The Civil War: Newspapers & Periodicals

NEWSPAPERS

Newspapers and periodicals from the Civil War era provide unique sources of information for the researcher. Editorials provide glimpses into the different regional attitudes concerning the war; local newpapers sometimes provide information about battles or people that cannot be located in any other source, newspaper or otherwise; finally, advertisements provide evidence for the material culture of the period. The following two volumes by J. Cutler Andrews provide the best overview of journalistic activity during the Civil War:

The South Reports the Civil War (973.7 An2s 1985)
The North Reports the Civil War (973.7 An2n)

New York Times (MFM 94) The New York Times is one of the few newspapers from the Civil War era that has been indexed. See the New York Times Index, 1851-Present, in the Microtext Index Area on the second floor.

Other newspapers from the Civil War era include:

Alabama

Mobile Advertiser and Register (1/18/1862-6/6/1863) MFM 1154 AL
Mobile Daily Advertiser and Register (6/9/1863-5/26/1864) MFM 1154 AL
Mobile Register and Advertiser (6/7/1861-10/31/1861) MFM 1154 AL
Mobile Daily Register (1850-1901; many dates not included) MFM 213

Connecticut

Bridgeport Daily Standard (1/3/1861-7/1/1861) MFM 1154 CT
Bridgeport Evening Standard (3/7/1862©6/30/1866) MFM 1154 CT
Hartford Daily Times (6/12/1860-8/24/1867) MFM 1154 CT
Hartford Weekly Times (5/28/1859-8/24/1867) MFM 1154 CT

District of Columbia

The Evening Star (9/29/1859-4/30/1866) MFM 100

Florida

Tallahassee Sentinel (5/1841-12/8/1863) MFM 130

Georgia

*[Athens] Southern Banner (3/1832-8/1882) MFM 663A
[Athens] Southern Watchman (1855-9/1858; 8/1862-8/1882) MFM 663Ô
[Atlanta] Southern Confederacy (3/4/1861-2/8/1865) MFM 1154 GA
Columbus Daily Times (9/1/1858-4/1/1865) MFM 662
Confederate Union (9/23/1862-5/9/1865) MFM 661
*[Macon] Georgia Journal & Messenger (3/21/1823-10/1869) MFM 118
[Milledgeville] Federal Union (11/28/1837©1/22/1861; 7/11/1865-7/1866; 10/1869-10/1872) MFM 661
[Milledgeville] Southern Federal Union (1/29/1861-9/16/1862) MFM 661
[Savannah] Daily Morning News (1/24/1860; 9/26, 10/24/1861; 1/13/1862-9/3/1863) MFM 706

Illinois

[Belleville] The Advocate (1/10/1862-12/26/1862) MFM 1154 IL
Belleville Advocate (10/11/1861-1/3/1862; 1/2/1863-4/24/1868) MFM 1154 IL
[Belleville] Weekly Belleville Advocate (1/7/1858-10/4/1861) MFM 1154 IL
[Bloomington] The Daily Pantagraph (2/23/1859-11/26/1866) MFM 1154 IL
Bluffton Banner (4/10/1851-12/28/1876) MFM 1154 IL
Chicago Daily Journal (8/31/1844-4/21/1845; 9/30/1845-12/31/1845; 7/1/1853-6/27/1854; 10/2/1854-3/31/1855; 12/3/1856-3/31/1856; 10/1/1856-6/30/1857; 1/2/1858-4/21/1861) MFM 931
Chicago Evening Journal (4/22/1861-9/30/1867; 7/1/1868-12/31/1872
Chicago Tribune (4/23/1849-7/13/1853; 9/2/1853-9/30/1854; 1/11/1855-12/31/1855; 1/1856-9/20/1856; 1/7/1857-12/31/1973) MFM 933
Freeport Weekly Bulletin (1/7/1858-3/10/1864) MFM 1154 IL
Freeport Weekly Journal (1/7/1858-12/25/1867) MFM 1154 IL
Jacksonville Journal (1/1860-3/1865) MFM 1154 IL
The Jacksonville Journal (4/1865-6/1866) MFM 1154 IL
The Morgan Journal (1/1853-7/1858) MFM 1154 IL
Joliet Signal (1/1/1861-12/22/1864) MFM 1154 IL
Ottawa Repulican (9/28/1861-6/6/1863) MFM 1154 IL
Ottawa Weekly Republican (9/29/1860-9/21/1861) MFM 1154 IL
The Ottawa Free Trader (4/15/1854-3/2/1867) MFM 1154 IL
The Ottawa Republican (6/13/1863-7/1/1869) MFM 1154 IL
[Rock Island] The Evening Argus (1/3/1865-12/1865) MFM 1154 IL
Waukegan Weekly Gazette (2/12/1859-4/20/1867) MFM 1154 IL

*******STOPPED ADDING -Dates to- "CIVIL WAR NEWSPAPERS" HERE*****

Indiana

[Brookville] Franklin Democrat MFM 1154 IN
Columbia City News MFM 1154 IN
Columbia City Post MFM 1154 IN
[Columbia City] Whitley County Republican MFM 1154 IN
[Muncie] Delaware County Free Press MFM 1154 IN
[Muncie] Delaware Free Press MFM 1154 IN
[Muncie] Free Press MFM 1154 IN
[Muncie] The Delaware County Times MFM 1154 IN
[Muncie] The Delaware Free Press MFM 1154 IN

