Union Homefront: A History in Documents | Department of History

Wallace Hettle, a history professor at the University of Northern Iowa, compiled a collection of approximately 60 primary source transcriptions related to the Union homefront during the Civil War. The Union Homefront: A History in Documents collects excerpts from letters, newspapers, poems, speeches, etc., along with brief introductions that examine the circumstances and biases of each source.

Professor Hettle wrote brief introductions that examine the circumstances and biases of each source. A period photograph, the source citation and the document are included in each entry. This Open Educational Resource collection is intended to be used by K-12 and higher education educators. The source materials are in the public domain. Most of the public domain images in the entries are from the Digital Collections of the Library of Congress with the rest of the images from Hathitrust and Internet Archive. The compilation with introduction of each entry has been assigned a Creative Commons Noncommerical 4.0 attribution license. This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the original work as long as they credit Wallace Hettle for the original creation.

Image credit: The image on the homepage is from the Library of Congress: Fish, G. G., Artist, Soule, John P, photographer. Hopes and fears / From the original by G.G. Fish; Photo. and pub. by J.P. Soule, Boston. United States, 1864. [Boston: Photo. and pub. by J.P. Soule] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2022630873/.

ARRANGEMENT OF THE SITE

In this collection there are 61 entries covering the period of the Civil War (1861-1865). The source documents are arranged by the year. To browse all of the entries, see the records listed below which are arranged in chronological order.
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Click one of the years listed to retrieve the entries for the specific year of the Civil War.

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01. 1861 - John Brown Song

Wallace Hettle and Anonymous

Document citation:

Simonds, Phillip. John Brown’s Song. Boston: Russell & Patee, 1861, pg. 1-3.

Retrieved From: https://lccn.loc.gov/2023783905
02. 1861 - A Riot in Baltimore (3 documents)

Wallace Hettle , ed.; Lucius Chittenden; Edward F. Jones (Colonel); and George William Brown (Mayor)

Document 1 citation:

Chittenden, Lucius E. Recollections of President Abraham Lincoln and His Administration. New York: Harper & Bros., 1891, pg. 37-39.

Retrieved From: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000566606.

Document 2 citation:

Jones, Edward F. “Report of Colonel Edward F. Jones, Sixth Massachusetts Militia. April 22, 1861.” In The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records, Series 1, Volume 2, pg. 7-9, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1880-1901.

Retrieved From: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000625514

Document 3 citation:

Brown, [Mayor] George William. Baltimore and the 19th of April, 1861. Baltimore: Isaac Friedenwald, 1887, pg. 49-51.

Retrieved From: https://lccn.loc.gov/rc01003453
03. 1861 - The Holy War - Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe in and Wallace Hettle (Editor)

Document citation:

Stowe, Harriet Beecher. “The Holy War,” The Independent (New York), May 9, 1861, pg. 1.

Retrieved From: https://archive.org/details/pub_independent
04. 1861 - First Inaugural Address - Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln in and Wallace Hettle (Ed.)

Document citation:

Lincoln, Abraham. “First Inaugural Address” March, 1861.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/mal0773800/
05. 1861 - Morals of Our Soldiers - W.H.

Wallace Hettle and Christian Recorder

Document citation:

W.H. “Morals of Our Soldiers,” The Christian Recorder (Philadelphia), August 31, 1861, pg. 4.

Retrieved From: https://archive.org/details/payneamec
06. 1861 - Kentucky Civil War Neutrality Proclamation - Beriah Magoffin

Wallace Hettle and Beriah Magoffin

Document citation:

Magoffin, [Governor] Beriah. Proclamation by the Governor of Kentucky, May 20, 1861.

Retrieved From: https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r41g0m071.
07. 1861 - The Vacant Chair

Wallace Hettle and George Root

Document citation:

Root, George F. and H.S.W. “The Vacant Chair” Chicago: Root & Cady, 1861.

Retrieved From: https://lccn.loc.gov/2023783845
08. 1861 - The Land of Promise

Wallace Hettle and Illinois Staat-Zeitung

Document citation:

“The Battle for Freedom and American Citizens of German Descent” Illinois Staats-Zeitung (Illinois), July 26, 1861.

Retrieved From: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008717782
09. 1861 - The Pathfinder - J.C. Fremont

Wallace Hettle and John C. Fremont

Document citation:

Fremont, J.C. “Proclamation from Major-General J.C. Fremont. August 30, 1861” in The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records, Series 1, Volume 3, pg. 466-467, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1880-1901.

