Firsthand Accounts
Published: 9/12/22
“Union Jim” Williams
Learn about "Union Jim" Williams, a formerly enslaved man who aided Union forces in Louisiana.
Published: 9/1/22
A Thirst for Battle
Firsthand Union and Confederate soldier accounts about the bloodthirst many of them felt upon going into battle.
Published: 8/22/22
Extra Voices: A Thirst For Battle
Read the powerful firsthand quotes on the thirst for battle that gripped many Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.
Published: 7/11/22
Extra Voices: Salt Pork
Delve into insightful quotes on salt pork from Civil War soldiers, highlighting its significance in military rations.
Published: 6/13/22
Ticks in Camp
Discover the challenges of dealing with ticks in camp as documented by a young officer in the 57th New York Infantry during the Civil War.
Published: 6/3/22
Eyewitness to Cold Harbor
Read Colonel Theodore Lyman's eyewitness letter about brutal Battle of Cold Harbor, fought in June 1864.
Published: 6/1/22
A Solemn Duty
Comrades’ letters to the faraway families of Civil War soldiers killed in battle or by disease offered details and heartfelt condolences.
Published: 6/1/22
Salt Pork
Quotes from Civil War soldiers about salt pork, a regular component of their daily ration.
Published: 3/21/22
Extra Voices: Mother Bickerdyke
Read the poignant quotes about Mother Bickerdyke that illustrate her role as a revolutionary nurse in the Civil War.
Published: 12/17/21
Extra Voices: War’s Grisly Toll
First-person quotes from Union and Confederate soldiers on the grisly impact of Civil War Combat.
Published: 12/1/21
War’s Grisly Toll
Firsthand Union and Confederate soldier quotes on the carnage resulting from Civil War combat.
Published: 9/20/21
Unceasing Fury at Chickamauga
Read Confederate soldier W.W. Heartsills' firsthand account of his participation in the Battle of Chickamauga.
Published: 9/13/21
Extra Voices: Nicknames
Read firsthand Union and Confederate soldiers' quotes about the nicknames they gave to comrades during the Civil War.
Published: 7/20/21
After Fort Wagner
Read 54th Massachusetts soldier Lewis Douglass' letter about the Battle of Fort Wagner which he wrote days after the the famed fight.
Published: 6/7/21
Extra Voices: Fear
Read firsthand Union and Confederate soldiers' quotes on the feelings of fear they experienced in battle.
Published: 6/1/21
Fear
Firsthand Union and Confederate soldier quotes about the fear they and their comrades faced in battle.
Published: 4/16/21
War’s Early Days
Read South Carolina diarist Mary Boykin Chesnut's gripping account of the fall of Fort Sumter and its aftermath.
Published: 4/5/21
Extra Voices: Shirkers
Read firsthand Civil War soldier quotes on shirking in the Union and Confederate armies.