Louisiana

New Orleans Bee MFM 126

Massachusetts

Boston Evening Transcript (1861-1865) MFM 105

Michigan

Battle Creek Journal MFM 1154 MI
[Big Rapids] Mecosta County Pioneer MFM 1154 MI
[Constantine] Weekly Constantine and St.Joseph County Adviser MFM 1154 MI
[Constantine] Weekly Mercury and St. Joseph Advertiser MFM 1154 MI
[Flint] Wolverine Citizen MFM 1154 MI
Lansing State Republican MFM 1154 MI
[Mason] The Ingham County News MFM 1154 MI
The Monroe Commercial MFM 1154 MI
The Owosso Press MFM 1154 MI
St. Joseph Traveler MFM 1154 MI
Three Rivers Reporter MFM 1154 MI
[Three Rivers] Western Chronicle MFM 1154 MI

Minnesota

[Fairbault] Central Republican MFM 1154 MN

Mississippi

[Natchez] Daily Free Trader MFM 1154 MS
Natchez Daily Courier MFM 1154 MS
Vicksburg Daily Register MFM 119
Vicksburg Daily Whig MFM 119

North Carolina

[Wilmington] The Daily Journal MFM 1154 NC
The Wilmington Herald MFM 1154 NC

Nebraska

The Nebraska Republican MFM 1154 NE

New Jersey

[Absecon] South Jersey Republican MFM 1154 NJ
Camden Democrat MFM 1154 NJ
[Camden] West Jersey Press MFM 1154 NJ
[Elizabeth] New Jersey Journal MFM 1154 NJ
Mount Holly Herald MFM 1154 NJ
Newark Daily Advertiser MFM 1154 NJ

New York

Albany Evening Journal MFM 104; same coverage on MFM 1154 NY
[Albany] Atlas Argus MFM 1154 NY
[Albany] The Argus MFM 1154 NY
Angelica Reporter and Allegany Republican MFM 1154 NY
Auburn Daily Advertiser MFM 723
Auburn Daily Advertiser and Auburn Union MFM 1154 NY
[Canton] The St. Lawrence Plaindealer MFM 1154 NY
Corning Democrat MFM 1154 NY
Corning Journal MFM 1154 NY
Elmira Daily Advertiser MFM 1154 NY
Elmira Gazette MFM 1154 NY
Elmira Weekly Advertiser MFM 1154 NY
Elmira Weekly Advertiser and Chemung County Republican MFM 1154 NY
Elmira Weekly Gazette MFM 1154 NY
[Hempstead] Queens County Sentinel MFM 1154 NY
[Hornellsville Tribune MFM 1154 NY
Jamestown Journal MFM 1154 NY
[New York] Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper MFM 112; same set on MFM 1154 NY
[New York] Harpers Weekly Journal of Civilization MFM 1154 NY
New York Herald MFM 208; same set on MFM 1154 NY
New York Times MFM 94
New York Tribune (1858-1866) MFM 106; same set in MFM 1154 NY
Newburg Telegraph and Weekly News MFM 1154 NY
[Newburg] The Whig Press MFM 1154 NY
Niagara Falls Gazette MFM 1154 NY
[Norwich] Chenango Telegraph MFM 1154 NY
Oneida Weekly Herald MFM 1154 NY
The Poughkeepsie Eagle MFM 1154 NY

*****************STOPPED ADDING "CIVIL WAR NEWSPAPERS" HERE Union & Advertiser (1856-1873) MFM 722

Pennsylvania

[Chambersburg] Valley Spirit (1849-1880) [Part of the Valley of the Shadow Project]

Rhode Island

Newport Mercury MFM 1154 RI

South Carolina

Charleston Daily Courier (1857-1866) MFM 127
Charleston Mercury (1822-1868) MFM 121

Tennessee

Brownlow's Knoxville Whig (1849-1869) MFM 76
Memphis Daily Appeal (1847-1890; 1894-1940) MFM 80
Memphis Daily Avalanche (1858-1862, 1866-1892) MFM 81
Memphis Daily Commercial (1865-1866, 1890-1894) MFM 83
(Memphis) Public Ledger (1866-1876, 1878-1893) MFM 82
(Murfreesboro) Daily Rebel Banner (12/13&23/1862; 1/1/1863) MFM 84, Roll 1
(Murfreesboro) Union Volunteer (May 1862) MFM 84, Roll 1
(Nashville) Daily Gazette (1845, 1858, 1861, 1867, 1868) MFM 90
(Nashville) Daily Nashville Patriot (1856-1872) MFM 92
Nashville Daily Gazette (1849-1866) MFM 90
Nashville Daily Union (APR 1862-JUN 1866) MFM 86
Nashville Daily Times & True Union (FEB 1864-DEC 1864) MFM 637
Nashville Dispatch (1862-1866) MFM 89
(Nashville) Weekly Union & Dispatch (MAR 1859-AUG 1868) MFM 635

Virginia

Staunton Spectator (1848-1880) [Valley of Shadow Project]

PERIODICALS FROM THE CIVIL WAR ERA

American Periodicals, 1741-1900 (MFM 159) Series III (1850-1900) of this set contains 117 titles through which one can trace the philosophical, social and literary background of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Because no particular order of filming was followed, access to titles depends upon the printed guide: American Periodicals 1741-1900, An Index to the Microfilm Collections in the MFM Guides.
Debow's Review, 1853-1880 (MFM 159) Cumulative Index is on reel 855; issues for Nov.1870-Sep.1879, June 1880 lacking. See also: The Cause of the South: Selections from DeBow's Review, 1846-1867 (975.03 C312p)
Confederate Veteran (Periodicals) Although this periodical appeared after the Civil War era, much of its consists of Confederate veterans relating their war experiences and still defending the Confederate cause. Includes a three volume index. For an excellent brief history of this periodical see Josephine King Evans' "Nostalgia for a Nickel: The Confederate Veteran in Tennessee Historical Quarterly 1989 48(4):238-244.

Civil War Home Page | MTSU Todd Library

Ken Middleton kmiddlet@frank.mtsu.edu
Todd Library, Middle Tennessee State University