Civil War Research at the Berkshire Athenaeum
By Kathleen M. Reilly, Local History & Genealogy Supervisor

Outlined in this article are major sources available at the Athenaeum for research into Civil War history and genealogy, as well as some of our more unusual items. The listing is by no means complete. Researchers should also remember that county and town histories often contain information on Civil War history as well as lists of veterans from specific locales. Additionally, the Library has a large collection of regimental histories, too numerous to list here. A keyword search in the library catalog using the terms regimental, history, civil and war returns 122 titles. Researchers can access the catalog online for more specific searches or contact the Local History Department for assistance. 

General Sources 

Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, Compiled and Arranged from Official Records of the Federal and Confederate Armies, Reports of the Adjutant Generals of the Several States, the Army Registers, and other Reliable Documents and Sources. Des Moines, Ia: The Dyer Publishing Co., 1908. 3 vol. set includes maps, illustrations and regimental histories. [LH 973.7 D98] 

Powell, William H. Officers of the Army and Navy (Volunteer) Who Served in the Civil War. Philadelphia, PA: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1893. [LH 973.7 P87] 

United States. Congress. Senate. List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Which Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance, as Called for by Senate Resolution of December 8, 1882. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1883.  [LH 929 Un7]  Library has v.1: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, District of Columbia. 

Williams, George F. The Memorial War Book: As Drawn from Historical Records and Personal Narratives of the Men Who Werved in the Great Struggle. New York: Arno Press, 1979 [Reprint of the 1894 edition].  [LH 973.7 W66.1] 

Williams, George W. A History of the Negro Troops in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Preceded by a Review of the Military Services of Negroes in Ancient and Modern Times. New York: Harper and Bros., 1888. [LH 973.7 W67]  

Connecticut 

Catalogue of Connecticut Volunteer Organizations, with Additional Enlistments and Casualties to July 1, 1864. Compiled from Records in the Adjutant General's Office, and Published by Order of the Legislature. Horace J. Morse, Adjutant General. Hartford: Press of Case, Lockwood and Company, 1864. [LH 974.607 C76]  Note: This volume is accompanied by a full name index created by the Berkshire Family History Association in 1995. 

Croffut, William A.  The Military and Civil History of Connecticut during the War of 1861-65, Comprising a Detailed Account of the Various Regiments and Batteries, through March, Encampment, Bivouac, and Battle: Also Instances of Distinguished Personal Gallantry, and Biographical Sketches of Many Heroic Soldiers: Together with a Record of the Patriotic Action of Citizens at Home, and of the Liberal Support Furnished by the State in Its Executive and Legislative Departments.  New York: L. Bill, 1868. [LH 974.607 C87] 

Maine

Maine, Adjutant General. Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Maine. Augusta, Stevens & Sayward, printers to the state, 1862-1867. 7 vol. set [LH 974.1 Ad2] 

Webb, Nathan B. East Maine Conference Seminary War Record. Boston, Printed by A.J. Wright, 1877. [V974.1 W38 V. PF] 

Massachusetts 

Bowen, James L. Massachusetts in the War, 1861-1865. Springfield: C. W. Bryan & Co., 1889. [LH 973.744 B67] 

Headley, Phineas C. Massachusetts in the Rebellion: A Record of the Historical Position of the Commonwealth, and the Services of the Leading Statesmen, the Military, the Colleges, and the People, in the Civil War of 1861-65. Boston: Walker, Fuller & Co., 1866. [LH 973.744 H34] 

Higginson, Thomas W. Massachusetts in the Army and Navy during the War of 1861-65. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1895-1896. [LH 929 M42] 

Massachusetts. Adjutant General’s Office. Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War. Compiled and Published by the Adjutant-General in Accordance with Chapter 475, Acts of 1899 and Chapter 64, Resolves of 1930. s. l., s. n. 1931-1935. Norwood, Mass.: Norwood Press. [LH 929 M 40.8]  

Schouler, William.  A History of Massachusetts in the Civil War.  Boston: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1868-1871. [LH 973.744 Sch 6] 

United States, Bureau of the Census. Eleventh Census of the United States, 1890 [microform]: Schedules Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Massachusetts. 

