The Center for the Study of the Civil War Era will include a variety of records and resources that explore the lives of citizens and soldiers, either Union or Confederate during the nineteenth century to include the following states that are defined as the “Historic South”: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The Center’s holdings will focus on the following types of collections:

Books
The Center will eventually house more than 20,000 volumes of published works pertaining to the historic South during the Civil War era. The Center has already purchased the foundation for any serious Civil War collection, The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion. This 123-volume set is a comprehensive collection of the records for both the Union and Confederate armies during the war; it is the starting point for scholars interested in studying the Civil War.

Currently the director and project coordinator are compiling a list of needed books and ranking them in importance to the collection. As funds become available, those items are being purchased and processed into the collection in the order outlined.

Manuscripts
The Center's manuscript collection will contain original primary source documents in the form of letters, diaries, and other non-published materials related to individuals and organizations from the historic South.

Microfilm/Microfiche
The Center will collect microfilm or microfiche related to the states encompassing the historic South. In particular, the collection will focus on the following:

• Pension and service records for soldiers
• Population census records from 1850-1870
• Agricultural and slave schedules for the covered states
• Civilian wartime records, including Confederate salt records
• Civil War era newspapers
• Plantation records
• Unit histories
• Out-of-print books such as first-generation narratives
• Diaries, letters, or manuscript materials unavailable in other formats

Digital and Electronic Resources
If the materials listed under the microforms section are available in digital or electronic format, the electronic format will take precedence due to cost and space considerations. Also, other databases may be acquired if appropriate in scope and content to the Center's mission.

Music and Sound Recordings
The Center will collect audio recordings appropriate to its mission. Examples include Civil War era music, oral history interviews, slave narratives, folk songs and tales, and other types of cultural documentation.

Strategic Simulations
The Center will collect simulations related to the Civil War era. Popularly known as "war games," strategic simulations have a long history in the education of military officers. These simulations are valuable tools for understanding the complexity of Civil War battles and command decisions.

Visual Arts
The Center will collect visual materials, including photographs, negatives, graphics, maps, architectural drawings, film, and video that relate to the outlined topics, geographical area, and time period.