The UT Tyler Libraries Catalog includes circulating books, reference books, books on microfilm and microfiche, state documents, and thousands of e-books.
“A primary source is firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. The nature and value of a source cannot be determined without reference to the topic and questions it is meant to answer. The same document, or other piece of evidence, may be a primary source in one investigation and secondary in another. The search for primary sources does not, therefore, automatically include or exclude any category of records or documents.” (Yale University Library)
Primary sources may include diaries, letters, speeches, interviews, autobiographies, personal narratives, eyewitness accounts, memoirs, or government documents. They may be published or unpublished, printed or handwritten, on microfilm or fiche or online.
Start your search in the UT Tyler catalog with a subject or keyword subject, then enter one of the following words as a separate subject, then click on search.
Sources [will pull up collections of documents]
Diaries
Correspondence
Interviews
Personal narratives
You may also want to try for certain keywords in the title, usually the subtitle, such as "documentary history," "letters," or "papers." You will almost certainly get some false hits, but you can weed through them.
Nearly all books dealing with the Civil War will have subject headings in library catalogs (including WorldCat) starting with United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865. Subdivisions include the following, although the UT Tyler Library will not have books under all subdivisions:
Aerial operations
African Americans
Almanacs
Anecdotes
Antiquities
Art and the war
Battlefields (see also specific battlefields)
Biography (see also specific names)
Blockades
Campaigns (see also specific campaigns)
Caricatures and cartoons
Casualties (Statistics, etc.)
Causes
Cavalry operations
Centennial celebrations, etc.
Chronology
Civilian relief
Claims
Collectibles
Communications
Confiscations and contributions
Conscientious objectors
Destruction and pillage
Economic aspects
Equipment and supplies
Finance
Flags
Foreign public opinion
Foreign public opinion, [British, French, etc.]
Giftbooks
Health aspects
Historiography
Hospitals
Humor
Influence
Jews
Journalists
Literature and the war
Maps
Medical care
Motion pictures and the war
Museums
Name
Naval operations
Naval operations--Submarine
Pamphlets
Participation, African-American [Indian, etc.]
Participation, British [German, Irish, etc.]
Participation, Female
Participation, Foreign
Participation, Immigrant
Participation, Jewish
Participation, Juvenile
Peace
Personal narratives [used for Union or general]
Personal narratives, Confederate
Pictorial works
Portraits
Prisoners and prisons
Propaganda
Public opinion
Regimental histories [should also have a heading such as Confederate States of America. Army. Texas Infantry Regiment, 5th]
Registers
Registers of dead
Religious aspects
Scouts and scouting
Secret service
Sermons
Societies, etc.
Songs and music
Sounds
Sources
Technology
Transportation [includes railroads]
Underground movements
War work
Women
See also the heading Confederate States of America with the following subdivisions:
Appropriations and expenditures
Bio-bibliography
Biography
Claims
Commerce
Defenses
Diplomatic and consular service
Economic conditions
Executive departments
Foreign relations
Government publications
History--Museums
History--Periodicals
History--Pictorial works
History--Societies, etc.
History--Sources
History, Military
History, Naval
Industries
Officials and employees
Officials and employees--Salaries, etc.
Politics and government
Registers
Religion
Seal
Social conditions
Social life and customs
Confederate States of America. Army [many subdivisions]
such as Confederate States of America. Army. Trans-Mississippi Department.
Confederate States of America. Constitution.
Confederate States of America. Navy
Books dealing with the activities of different states in the Civil War will be listed under that state, such as:
Texas--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Regimental histories.
Texas--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives.
If you're still not sure of a topic for your paper, look around in the stacks and see what books we have.
The books on the Civil War that can be checked out are on the third floor of the library. Most are between call numbers E456 and E655, and Reconstruction falls mostly at E668. Here are more specific call numbers:
General Civil War period--E456-E655
Lincoln's Administrations, 1861-April 15, 1865--E456-E459
The Civil War, 1861-1865--E461-E655
Official Records of the War of the Rebellion--E464 .U6 1985 (128 vols.)
Confederate States of America--E482-E489
Texas in the Civil War--mostly starting E580
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies--E591 .U58 1987 (30 vols.)
Women in the Civil War--mostly around E628, but can vary
Andrew Johnson's Administration, April 15, 1865-1869--E666-E670
Reconstruction, 1865-1877--E668
Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America--JK9673
Confederate Quartermaster--UC85
Confederate Ordnance--UF533.5
Confederate Navy--VA393