New Hampshire 

Abbott, Stephen G. The First Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers in the Great Rebellion: Containing the Story of the Campaign; an Account of the "Great Uprising of the People of State," and Other Articles upon Subjects Associated with the Early War Period. Keene, N. H.: Sentinel Printing Co., 1890. [LH 974.2 V1] 

Bartlett, Asa W. History of the Twelfth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion. Concord, N. H.: I. C. Evans, printer, 1897. [LH 974.2 V12] 

Eldridge, Daniel. The Third New Hampshire and All about It. Boston: Press of E.B. Stillings and Co., 1893. [LH 974.2 V3] 

New Hampshire. Adjutant General’s Office. Revised Register of the Soldiers and Sailors of New Hampshire in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866. Concord, N. H: I.C. Evans, public printer, 1895. [LH 974.2 N45] 

Waite, Otis F. R.  New Hampshire in the Great Rebellio:. Containing Histories of the Several New Hampshire Regiments, and Biographical Notices of Many of the Prominent Actors in the Civil War of 1861-65. Claremont, N. H.: Tracy, Chase & co., 1870. [LH 974.2 W13] 

New York 

Cheney, Newel. History of the Ninth regiment, New York Volunteer Cavalry, War of 1861 to 1865. Compiled from Letters, Diaries, Recollections and Official Records. Poland Center, N.Y., 1901. [LH 973.7447 N9.1] 

Floyd, Frederick C. History of the Fortieth (Mozart) Regiment. Boston, F. H. Gilson Company, 1909. [LH 974.707 N40] 

Gates, Theodore B. The "Ulster Guard" (20th N. Y. State Militia) and the War of the Rebellion: Embracing a History of the Early Organization of the Regiments, Its Three Months Service...Complete Roster, etc....Its Reorganization and Subsequent Services... Together with a BriefTtreatise upon the Origin and Growth of Secession; the Militia System, and the Dependence of the Federal Government upon it in the Beginning of the War; with a Critical History of the First Battle of Bull Run; Campaign of Gen. Pope; McClellan's Maryland Campaign; Battle of Fredericksburg: Hooker's Chancellorsville Campaign: Gettysburg Campaign; and a Glance at the Campaign from the Rapidan to Appomattox Court House. New York: B. H. Tyrrel, printer, 1879.  [LH973.747 N20]  Note: Higginson Reprint of an 1884 edition. 

New York (State). Monuments Commission for the Battlefields of Gettysburg and Chattanooga. Final Report on the Battlefield of Gettysburg. Albany: Lyon, 1900.  3 vol. set [LH 974.707 F83]  

Phisterer, Frederick. New York in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865. [Albany]: Lyon, 1912. 6 vol. set [LH 974.707 P53]  

Swinton, William. History of the Seventh Regiment, National Guard, State of New York, during the War of the Rebellion: with a Preliminary Chapter on the Origin and Early History of the Regiment, a Summary of Its History since the War, and a Roll of Honor, Comprising Brief Sketches of the Services Rendered by Members of the Regiment in the Army and Navy of the United States.  New York: C.T. Dillingham, 1876. [LH 973.7447 N7] 

Wilt, Richard A. New York Soldiers in the Civil War: A Roster of Military Officers and Soldiers who Served in New York Regiments in the Civil War as Listed in the Annual Reports of the Adjutant General of the State of New York. Bowie, Md: Heritage Books, 1999  [LH 974.707 Wilt] 

Rhode Island 

Bartlett, John R. Memoirs of Rhode Island officers who were engaged in the service of their country during the great rebellion of the South. Illustrated with thirty-four portraits.  Providence, S.S. Rider & brother, 1867. [LH 974.507 B28 O/S] 

Vermont 

Benedict, George G. Vermont in the Civil War: A History of the Part Taken by the Vermont Soldiers and Wailors in the War for the Union, 1861-5.  Burlington: Free Press Assoc., 1886-88. [LH 973.7443 B43]  

Carpenter, George N. History of the Eighth Regiment Vermont Volunteers, 1861-1865. Boston: Press of Deland & Barta, 1886. [LH 974.3 V8] 

Haynes, Edwin M. A History of the Tenth Regiment, Vermont Volunteers, with Biographical Sketches of the Officers Who Fell in Battle. And a Complete Roster of All the Officers and Men Connected with It - Showing All Changes by Promotion, Death or Resignation, during the Military Existence of the Regiment.  Rutland, Vt: Tuttle, 1894. (2d ed., rev., enlarged and embellished by over sixty engravings and...maps and charts of battlefields.) [LH 974.3 V10.1]