One of the most important sources of information on the Civil War is a collection of volumes commonly called the War of the Rebellion. The collection, which consists of 70 volumes in 127 parts, plus an index, were ordered printed by Congress. The War of the Rebllion volumes are primary source materials related to the Civil War. They contain daily reports from commanding officers in the Union and Confederate Armies, descriptions of battles, orders, reports, replies to the orders (returns), maps, diagrams and correspondence from the U.S. War Department, Confederate Army and the Union and Confederate governments. The official citation to the collection is:
United States. War Department, 1880-1901. The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies: Official records of the Union and Confederate armies. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
In addition to the collection containing records of Union and Confederate Army activites, records of the Union and Confederate Navies were also collected and published in 30 volumes:
United States. Naval War Records Office, 1894-1922. Official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.
The National Archives published a partial index to the War of the Rebellion in a set of volumes titled:
Irvine, Dallas, eds., 1968-1980. Military Operations of the Civil War: A Guide-index to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1861-1865. Malpass Library Reference E470 .U63 1968 v.1-5.
The War of the Rebellion Volumes are available from:
Many publications and maps related to the Civil War have been digitized and made available online. The links below can be used to access digital collections and other information related to the Civil War: