Civil War

Topical Reference Page
A group of Civil War soldiers gathered in front of a mail tent

The National Postal Museum is proud to offer Civil War-related material and stories as seen through the lens of postal history and philately. We hope you enjoy the collection of resources that we have assembled.

Union soldiers gathered at a post office
A Nation Divided
July 30, 1993 - August 15, 1998
Exhibition

When the conflict between the north and south finally exploded into war, the nation's communication system was also ripped in two. The system instituted to unify the country through the dissemination of information was instead used to solidify the break.

Although the exhibit is not currently on display in the Museum, selected portions of the exhibit are still available online.

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Absentee Voting in the Civil War: Ohio Cover
Object Spotlight

Some of the eligible voters from Highland County, Ohio were not at home for the state election in October 1864. Service with the Union army had brought them to Atlanta, Georgia. However, with a recent provision enacted by the Ohio legislature, they were able to vote absentee. This pre-printed envelope contained a tally sheet of votes from the soldiers of Highland County at the Field Hospital 2nd Division 23rd Army Corps.

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32-cent Civil War pane of twenty issued June 29, 1995, front
American Civil War Issue
The Postal Service issued a 20 stamp sheet of 32-cent Civil War stamps on June 29, 1995 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Designed by Mark Hess of Katonah, New York, the stamps are the second installment of the Classic Collection.

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Front cover of book
Between Home and the Front: Civil War Letters of the Walters Family
The first-hand accounts of Rachel and David Walters who relied on the mail to maintain bonds of love and friendship during horrific events of the Civil War, are featured in Between Home and the Front: Civil War Letters of the Walters Family.

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32-cent Clara Barton stamp
Women on Stamps: Part 2 - Caring for the Wounded in the Civil War
Exhibition
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"Rose of Washington" cover insert
About Philately - Civil War (1861-1865)
Exhibition
The conflict between the northern states, known as the Union, and the southern states that...
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Civil War Letter
Object Spotlight

A little over a week after the April 9th surrender at Appomattox Courthouse ended the Civil War, Private Isaac Walters mourned the death of his younger brother, David, in this condolence letter to his sister-in-law, Rachel.

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Newton Scott 1864 Civil War letter, page 1
Letter Writing in America - Civil War Letters
Research Article
As tensions in the United States rose to a fever pitch and civil war broke out in 1861, Union leaders began to develop ways to isolate the mutinous southern states. In addition to erecting a blockade meant to keep supplies from reaching the South, Postmaster General Montgomery Blair cut off mail service to states that had seceded.
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5-cent Jefferson Davis De La Rue Confederate printing plate
Confederate Lost Plate
Object Spotlight

One spring morning in 1862, the calm of the northern Abaco islands of the Bahamas was shattered by cannon fire. The American Federal warship...

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5-cent Jefferson Davis De La Rue Confederate printing plate
Confederate States of America (CSA)
Exhibition

The Confederate government in Richmond, Virginia, assumed control over the economic, political, and military life of the South. The Confederacy solved the problem of moving mail by creating its own postal service.

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a Confederate States of America stamp
Confederate States of America (CSA) Postage Stamp Issues
The Confederate government in Richmond, Virginia, assumed control over the economic, political, and military life of the South. The Confederacy solved the problem of moving mail by creating its own postal service. The C.S.A.

Learn more About Confederate States of America (CSA) Postage Stamp Issues

Civil war cover with a flag and a Washington stamp
Conflict Mail: Civil War Covers
A portion of the National Postal Museum's collection of covers of the American Civil War, a bloody clash between two sections of the nation, is available on the museum's collection database.

Learn more About Conflict Mail: Civil War Covers

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Related Blogs

Postcard with an illustration of the Old Soldiers Home, showing a open green space, surrounding buildings, and a flag pole with
Loss and Letters: Artifacts of Grief
04.18.2024

A recap of a special collaborative program with President Lincoln's Cottage exploring grief. 

Learn more About Loss and Letters: Artifacts of Grief

Milton Barnes and his wife Rhoda.
Writing Home: One Couple’s Letters from the Civil War
05.05.2011

“My Love, Once more I am going to try to write to you under difficulties as usual.”

Learn more About Writing Home: One Couple’s Letters from the Civil War

Brooklyn Fair stamp and Metropolitan Fair stamp
World's First Charity Stamps Raise Money for Soldiers' Relief During Civil War Part 2
11.09.2009

The first Sanitary Fair held to raise funds for supplies and care for Union soldiers took place in...

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Illustration of a woman caring for a man at the dedside
World's First Charity Stamps Raise Money for Soldiers' Relief During Civil War
11.06.2009

On June 13, 1861, two months to the day after Federal troops surrender Fort Sumter to Confederate forces, President Abraham Lincoln...

Learn more About World's First Charity Stamps Raise Money for Soldiers' Relief During Civil War

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Additional Resources

Confederate cover with a flag

Remembering the War Through the Mails

A 2006 Winton M. Blount Symposium on Postal History paper presented at the National Postal Museum by Steven R. Boyd, Ph.D.

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Cover with stamp that says Old Stamps Not Recognized

A Nation at Civil War: Contrasting Postal Systems

A 2008 Winton M. Blount Symposium on Postal History paper presented at the National Postal Museum by Van Koppersmith and Wade E. Saadi.

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a certificate with George Washington

Official Needs, Post Civil War Nationalism

A 2010 Winton M. Blount Symposium on Postal History paper presented at the National Postal Museum by Steven R. Boyd, Ph.D.

Learn more about Official Needs, Post Civil War Nationalism

Related Links

CivilWar@Smithsonian

CivilWar @ Smithsonian is produced by the National Portrait Gallery and is dedicated to examining the Civil War through the Smithsonian Institution's extensive and manifold collections.

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