The U.S. Civil War Collection is composed primarily of materials generated and collected by James H. Lewis, a soldier in the 24th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment, otherwise known as the Iowa Temperance Regiment. The collection includes lyrics to several songs composed by Lewis and other Union soldiers, a pencil drawing depicting the transportation of cotton in the American South, a manuscript copy of General William Tecumseh Sherman's Special Field Order no. 54 announcing the surrender of General Lee, a letter from Secretary of War Edwin McMasters Stanton, several military and civilian newspapers including one produced by Lewis' own regiment and some bearing inscriptions and correspondence from Lewis, and multiple reproductions of the April 15, 1865 issue of the New York Herald reporting the assassination of President Lincoln.

The Benjamin F. Cook Letters were written and sent by Cook to his wife Julia from various locations throughout the Northeast and South as Cook served with the 12th Massachusetts Volunteers in the Civil War. The letters date from his time before the Civil War while serving in the state militia, and run through the end of the war. Handwritten in pencil or ink, Cook's letters vary in length from a single scrap of paper to several pages. The correspondence is fairly regular throughout the war years, though there are long periods of time when letters were not sent, either due to a planned leave of absence or unknown circumstances.

Cook details the trials of a soldier's daily life in the Civil War, including limited resources such as clothing and food. He describes political situations within his company, as well as relationships between the soldiers, including incidents of disobedience and punishment, fighting and petty arguments, and theft. He frequently requests his wife to send him needed supplies, including new clothes, paper, and shoes. The letters show the misery and monotony of life at the front, including complaints about the weather, trouble sleeping, illness, late pay, and idly sitting waiting for something to happen. He reports to his wife on troop movements, skirmishes with Rebels, battle strategy, and troop plans. He continuously expresses a longing for home and family, asking for more letters from his wife, and trying to participate in home life by giving advice on the raising of children and spending of money. The end of the war is a frequent subject of speculation in the letters, and Cook vacillates between expressing confidence and fear, good spirits and depression, eagerness to fight the enemy and the overwhelming desire to run away.

Letters of note include a description of the Battle of Antietam (Box-Folder 1.4, Item 9), comments on Negro regiments (Box-Folder 1.3, Item 3), an encounter with a conscientious objector (Box-Folder 1.5, Item 26), and letters written from the battlefield (Box-Folder 1.6, Items 16-18).

The Magic Lantern Slide Collection consists of several sets of magic lantern slides as well as one set of glass-mounted 2x2 slides that were probably used for home entertainment or educational purposes. The collection includes a set of 10 items from the American Civil War Series includes artists' depictions of General McClellan and Fort Sumter.

Series 4 is comprised of maps of North America, of which the majority are related to the United States Civil War.  Of note is the Military Map Showing the Marches of the United States Forces under Command of Sherman (1863-1865). Other maps relate to the Spanish-American War and include those from the U.S. Military Governor of Cuba Report, 1900-1902. 

SCARC's print holdings related to the U. S. Civil War and the history of enslaved peoples in the United States are minimal, but strong. Materials documenting the history of enslaved people include an early edition of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and personal narratives of enslaved people such as Slavery in the United States : a narrative of the life and adventures of Charles Ball, a black man, who lived forty years in Maryland, South Carolina and Georgia, as a slave under various masters (1854), The life of John Thompson, a fugitive slave : containing his history of 25 years in bondage, and his providential escape (1856), and Twenty-two years a slave, and forty years a freeman (1857). Abolitionist materials are few, but include Jemmy and his mother : a tale for children : and Lucy the slave girl of Kentucky (1857) from the American Reform Tract Society, and the work of abolitionist Eliza Farnham (1864). There are several items on women's roles in the war, such as Nurse and spy in the Union Army : comprising the adventures and experiences of a woman in hospitals, camps, and battle-fields (1861), and Women of the war : their heroism and self-sacrifice (1868). Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War provides detailed illustrations of many scenes.

 Keywords: civil war, slave*, confeder*