Retrieved From: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000625514
10. 1861 - Solution of the Negro Question

Wallace Hettle and James Henry Lane

Document citation:

"Gen. Lane and his Solution of the Negro Question," New York (NY) World, November 19, 1861, p. 1.
11. 1861 - Bread and the Newspaper - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Wallace Hettle and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Document citation:

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. “Bread and the Newspaper,” Atlantic Monthly (Massachusetts), September 1861, pg. 346-352.

Retrieved From: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1861/09/bread-and-the-newspaper/308748/
12. 1861 - General William T. Sherman Insane

Wallace Hettle and Cincinnati Commercial

Document citation:

“Gen. William T. Sherman Insane.” Cincinnati Daily Commercial (Ohio), December 11, 1861, pg. 2.
13. 1861 - The Battle Set in Array - Henry Ward Beecher

Wallace Hettle and Henry Ward Beecher (Reverend)

Document citation:

Beecher, Henry Ward. Patriotic Addresses in America and England from 1850 to 1885, on Slavery, the Civil War, and the Development of Civil Liberty in the United States. New York: Fords, Howard & Hulbert, 1887, p. 277-288.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/14020036/
14. 1862 - Representative Thaddeus Stevens

Wallace Hettle and Thaddeus Stevens

Document citation:

Stevens, Thaddeus. “Untitled. January 22, 1862” In The Congressional Globe: The 37th Congress - The Second Session, edited by John C. Rives, 439-441. Washington: Congressional Globe Office, 1862.

Retrieved From: https://www.congress.gov/browse/37th-congress
15. 1862 - The Battle Hymn of the Republic - Julia Ward Howe

Wallace Hettle and Julia Ward Howe

Document citation:

Howe, Julia Ward. “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” The Atlantic Monthly (Massachusetts), February 1862, Vol. IX: No. LII.

Retrieved From: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/toc/1862/02/
16. 1862 - Letter to Abraham Lincoln - Ellen E. Sherman

Wallace Hettle and Ellen E. Sherman

Document citation:

Sherman, Ellen E. Letter to Abraham Lincoln, January 9, 1862.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/mal1390400/
17. 1862 - Transcontinental Railroad - Sioux City Register

Wallace Hettle and Sioux City Register

Document citation:

Bliss, P. “Pacific Railroad.” Sioux City Register (Iowa), January 18, 1862, p. 1.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/sn84031042/1862-01-18/ed-1/
18. 1862 - Senator Samuel C. Pomeroy

Wallace Hettle and Samuel C. Pomeroy

Document citation:

Pomeroy, Samuel C. “Untitled. May 7, 1862” In The Congressional Globe: The 37th Congress - The Second Session, edited by John C. Rives, 1938-1940. Washington: Congressional Globe Office, 1862.

Retrieved From: https://www.congress.gov/browse/37th-congress
19. 1862 - The Prayer of Twenty Millions - Horace Greeley

Wallace Hettle and Horace Greeley

Document citation:

Greeley, Horace. “The Prayer of Twenty Millions.” New York Daily Tribune (New York), August 20, 1862, pg. 4.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83030213/1862-08-20/ed-1/
20. 1862 - Letter to Horace Greeley - Abraham Lincoln

Wallace Hettle and Abraham Lincoln

Document citation:

Lincoln, Abraham. “President Lincoln’s Letter.” New York Daily Tribune (New York), August, 25, 1862, p. 4.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83030213/1862-08-25/ed-1/
21. 1862 - Proclamation and the Negro Army - Frederick Douglass

Wallace Hettle and Frederick Douglass

Document citation:

Douglas, Frederick. “The Proclamation and A Negro Army, Speech Delivered February 1863” in The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass Vol. 3, edited by Philip Foner, 321-337. New York: International Publishers Co., 1952.
22. 1862 - The President’s Proclamation - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wallace Hettle and Ralph Waldo Emerson

Document citation:

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “The President’s Proclamation.” Atlantic Monthly (Massachusetts), November 1862, p. 638-642

Retrieved From: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1862/11/the-presidents-proclamation/306550
23. 1862 - To the Editor of the N.Y. Tribune - Lydia Maria Child

Wallace Hettle and Lydia Maria Child

Document citation:

Child, L. Maria. “A Letter from L. Maria Child.” New York Daily Tribune (New York), September 5, 1862, p. 9.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83030213/1862-09-03/ed-1/
24. 1862 - What They Have to Do Who Stay at Home - Frederick Law Olmsted

Wallace Hettle and Frederick Law Olmsted

Document citation:

Olmsted, Fred. Law. “What They Have to do Who Stay at Home - October 21, 1862” In Documents of the Sanitary Commission Vol. 1, no. 50 p.1-12. New York: United States Sanitary Commission, 1866.

