Dates: 1785-2005, bulk 1860-1866. Size: 12.5 linear feet, in 23 boxes, includes 7 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Material in this collection predominantly relates to the American Civil War—its battles, rank and file soldiers, leaders and veterans. A large portion of this material focuses on the experience of soldiers and leaders from Illinois through letters and diaries. Other major topics in this collection include slavery throughout the world in the centuries leading up to the Civil War; Abraham Lincoln; and the veteran's group, the Grand Army of the Republic, especially its Illinois Departments. Further documentation of the Civil War appears in ephemera, songs and poems, patriotic envelopes and currency. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Wayne Whalen Digital Archive of the Grand Army of the Republic and Civil War Collections. [Finding aid]
