One of the most studied and written about episodes in US history, the American Civil War remains the subject of cultural and historiographical debate. The conflict was one of the earliest industrial wars in which mass-produced weapons were employed. The mobilization of civilian factories, shipyards, transportation, and food supplies all foreshadowed the impact of industrialization in World War I, World War II, and subsequent conflicts.

Confederate Narratives in the Civil War Collection includes:

Book one: Memoirs of the Confederate War for Independence. Johann August Heinrich Heros von Borcke (1835-1895) was a Prussian cavalry officer who served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After the Confederacy's surrender in 1865, von Borcke rejoined the Prussian Army for the Austro-Prussian War. Von Borcke served under General J.E.B. Stuart, General Stonewall Jackson, and General Robert E. Lee, and he gives a personal look into the lives of these men and of the privates whom he fought beside. He recorded his interactions with anyone he encountered during his time in the Confederate Cavalry, from the friends he made among citizens and servants to his detailed experiences on the battlefield.

Book two: From Manassas to Appomattox, the memoirs of Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, contains much of historical interest. He provides a personal account of the progress of the Civil War, plus a wealth of anecdotes about Robert E Lee and his officers. Longstreet was the commander of the Confederate Army's First Corps, which fought through most of the major wartime campaigns.

Book three: A Blockaded Family: Life in Southern Alabama During the Civil War by Parthenia Antoinette Hague. An outstanding primary source of Southern life during the Yankee blockade, the book is a memoir of daily life on a Southern plantation during the Civil War. The narrative provides details on a wide spectrum of issues of historical interest.

Book four: The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl by Eliza Frances Andrews. During the fall of 1864 when General Sherman and his army invaded Georgia, the young Eliza Frances Andrews and her sister, Metta, fled from their home in Washington, Georgia, to safety in the southwest of the state. Eliza kept a diary that reflects the anger and despair of Confederate citizens during the final months of the Civil War.