Retrieved From: https://archive.org/details/b20413257_0001
25. 1862 - Letter to Abraham Lincoln - John Pope

Wallace Hettle and John Pope

Document citation:

Pope, John. Telegram to Abraham Lincoln, November 11, 1862.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/mal1950700/
26. 1862 - Six Weeks in the Sioux Teepees - Mrs. Sarah F. Wakefield

Wallace Hettle and Sarah F. Wakefield Mrs.

Document citation:

Wakefield, Sarah F. Six Weeks in the Sioux Tepees. Minneapolis: Atlas Print. Co., 1863.
27. 1862 - Chiefly About War Matters, By a Peaceable Man - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Wallace Hettle and Nathaniel Hawthorne

Document citation:

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Chiefly About War Matters. By a Peaceable Man.” Atlantic Monthly (Massachusetts), July 1862, p. 43-61.

Retrieved From: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1862/07/chiefly-about-war-matters/306159/
28. 1862 - The Indian Imbroglio, Abraham Lincoln, Don’t you do it! - Andrew J. Van Vorhes

Wallace Hettle and Andrew J. Van Vorhes

Document citation:

“The Indian Imbroglio — Abraham Lincoln, Don’t you do it!” The Stillwater Messenger (Minnesota), November 11, 1862, p. 2.

Retrieved From: https://archive.org/details/jan1186123thes/page/n5/mode/1up.
29. 1863 - How a Free People Conduct a Long War - Charles J. Stillé

Wallace Hettle and Charles J. Stillé

Document citation:

Stille, Charles J. How a Free People Conduct a Long War. New York: Loyal Publication Society, 1863.

Retrieved From: https://archive.org/details/howfreepeople00stille
30. 1863 - My Imprisonment - Rose O’Neal Greenhow

Wallace Hettle and Rose O'Neal Greenhow

Document citation:

Greenhow, Rose O’Neal. My Imprisonment and The First Year of Abolition Rule in Washington. London: Richard Bentley, 1863, p. 220-222.

Retrieved From: https://archive.org/details/myimprisonmentfi00gree/page/n7/mode/2up
31. 1863 - Fancy Books - Private Circular. For Gentlemen Only

Wallace Hettle and Anonymous

Document citation:

Broadside Leaflet: Private Circular, For Gentleman Only, n. d.. n.p. 1870.
32. 1863 - Copperhead - Clement Vallandigham

Wallace Hettle and Clement Vallandigham

Document citation:

Speech of Hon. Clement L. Vallandigham of Ohio in the House of Representatives,

February 23, 1863, Congressional Globe: 37th Congress: 3d Session, House of Representatives, 172-77.
33. 1863 - Man without a Country - Edward Everett Hale

Wallace Hettle and Edward Everett Hale

Document citation:

Edward Everett Hale. “The Man Without a Country,” Atlantic Monthly (Massachusetts), December 1863, pg. 665-679.

Retrieved From: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1863/12/the-man-without-a-country/308751/
34. 1863 - The Sleeping Sentinel, William Scott - Frances De Haes Janvier

Wallace Hettle and Frances De Haes Janvier

Document Citation:

Janvier, Francies De Haes. The Sleeping Sentinel. Philadelphia: T.B. Peterson & Brothers, 1863.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/20013295/
35. 1863 - Battle of Gettysburg - Rachel Carmany

Wallace Hettle and Rachel Carmany

Document citation:

Mohr, James C. and Robert E. Winslow III, eds. The Cormany Diaries: A Northern Family in the Civil War. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1982, pg. 329-341
36. 1863 - The Prayer of One Hundred Thousand - Charles Sumner & The Women’s National League

Wallace Hettle, Charles Sumner, and Susan B. Anthony

Document citation:

