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 The
year 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War,
and no state was more affected by that war than Virginia. On April 12,
1861, Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston
(S.C.) harbor. President Abraham Lincoln then called for 75,000 men to
suppress the rebellion. The Virginia Convention, meeting in Richmond
since 13 February, had defeated a motion to recommend secession to
voters by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. But with Lincoln’s call for
troops, the Convention reversed itself and voted to secede. Voters
ratified the decision on May 23, and the largest Southern state in
population and in industrial capacity joined the Confederacy, which
moved its capital from Montgomery, Alabama, to Richmond. With the
capitals of the
Confederacy and the Union only 100 miles apart,
Virginia became the major battleground of the Civil War.
Four
years of war ravaged the Virginia landscape, displaced families, ended
the institution of slavery, and cost thousands—soldiers and
civilians—their lives. Forty-eight northwestern Unionist counties
seceded from Virginia to create a new state—West Virginia—which
became effective on June 20, 1863. Union troops occupied large
sections of eastern and northern Virginia. When Richmond fell early in
April 1865, retreating Confederate troops set fire to supplies left
behind. The fire soon burned out of control, destroying property as
well as state records and county records sent to Richmond for
safekeeping. The transformation and damage caused by the Civil War in
Virginia reverberated throughout the decades and still resonates
today. The Library of Virginia contains many valuable primary and
secondary resources that will aid anyone interested in learning more
about this critical time in Virginia and American history. The Library
of Virginia houses a large collection of manuscripts, published
materials, photographs, broadsides, newspapers, maps, and prints
pertaining to the Civil War. The manuscript collections range from
single items to much-larger collections containing thousands of items.
The collections represent both Confederate and Union sides and include
topics relating to secession, specific battles and regiments, camp
life, Reconstruction, the Restored government in Virginia counties
under Union control, slavery, and veteran organizations.
Civil War
150 LEGACY PROJECT
The Civil War 150 Legacy Project:
Document Digitization and Access is a multi-year
initiative to locate, digitize and provide world-wide
access to the private documentary heritage of the American
Civil War era located throughout Virginia. Utilizing
Local Sesquicentennial Committees established by the
Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War
Commission and through a partnership with the Library of
Virginia and a network of statewide connections, the Civil
War 150 Legacy Project will provide individuals an
opportunity to have their historic letters, diaries and
other collections scanned to preserve their valuable
intellectual content.
Staff will be traveling the state to
digitize documents- please see the schedule
to find out when we’re coming to your area. You may also
contact us at: cw150legacy@lva.virginia.gov.
Collections are being added to on a regular basis. Please
check back for new materials as we travel throughout
Virginia.
For
research try the Library of Virginia archives, this world class
organization lives in Richmond VA. Information about their
collection ....
Introduction
The Library of Virginia houses a large
collection of manuscripts, published materials, photographs,
broadsides, newspapers, maps, and prints pertaining to the Civil
War. The manuscript collections range from single items to
much-larger collections of thousands of items. The collections
represent both Confederate and Union sides and include topics
relating to secession, specific battles and regiments, camp life,
Reconstruction and the Restored government, slavery, and veteran
organizations. In order to find materials on specific topics it is
necessary to conduct a combination of searches to find the materials
you seek. Library of Virginia reference staff members suggest that
you search the following catalogs:
- LVA
Books and Journals Catalog –this catalog serves as the
main access point for printed materials; books; journals;
magazines; newspapers; federal, state, and local government
publications; microfilm and microfiche; sheet music; and
selected maps related to the Civil War. A "Words
Anywhere" search allows to you search names, geographic
locations, and topics. To narrow your search for specific
materials, we suggest that you use Library of Congress subject
headings.
- LVA
Archives and Manuscripts Catalog –this catalog serves as
the main access point for state government records, military
records, personal papers, family Bible records, genealogical
notes and charts, church and cemetery records, business records,
maps, local records, and other archival and manuscript material.
A "Words Anywhere" search allows you to search author,
title, subject and notes field. To narrow your search for
specific materials, we suggest that you use Library of Congress
subject headings.
- Virginia
in Newspapers Database – this database contains a
bibliography of American and Virginia Newspapers cataloged and
inventoried by the Virginia Newspaper Project.
- Images and Indexes – this catalog serves
as the main access point for online indexes and scanned images
from selected Civil War records.
Includes:
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last updated:02/07/11.
APS
member number 210296.