Rare American Civil War Etchings @ FAU Digital Library

FAU Digital Library presents the American Civil War Collection in tribute to the 150th anniversary of the war between the States.

Originally characterized as “scarce and very interesting,” FAU Libraries’ featured Conferederate War etchings in the Elliot Cross and James A. Cross Civil War Collection are satirical sketches sympathetic to the Confederacy. The etchings were produced by German born artist Adalbert John Volck (1828–1912), a lifelong Balitmore resident, under the pseudonym V. Blada, an anagram for Adalbert. Volck’s etchings were published in Sketches from the Civil War in North America, 1861, ’62, ’63.


The Cross Collection is named for the late Elliot Cross and son James Cross. James Cross  donated to the FAU Libraries his father’s collection of purchased papers, lithographs and prints, currency, letters and memorabilia.

The etchings depict caricatures and cartoons that summarize the mood of one of America’s bloodiest conflicts. Daily witness to the American Civil War is accounted in rare, original materials held at FAU Libraries’ Special Collections & Archives.

Dear Diary: Thoughts of the Famous & Not so Famous

History is a conglomeration of life experienced by the person next door. Discover the everyday lives of Civil War Soldiers British and North American Women in the 18th and 19th centuries, American Indians, or American immigrants fleeing famine and persecution, with six new original source databases from Alexander Street Press. Expand and inform your research with references to diaries, letters, oral histories, and eye-witness accounts of history in the making.

British and Irish Women’s Letters and Diaries spans more than 400 years of personal writings, bringing together the voices of women from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. This database lets researchers view history in the context of women’s thoughts – their struggles, achievements, passions, pursuits, and desires.

Both the famous and the unknown populate the collection. The lives and thoughts of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, George Eliot, Mary Shelley, Queen Victoria, Frances Kemble, Queen Elizabeth, Mary Wollstonecraft, Christina Rossetti, Florence Nightingale, and Maude Gonne can be compared with the experiences and ideas of ordinary women from all walks of life.
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The American Civil War Research Database – March Database of the Month

The American Civil War Research Database is the definitive online resource for researching the soldiers, regiments, and battles of the American Civil War. Originally created by Historical Data Systems, Inc., the database contains indexed, searchable information on over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, together with 15,000 photographs. With thousands of regimental rosters and officer profiles, the database will continue to grow as new information is loaded bi-annually. Continue reading