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Brothers in Arms: The Gladstone AfroAmerican Military Collection In February 2022, the Library of Congress released the Gladstone Afro-American Collection; https://crowd.loc. gov/campaigns/gladstone/. This source contains “… correspondence, pay vouchers, orders, muster rolls, enlistment and discharge papers, receipts, contracts, affidavits, tax records, miscellaneous military documents, and printed matter.”
One note to researchers: while one must not set up a free LOC account, doing so will enable the user to save specific material. Through their crowdsourcing effort, the LOC currently has over 1,600 transcribed documents in this collection, covering the period of 1773–1987. The American Civil War section will serve as the focus for this column. Upon navigating to the homepage, select the ‘Civil War and Reconstruction Era’ section as shown, and read the description of holdings. Now, go back to the homepage and click ‘About the Collection,’ then select ‘Collection Items,’ where
you can filter with various search criteria. On the left side of the screen, select ‘Civil War.’ Filter dates to ‘1860-1869’ to create tighter search parameters of the 269 documents completed thus far (February 2022). One search revealed “General Orders, No. 125, War Department, furloughs for noncommissioned officers and privates of the army desiring to enter the Free Military School in order to earn commissions, Feb. 1864.” See image. A supplemental site resides in the Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs. This source “…provides almost 350 images showing African
April 2022 Americans and related military and social history. The Civil War era is the primary time period covered, with scattered examples through 1945. Most of the images are photographs, including 270 cartes de visite.” As described for the Gladstone Afro-American Collection, search tools exist for these photographs. Selecting ‘Civil War’ netted 94 images, such as the sailor shown. Utilize both sources in researching the contributions of African American soldiers and sailors to the Federal war effort. Continued good luck in researching the American Civil War!
Michael K. Shaffer is a Civil War historian, author, lecturer, and instructor, who remains a member of the Society of Civil War Historians, Historians of the Civil War Western Theater, and the Georgia Association of Historians. Readers may contact him at mkscdr11@ gmail.com or request speaking engagements via his website w w w. c i v i l w a r h i s t o r i a n . n e t . Follow Michael on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ michael.k.shaffer, and Twitter @ michaelkshaffer.
Click the Gladstone Afro-American Collection link.
General Orders, No. 125, War Department, furloughs for noncommissioned officers and privates of the army After navigating to the homepage, select the ‘Civil War and Reconstruction Era’ desiring to enter the Free Military School in order to section. earn commissions, Feb. 1864. 22
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Day by Day through the Civil War in Georgia
Until now, a daily account
(1,630 days) of Georgia’s social, political, economic, and military events during the Civil War did not exist. In Day by Day through the Civil War in Georgia, Michael K. Shaffer strikes a balance between the combatants while remembering the struggles of enslaved persons, folks on the home front, and merchants and clergy attempting to maintain some sense of normalcy. Maps, footnotes, a detailed index, and bibliographical references will aid those wanting more. February 2022 • $37.00, hardback
Michael K. Shaffer is a Civil War historian, instructor, lecturer, newspaper columnist, and author. He is a member of the Society of Civil War Historians, Historians of the Civil War Western Theater, and the Georgia Association of Historians. Contact the author: mkscdr11@gmail.com
www.mupress.org • 866-895-1472 toll-free
Titled “Two brothers in arms” is located in this collection.
Union sailor holding a cased set of two photographs.
April 2022
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