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Civil War Resources

Special Collections & Archives holds a wealth of manuscript materials of interest to researchers studying the Civil War, including both large and small collections, as well as books, pamphlets, maps and other items. Most are related to Bowdoin alumni who served in the Union Army (and one in the Confederate Army), primarily with Maine units. These, and other collections not specifically related to the conflict, also include correspondence and documents from the Civil War era that could be of use to those studying life on the home front; letters to and from the women left at home are especially interesting.

This site outlines the collections that contain extensive information; the collections that, although not directly describing the war, relate to its study; and small caches of material or individual items that could be of interest to researchers.

The lists are updated as new items are identified or acquired.

There are many excellent Civil War sites on the World Wide Web. The United States Civil War Center at Louisiana State University provides links to many of these sites, including those to other manuscript repositories.

• General Information on Locating Resources
• Manuscript Collections Containing Civil War Material
• Manuscript Collections Related to the Civil War
• Individual Civil War Manuscripts
• Other Related Holdings -- General Descriptions
• Other Related Holdings -- Individual Items
• Campus Memorial

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General Information on Locating Resources

Individual Correspondents:
Although this list of Civil War resources will give readers a general idea of the material available for research use, it will not list all the officers, soldiers, politicians, and civilians whose letters are held by Special Collections. In order to determine if there is correspondence with a particular individual, please contact the Special Collections & Archives staff.

The Civil War at Bowdoin:
For information on Bowdoin College during the Civil War, read Chapter 6 of Charles Calhoun's A Small College in Maine; for lists of alumni who served in the war, go to Patrick Rael's Web resource, Bowdoin Alumni in the Civil War and Alpheus S. Packard's Bowdoin in the War (1867); check the Archival holdings, including the administrative papers of President Leonard Woods, the Records of the Executive Government and the Class Records, 1861-1869; or consult with the staff.

Antislavery Material:
For information on holdings related to slavery in America, consult Antislavery Materials at Bowdoin College : A Finding Aid, edited by Angela M. Leonard; check the on-line catalog; or consult with the staff.

Bowdoin Alumni in the War:
For information on specific Bowdoin graduates who served in the war, begin with the General Catalogue of Bowdoin College ... 1794-1950 , where any military service would be listed, then consult the biographical files of individual alumni.

Photographs and Images:
For information on images of Civil War soldiers please consult with the Special Collections & Archives staff.

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Manuscript Collections Containing Civil War Material

Citations: "Warner's Generals in Blue" refers to: Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders, by Ezra J. Warner. [Baton Rouge]: Louisiana State University Press [1964].

Fessenden Collection:

Approximately 6 linear feet of material (letters, documents, addresses, ephemera, etc.), 1801-1908, including ca. 1300 letters from William Pitt Fessenden (Bowdoin 1823), who served as Senator from Maine (1854-1869) and as Secretary of the Treasury (1864-1865); and ca. 450 letters to or from his sons, Francis Fessenden (Bowdoin 1858), James Deering Fessenden (Bowdoin 1852) and Samuel Fessenden (Bowdoin 1861). Francis Fessenden's album of carte-de-visite photographs of uniformed officers is also part of the collection.
See Warner's Generals in Blue for a summary of Francis Fessenden's and James D. Fessenden's Civil War careers; Samuel Fessenden was mortally wounded at the Second Battle of Manassas.

Charles Henry Howard Collection:

1 linear foot of letters, articles and addresses and other ephemera, 1852-1907; containing ca. 150 Civil War era letters. Howard's service included the 3rd Maine (1861) and the 61st New York (1862-1864). He was Colonel of the 128th U.S. Colored Troops; and rose to Bvt. Brigadier General in 1865. Howard also served as an assistant commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau.

Oliver Otis Howard Papers:

60 linear feet of material of material, of which 1.5 linear feet is Civil War era correspondence, concerning the life and career of Oliver Otis Howard (Bowdoin 1850). Also included are articles and addresses, many on Civil War events and individuals, and a volume of copies of his outgoing correspondence, daily action reports, orders, etc. (1861-1865). Some of the items of greatest interest to researchers are post-1865.

See Warner's Generals in Blue for a summary of Howard's career in the Civil War and as commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau.

Hubbard Family Papers:

Approximately 26 linear feet of correspondence, diaries, addresses, clippings, etc., 1789 to 1917. Included are Civil War letters, a letter-book (Jan-Jun 1863), a Special Orders volume (Oct 1862-Feb 1864) and indices, all by John Barrett Hubbard (Bowd. 1857); Civil War letters and journals (Nov 29, 1863 - Mar 31, 1864; Mar 15-Jun 18, 1865), and reports and brigade files of Thomas Hamlin Hubbard (Bowdoin 1857). Their correspondence and that of other family members, including Albert Reed Barrett, is also of interest.

