Civil War Resources in Duke's David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library: Music

In the mid-nineteenth century, publishers printed the lyrics to popular songs on sheets called song sheets, handbills, or broadsides. These sheets were often illustrated with a woodcut and sold at gathering places where people sang together. Duke's collection of American song sheets includes 1,981 of these ephemeral productions. The American South and the Civil War era are well documented, including over 100 Confederate broadsides.

We've completely digitized our American Song Sheets Collection, and it is freely available online.

A hand-written book of tunes used in the Confederate Army. Anderson served with the 37th Georgia Regiment.

Horace Smith was a musician with the 8th Vermont Regiment, Union Army, from Williamstown (Orange Co.), Vt. The collection includes letters from Smith to his father, Horace Smith, and other members of his family, describing his experiences and the concerts and serenades presented by his band at the end of the Civil War, ending with the Grand Review of the Union Army in Washington, D.C.

Provides digital scans of many of Duke's pieces of sheet music, including a number from the Civil War era. You may browse or search by composer, date, subject, and other criteria.