The Special Collections Department at the University of Delaware Library houses many unique primary sources related to the American Civil War. These include items such as letters, prints, documents, photographs and significant Abraham Lincoln materials. The American Civil War Digital Collections currently highlight three collections of personal correspondence from Delawareans who served in the war on the side of the Union, which are outlined on this page, and the Autograph Abraham Lincoln Documents. As the American Civil War Digital Collections at the University of Delaware Library continues to develop, they will be added to this online source.
Delaware in Wartime
In the years leading up to and during the American Civil War, Delaware--like many other slave-holding border states--had factions sympathetic to the South yet the state remained loyal to the Union. Though there were no Civil War battles fought in Delaware, Fort Delaware, located in the middle of the Delaware River, came to serve as a Union penal colony for Confederate prisoners of war.
Delaware raised nine regiments of infantry during the war, as well as several companies of cavalry and artillery. Many Delawareans rose to prominence in the military during the war's four year span.
Viewing the Collections
American Civil War Digital Collections: Letters. The letters from each collection are presented in chronological order. Click on the Union Eagle Icon to open any one of the three collections in ContentDM. Use the links above to access the search page or to browse the collections.
Once inside any collection of letters, choose from one of three views: view document description, which gives information on the collection as a whole; view page description, which gives information on the specific letter that is highlighted; or view page and text, which opens a new window and displays the page and its transcription side by side. After selecting the preferred view click on the "go" button located next to the box, otherwise the view will not change. It is also possible to use the search this object box to search across the letters within any single collection.
Note about transcriptions : View a Microsoft Word document containing the rules that were used to transcribe the letters.
Edward A. Fulton Collection, 1860-1877 (bulk dates 1860-1863)
Fulton, 72nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, wrote the majority of these letters to his mother, Mary Fulton, of Wilmington, Delaware.David Lilley Letters, 1860-1864
Lilley, Company "C," 2nd Regiment, Delaware Volunteers, wrote to his older sister, Annie Lilley, who lived in Newark, Delaware.Thomas M. Reynolds Letters to Louisa J. Seward, 1861-1864
Captain Reynolds, Company “H,” 4th Regiment of the Delaware Infantry Volunteers, wrote these letters home to his sweetheart, Louisa J. Seward.
