the collection and the collection's size. Please note the collection number because it acts as the location code. Electronic finding aids are available where highlighted. All other finding aids are available in the repository.

Civil War Collections

MG 95 Whittle Family Papers, circa 1812-1943, undated
Includes the diary of Camilla Frances Loyall describing the occupation of Norfolk during the Civil War, and the wartime accounts of Captain William C. Whittle during his service on the Confederate steamers, the " Shenandoah " and the " Nashville."
MG 18 Hiram F. Glazier Papers, 1861-1863. 1 Hollinger document case.
Papers consists of correspondence during Hiram Glazier's service in the Confederate Army to family and friends and a copy of the official Southern national poem, "The Southerner's Banner."
MG 26 Charles E. Hewins Papers, 1856-1957, undated
Includes the letters of Charles Hewins, a Union captain during the Civil War and a businessman in Hampton, Virginia during Reconstruction. The letters provide a Northerner's perspective on secessionist activities and social attitudes toward Black "freedman" during this time period.
MG 49 Hodges Family Papers, 1754-1979. 1 Hollinger document case; 1 oversize box.
Contains correspondence dating from the Civil War between William H. H. Hodges to his wife Abigail while a prisoner of the Union army. The collection also contains information on Colonel James Gregory Hodges of the 14th Virginia Regiment killed during Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, July 1863. The correspondence of Union Captain Ainsworth, a Hodges family relative through marriage, contains letters of recommendation for distinguished service during the war from General A. H. Terry and General O. O. Babcock, Grant's aide-de-camp.
MG 7 Robert Morton Hughes Papers, 1767-1950. 42 Hollinger flat document cases and 4 oversize boxes.
Significant aspect of this collection is the correspondence and other papers originally belonging to several of Hughes' relatives including Robert W. Hughes, John B. Floyd, and Joseph E. Johnston. Papers document political attitudes in the 1850s, Floyd's service as a Confederate Brigadier General, military activities in West Virginia in 1861, the Battles of Fort Donelson, Franklin and Nashville, the relationship between Johnston and Jefferson Davis, Reconstruction, and efforts after the war to write the history of various battles and campaigns. Drafts of Johnston's memoirs discuss the early battles in Virginia and his campaigns against Sherman around and the Carolinas. Notable correspondents include Henry Wise, Wade Hampton, James Longstreet, Jubal Early, and William Mahone. The collection also contains material pertaining to Hughes' activities as an amateur historian writing on Virginia and Civil War history.
MG 43 Samuel J. Major Papers, 1861-1865. 1 Hollinger document case.
Contains letters, orders, and dispatches primarily concerning General William French and the activities of the Army of the Potomac in November and December of 1863. Of particular importance are the compiled copies, including index, of the orders and dispatches of the Left Wing, Army of the Potomac from November 6-9, 1863 and the General Henry Prince's operations report of his division's activities beyond the Rapidan River, December 6, 1863.
MG 23 Robert M. Rose Papers, 1809-1947. 1 Hollinger document case.
Contains a petition to the Provisional Confederate Congress seeking financial compensation for six runaway slaves. Dated May 14, 1863 the petition was written on behalf of Dr. Robert W. Rose of Norfolk.
MG 10 James Washington Singleton Papers, 1770-1975. 35 Hollinger document cases; 1 Hollinger drop-front print box and 1 Hollinger oversize box.
Records concerning the Civil War include correspondence containing references to political attitudes before the war on slavery and secession, activities of Peace Democrats during the war, the supplying of Illinois Volunteer Regiments, Lincoln's assassination and efforts to secure peace with the Confederate States of America toward the end of the war. Correspondents include Clement Vallandigham, Richard Yates, Ulysses S. Grant, John A. McClernand and James Shields.
MG 30 Eloise Word Skewis Papers, 1777-1907. 1 Hollinger document case, 1 oversize box, 1 tubular poster container.
Contains records from a wide variety of sources documenting economic transactions in antebellum Virginia including the buying, selling and hiring out of slaves. Material pertaining to the Civil War includes Confederate war bonds of various denominations.
MG 11 Thom Williamson Papers, 1853-1913. 1 Hollinger document case.
Contains several items pertaining to the Civil War including orders issued to Williamson for various assignments and a handwritten copy of a report on the Confederate ironclad Tennessee captured at the Battle of Mobile Bay. This report is particularly important due to the detailed description of the Tennessee's design and the damages inflicted upon it by the Union naval forces.
RG 17-5B2 Harold S. Wilson Papers, 1813-1978. 1 half Hollinger document case.
Professor of History at Old Dominion University. This small collection includes documents Wilson collected that relate to personal experiences and tributes of Confederate soldiers in Virginia Companies. Topics include primary accounts of Virginia battles, daily soldier life, military morale, and southern ideologies. Highlights of this collection are: letters to Preston Brooks; correspondence of Col. Jos T. Cosby; an obituary of Col. Joseph Cabell; correspondence of solider Wm H. Farrabee; papers concerning soldier William L Fontaine and his family estate; and an eulogy of Col. James C. Reed.

Additional resources from the ODU Digital Collections: