Civil War Collectibles: Types of collectibles
Posted on November 1, 2008
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Historians today recount the American Civil War in a number of different lights. Some historians are more sympathetic to the Confederate point of view regarding secession from the Union, while others clearly tell the story of the war from a Northern perspective. The best historians will base their work on fact and solid historical evidence. For the Civil War buff that does not want to rely only on historians to recount the events of the Civil War, it is a worthwhile task to become something of a historian himself or herself. This is done by taking up the collection of Civil War documents.
The war was marked with some truly bloody and dangerous battles, some of the most famous including Gettysburg, Antietam, and Vicksburg. Taking up purchasing and gathering Civil War collectibles is a means of allowing citizens of the 21st century to have a better understanding of these most tumultuous events of the 19th century. Before beginning a collection, however, it is necessary to understand the different types of Civil War collectibles that are available in order to have a better understanding of the historic value of each item.
Some of the most captivating Civil War collectibles are Civil War soldiers’ letters. These letters are fascinating and sad items that recount the everyday realities of the war. Many, written by men to their wives, often recount of lonely times in campsites with inadequate food and little shelter. The letters are often heart wrenching, conveying the wish of the soldiers to end the war and go home to their families and loved ones.
While the majority of available letters are from infantry soldiers, there are also letters available to collectors that were written by important Army generals. For instance, one seller of Civil War collectibles has an impeccable copy of a letter written by Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The letter portrays the president in a non-political light, showing his softer side and his longing to be with his family. It also provides the collector with the president’s autograph, which is in itself a fantastic collector’s item.
Yet another type of Civil War document collectors will find appealing are newspaper articles. The articles that are available are incredible windows into Civil War era society. Newspaper articles available for collecting range from society articles to statistical reports of battles. The society articles are interesting and demonstrate the way in which American society reacted to the war and rallied around the troops, throwing benefits and parties in order to raise money.
Bullets are a Civil War collectible that are to be found in large abundance. After the bloody battles of the Civil War were finished and the wounded and dead soldiers carried away, the battlefields were left deserted – except for the bullets that were left cluttered in the fields. Civil War bullets were often collected by the townspeople who lived near the battlefield and kept as a reminder of the dangerous battles. These bullets were then often passed down through generations and many have ended up in Civil War collections and can be purchased. These bullets are interesting, and may give the collector an eerie feeling to know that what he/she is holding was once shot out of a gun on a chaotic battlefield. However, it is just because of that feeling that these bullets are such an important collector’s item – they truly convey the sense and emotion of the war. The types of guns in which they were shot are used to identify bullets. Some of the more well known are the .69 caliber belonging to a Smoothbore musket and the .55 caliber from the Austrian rifle musket.
Civil war documents are an excellent way to begin collecting items from the Civil War. The documents can offer fascinating information about 19th century America, and there are various documents that can be bought by collectors. Letters and newspaper articles are some of the most popular; however, there are other documents that may be bought as well: diaries, old photographs, and memoirs are all available for purchase. Collectors should do their own research and decide what genre of documents interests them most – then, there is nothing left to do but begin collecting!
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