Sumner, Charles. The prayer of one hundred thousand. Speech of Hon. Chas. Sumner on the presentation of the first installment of the emancipation petition of the women's national league… New York: 1864.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/95123535/
37. 1863 - Be My Mother Till I Die - Elmer Ruan Coates

Wallce Hettle and Elmer Ruan Coates

Document Citation:

Be My Mother Till I Die By Elmer Ruan Coates. Philadelphia: Johnson, 18??.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/amss-cw100570/
38. 1863 - Letter to President Lincoln - A. E. Rutdge

Wallace Hettle, A. E. Rutdge, and R. K. Scott

Document citation:

Rutdge, A.E. A.E. Rutdge to Abraham Lincoln: Complains about failure of post office to deliver letters reporting that her son had been seriously wounded. New Jersey: August 19, 1863.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/mal2571200/.
39. 1863 - Notice of Petition for Divorce - Mary Ellen Montgomery

Wallace Hettle and Mary Ellen Montgomery

Document citation:

“Notice of Petition for Divorce” The Emporia News (Kansas), September 19, 1863, pg. 3.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/sn82016419/1863-09-19/ed-1/.
40. 1863 - Barbara Frietchie - John Greenlef Whittier

Wallace Hettle and John Greenleaf Whittier

Document citation:

Whittier, John Greenleaf. “Barbara Frietchie,” Atlantic Monthly (Massachusetts) October 1863, pg. 495-497.

Retrieved From: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1863/10/barbara-frietchie/303951/
41. 1864 - Consumer Goods (2 Documents)

Wallace Hettle, Harper's Weekly, and Portland Daily Express

Document citations

Document 1:

Harper’s Weekly: A Journal of Civilization (New York), January 30, 1864, pg. 16.

Retrieved From: https://archive.org/details/sim_harpers-weekly_1864-01-02_8_366/mode/2up.

Document 2:

“Another Victory! The Good Time has Come!” The Portland Daily Press (Maine), May 20, 1864, pg. 2.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83016025/1864-05-20/ed-1/
42. 1864 - The Mission of War - Frederick Douglass

Wallace Hettle and Frederick Douglass

Document citation:

Douglass, Frederick. “The Mission of the War: A Lecture,” New-York Daily Tribune (New York), January 14, 1864, pg. 1-2.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83030213/1864-01-14/ed-1/
43. 1864 - Vassar College: Women’s Own - Milo P. Jewett

Wallce Hettle and Milo P. Jewett

Document citation:

Jewett, Milo P. "Vassar College: Women's Own," Speech Delivered Before the Trustees at Their Meeting, February 23, 1864.
44. 1864 - Slave Narratives (2 Documents)

Wallace Hettle, Amelia Jones, and Byers York

Document citations

Document 1:

“Amelia Jones” in Federal Writers’ Project. Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves, Vol. 7. Washington: Library of Congress, 1941, pg. 11-12.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/mesn070/

Document 2:

“Susan Dale Sanders” in Federal Writers’ Project. Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves, Vol. 7. Washington: Library of Congress, 1941, pg. 17-18.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/mesn070/
45. 1864 - Song of the Working-Women - Ann S. Stephens

Wallace Hettle and Ann S. Stephens

Document citation:

Fincher’s Trades Review, April 2, 1864.
46. 1864 - Letter to Abraham Lincoln - A. M. Gilford

Wallace Hettle and A. M. Gilford

Document citation:

Gilford, A.M. A. M. Gilford to Abraham Lincoln: Does Not Want Her Son to be Drafted. Illinois: August 23, 1864.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/mal3550700/.
47. 1864 - Republican Party Platform - Edward Stanwood

Wallace Hettle and Edward Stanwood

Document citation:

“The War Election” in Stanwood, Edward. A History of Presidential Elections. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1892, pg. 242-243.

Retrieved From: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b3635980
48. 1864 - Miscegenation: The Theory of the Blending of the Races - Anonymus

Wallace Hettle and Anonymous

Document citation:

Miscegenation: The Theory of the Blending of the Races, applied to the American White Man and Negro, p. 48-60. New York: H. Dexter, Hamilton & Co., 1864.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/05009520/
49. 1864 - Letter of George B. McClellan in Acceptance of the Nomination of the Chicago Convention

Wallace Hettle and George B. McClellan

Document citation:

McClellan, George B. Letter of Geo. B. McClellan in acceptance of the nomination Chicago Convention. New Jersey: September 8, 1864.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/scsm000266/.
50. 1864 - Elmira Prison Camp (8 Documents)

Wallace Hettle, Benjamin Munger, William Hoffman, Seth Eastman, Eugene F. Sanger, William P. Jordan, B. F. Tracy, and Miles Sherrill

Document citations:

Documents 1-7:

The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records, Series 2, Volume 7, pg. 691-1273, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1880-1901.

