The Smithsonian's archives, libraries, and museums hold many materials related to the history of the Civil War and Reconstruction, including photographs, manuscripts, prints, newspapers, objects, and more. Browse the images below to view many of our digitized collections from this period in American history. Please note that these have been organized by our catalogue records that often contain outdated historical information, names, and terminology. This page is also not comprehensive, but is instead meant as a starting point for research and discovery into the Civil War and Reconstruction eras.
For further details on any of the materials in the links below, or for access and use information, please contact the individual Smithsonian repository (listed in each item's catalog record, or browse a full list here).