John B. Hubbard rose to Captain and Asst. Adjutant General in the 1st Maine Battery, and died in service May 27, 1863 at Port Hudson, Louisiana. Thomas H. Hubbard served with the 25th Maine, the 30th Maine and the 1st Brigade, rising to Bvt. Brigadier General by 1865. Albert R. Barrett was with the 7th New York (1861) and the 1st Sharpshooters (1862-1864) and with the Quartermasters Department (1864); he rose to the rank of Lieutenant.

Charles O. Hunt Letters and Personal Recollections:

Holograph transcriptions (2 vols.) of correspondence and memoirs of Charles O. Hunt, dated Portland [Me.], December 28, 1898, documenting Hunt's participation in the Civil War. He joined the Union Army upon his graduation in 1861, serving as a sergeant in the 5th Maine Battery, and was made lieutenant in 1863. His service included the second battle of Manassas, the Wilderness Campaign, and Gettysburg, as well as internment as a prisoner of war at Hilton Head, S.C., and Danville, Va. Principal correspondents include his mother and brother, Henry Hastings Hunt, and other Maine acquaintances; and also General Johnson Hagood with whom Hunt carried on a post-bellum correspondence concerning his internment under Hagood's command. Pasted in are various photographs, currency notes, signed orders and other documents, and brochures concerning a memorial at Gettysburg battle field.

Henry Hastings Hunt Papers:

30 letters (August 25, 1862 - April 11, 1865) from Henry Hastings Hunt (Bowdoin 1862) to his mother and sister, and three diaries (January 6, 1863 - July 11, 1865).

Hunt served in the 1st Maine Battery and fought in many battles, including Second Bull Run and Gettysburg.

Thomas W. Hyde Family Papers:

The correspondence (ca. 35 letters) is mainly between Thomas W. Hyde and Annie Hayden. Many of the letters pre-date their marriage and were written by Hayden to Hyde during the Civil War.

Hyde raised a company for the Seventh Maine Infantry and was elected major. He was present with his regiment at the Siege of Yorktown, the battles of Williamsburg and Mechanicsville, and all of the seven-day battles in front of Richmond. He commanded the regiment at Second Bull Run, Crampton's Gap and Antietam, and was appointed Acting Inspector General of the Left Division, Army of the Potomac. He was with General Sedgwick at Gettysburg and all the battles following in which the Sixth Corps was engaged, was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and remained with the Sixth Corps until his three years expired, when he was commissioned colonel of the First Maine Veteran Volunteers. He was present at Sailor's Creek and at the surrender of Lee, and was made brigadier general in 1865.

Needler R. Jennings Papers:

Five letters (1861-63) relating to Jennings and his service in the Confederate Army. Three are letters from Pierre Soulé, two of them introducing Jennings to Edward Everett and P.G.T. Beauregard. Jennings, originally from New Orleans, served to Major in the CSA.

Lee Family Papers (M106):

Photograph album, owner unknown, which includes thirty-three images of Union officers, from lieutenant to general.

McArthur Family Papers:

10.6 linear feet of material (1790-1890) relating to this Limington, Maine, family, including the Civil War letters of Arthur McArthur, Jr. (Bowdoin 1850) and his brother William McArthur (Bowdoin 1853). Also within the papers are records of the 8th Maine, containing muster rolls, payrolls, discharges, enlistments, courts martial, special orders, military maps, quarter reports, adjutant reports, and other related material (ca. 500 items). The 19th century pension records for the Limington area, kept by William and his father, Arthur McArthur, Sr., fill a further 6 linear feet.

William served with the 8th Maine, ending the war with the rank of Bvt. Brigadier General. Arthur served as Captain of the 6th Louisiana (C.S.A.) and died in service on May 25, 1862 at Winchester, Virginia.

Holman Melcher Papers:

0.25 linear feet of correspondence, military records and clippings related to Holman Melcher, including 85 wartime letters to his brother, Nathaniel Melcher (Bowdoin 1864).
Holman Melcher served in the 20th Maine and the 5th Corps.

Clara Hawkins Mellen Papers (M129):

Box 5, Mellen Family Material: 0.25 linear feet of material (1856-1940) relating to the William P. Mellen and the Mellen Family, including approx. 50 Civil War era letters. Of special interest is the correspondence between W.P. Mellen and Salmon P. Chase.
Mellen was Supervising Agent of the Treasury Department and a Special Agent of the Post Office Department, stationed in Cincinnati.

Manuscript Collections Related to the Civil War

Individual Civil War Manuscripts

Other Related Holdings -- General Descriptions

Other Related Holdings -- Individual Items

Campus Memorial