Retrieved From: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000625514

Document 8:

Sherrill, Miles. A Soldier’s Story: Prison Life and Other Incidents in the War of 1861-1865. North Carolina: Newton Enterprise, 1904?, pg. 9-11.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/05033190/
51. 1864 - Female Students at Medical Colleges

Wallace Hettle and New York Times

Document citation:

“Female Students at Medical Colleges.” The New York Times (New York), December 6, 1864, pg. 4.

Retrieved From: https://www.nytimes.com/1864/12/06/archives/female-students-at-medical-colleges.html?searchResultPosition=3
52. 1864 - Address Delivered at Buffalo, N.Y. - William H. Sylvis

Wallace Hettle and William H. Sylvis

Document citation:

Sylvis, William H. “Address Delivered at Buffalo, N.Y., January, 1864.” In The Life, Speeches, Labors, and Essays of William H. Sylvis, edited by James Sylvis, pg. 104-114. Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen and Haffelfinger, 1872

Retrieved From: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000956471
53. 1865 - The Question of Lady Doctors: Views of a Regular Physician

Wallace Hettle and The New York Times

Document citation:

“The Question of Lady Doctors.” The New York Times (New York), January, 8, 1865, pg. 5.

Retrieved From: https://www.nytimes.com/1865/01/08/archives/the-question-of-lady-doctors.html?searchResultPosition=18
54. 1865 - The Question of Female Physicians: What Ladies of the Old School Think About It

Wallace Hettle and The New York Times

Document citation:

“The Question of Female Physicians.” The New York Times (New York), January 15, 1865, pg. 5.

Retrieved From: https://www.nytimes.com/1865/01/15/archives/the-question-of-female-physicians.html?searchResultPosition=33
55. 1865 - Experience of Eighteen Years in Slavery - Mattie J. Jackson

Wallace Hettle, Mattie J. Jackson, and L. S. Thompson

Document citation:

Thompson, L.S. and Jackson, Mattie J. The Story of Mattie J. Jackson: Her Parentage—Experience of Eighteen Years in Slavery—Incidents During the War—Her Escape from Slavery. Lawrence: Sentinel Office, 1866, pg. 30.

Retrieved From: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17827
56. 1865 - Second Inaugural Address - Abraham Lincoln

Wallace Hettle and Abraham Lincoln

Document citation:

Lincoln, Abraham. “Second Inaugural Address.” March 4, 1865.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/mal4361300/
57. 1865 - White House Funeral for Lincoln - Phineas Gurley

Wallace Hettle and Phineas Gurley

Document citation:

Gurley, Phineas. “The Funeral Oration.” The New York Herald (New York), April 20, 1865, pg. 5.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83030313/1865-04-20/ed-1/
58. 1865 - Celebration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln - WM. Howard Day

Wallace Hettle and WM. Howard Day

Document citation:

Day, WM. Howard. “Oration.” In Celebration by the Colored People's Educational Monument Association in memory of Abraham Lincoln, on the Fourth of July, in the Presidential grounds, Washington, D.C. by The Colored People’s Educational Monument Association, pg. 14-17. Washington, D.C.: McGill & Witherow, 1865.

Retrieved From: https://www.loc.gov/item/12030032/
59. 1865 - Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Wallace Hettle and Louisa May Alcott

Document citation:

Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women; or Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: Part First. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1868, pg. 7-9.

Retrieved From: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001421435
60. 1865 - O Captain! My Captain! - Walt Whitman

Wallace Hettle and Walt Whitman

Document citation:

“O Captain! My Captain!” In Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman, pg. 262-263. London: David Bogue, 1881.

Retrieved From: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100142634
61. 1865 - The Resources and Prospects of America - Sir Samuel M. Peto

Wallace Hettle and Samuel M. Peto

Document citation:

Peto, Samuel M. The Resources and Prospects of America Ascertained During a Visit to the States in the Autumn of 1865. London: Alexander Strahan, 1866, pg. 386-92.

Retrieved From: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006594314

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