The Civil War: the second year told by those who lived it

Frederick Douglass: What shall be done with the slaves if emancipated?, January 1862

John Boston to Elizabeth Boston, January 12, 1862

Salmon P. Chase: Journal, January 6, 1862

Abraham Lincoln to Don Carlos Buell and Henry W. Halleck, January 13, 1862

Abraham Lincoln: President's General War Order No. I, January 27, 1862; President's Special War Order No. I, January 31, 1862

George B. McClellan to Edwin M. Stanton, February 3, 1862

Julia Ward Howe: The Battle hymn of the republic, February 1862; from Reminiscences, 1819-1899

The New York Times: An important arrest, February 11, 1862; The Ball's Bluff disaster

-Gen. McClellan and Gen. Stone, April 12, 1863

Lew Wallace: from An autobiography

John Kennerly Farris to Mary Farris, October 31, 1862

Henry Walke: The western flotilla at Fort Donelson, Island Number Ten, Fort Pillow and Memphis

Braxton Bragg to Judah P. Benjamin, February 15, 1862

John B. Jones: Diary, February 8-28, 1862

Jefferson Davis: Message to the Confederate Congress, February 25, 1862

George E. Stephens to the Weekly Anglo-African, March 2, 1862

Orpheus C. Kerr: from The Orpheus C. Kerr papers

Dabney H. Maury: Recollections of the Elkhorn campaign

Abraham Lincoln: Message to Congress on compensated emancipation, March 6, 1862; Abraham Lincoln to James A. McDougall, March 14, 1862

Catesby ap Roger Jones: from "Services of the 'Virginia' (Merrimac)"

Nathaniel Hawthorne: from "Chiefly about war-matters"

George B. McClellan to the Army of the Potomac, March 14, 1862, and to Samuel L. M. Barlow, March 16, 1862

Charles Francis Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., April 4, 1862

Emily Dickinson to Louise and Frances Norcross, late March 1862

Frederick Douglass: The war and how to end it, March 25, 1862

Abraham Lincoln to George B. McClellan, April 9, 1862

Ulysses S. Grant to Commanding Officer, Advance Forces, April 6, 1862; to Julia Dent Grant, April 8, 1862; to Nathaniel H. McLean, April 9, 1862; to Jesse Root Grant, April 26, 1862; and to Elihu B. Washburne, May 14, 1862

William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, April 11, 1862

George W. Dawson to Laura Amanda Dawson, April 26, 1862

Herman Melville: Shiloh, April 1862

Confederate conscription acts, April 16 and 21, 1862

Abraham Lincoln: Message to Congress, April 16, 1862

John Russell Bartlett: the "Brooklyn" at the passage of forts

George Hamilton Perkins to Susan G. Perkins, April 27, 1862

Charles S. Wainwright: Diary, May 5, 1862

John B. Jones: Diary, May 14-19, 1862

Garland H. White to Edwin M. Stanton, May 7, 1862

Abraham Lincoln: Proclamation revoking General Hunter's emancipation order, May 19, 1862

Richard Taylor: from Destruction and reconstruction

Elizabeth Blair Lee to Samuel Phillips Lee, May 26, 1862

Thoma O. Moore: To the people of Louisiana, May 24, 1862

Lord Palmerston to Charles Francis Adams, June 11, 1862; Benjamin Moran: Journal, June 25, 1862

Henry Ropes to William Ropes, June 3-4, 1862

Robert E. Lee to Jefferson Davis, June 5, 1862

David Hunter to Edwin M. Stanton, June 23, 1862

Kate Stone: Journal, June 29-July 5, 1862

Edward Porter Alexander: from Fighting for the Confederacy

Charles A. Page: from Letters of a war correspondent

George B. McClellan to Edwin M. Stanton, June 28, 1862

Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, June 28, 1862

Charles B. Haydon: Journal, June 25-July 1, 1862

Asa D. Smith: Narrative of the Seven Days' battles

Judith W. McGuire: Diary, June 27-30, 1862

Sallie Brock: from Richmond during the war

Sara Agnes Pryor: from Reminiscences of peace and war

Whitelaw Reid: General Hunter's negro soldiers, July 6, 1862

George B. McClellan to Abraham Lincoln, July 7, 1862

Thomas H. Dudley and J. Price Edwards: an exchange, July 9, 10, and 16, 1862

Abraham Lincoln: appeal to border state representatives for compensated emancipation, July 12, 1862

Second Confiscation Act, July 17, 1862

John Pope: Address to the Army of Virginia, July 14, 1862

John Pope: General Orders Nos. 5, 7, 11, July 18, 20, and 23, 1862 - Fitz John Porter to Joseph C. G. Kennedy, July 17, 1862

August Belmont to Thurlow Weed, July 20, 1862

Salmon P. Chase to Richard C. Parsons, July 20, 1862

Salmon P. Chase: Journal, July 22, 1862

Abraham Lincoln: first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, July 22, 1862

Francis B. Carpenter: from Six months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln to Cuthbert Bullitt, July 28, 1862

Henry W. Halleck to George B. McClellan, August 6, 1862

Confederate War Department: General Orders No. 60, August 21,1862

Abraham Lincoln: Address on colonization, August 14, 1862

Abraham Lincoln to Horace Greeley, August 22, 1862

William T. Sherman to Thomas Hunton, August 24, 1862

John Lothrop Motley to William H. Seward, August 26, 1862

Harriet Jacobs to William Lloyd Garrison, September 5, 1862

Edward Porter Alexander: from Fighting for the Confederacy

Charles Francis Adams Jr. to Charles Francis Adams, August 27, 1862

John Hampden Chamberlayne to Martha Burwell Chamberlayne, September 6, 1862

John Pope to Henry W. Halleck, September 1, 1962

Clara Barton to John Shaver, September 4, 1862

Gideon Welles: Diary, August 31-September 1, 1862

John Hay: Diary, September 1, 1862

Edward Bates: Remonstrance and notes on Cabinet meeting, September 2, 1862

Salmon P. Chase: Journal, September 2, 1862

George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen McClellan, September 2, 1862

Robert E. Lee to Jefferson Davis, September 3, 1862

George Templeton Strong: Diary, September 3-4, 1862

William Thompson Lusk to Elizabeth Freeman Lusk, September 6, 1862

Abraham Lincoln: Meditation on the divine will, c. early September 1862

Lord Palmerston and Lord Russell: An exchange, September 14, 17, and 23, 1862

Robert E. Lee to Jefferson Davis, September 8, 1862

Lewis H. Steiner: Diary, September 5-6, 1862

James Richmond Boulware: Diary, September 4-14, 1862

Alpheus S. Williams to George B. McClellan, September 13, 1862; Robert E. Lee: Special Orders No. 191, September 9, 1862

George W. Smalley: Narrative of Antietam, September 17, 1862

Rufus R. Dawes: from Service with the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers

Alpheus S. Williams to Irene and Mary Williams, September 22, 1862

David L. Thompson: With Burnside at Antietam

Samuel W. Fiske to the Springfield Republican, September 20, 1862

Clifton Johnson: from Battleground adventures

Mary Bedinger Mitchell: A woman's recollections of Antietam

George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen McClellan, September 20, 1862

Ephraim Anderson: from Memoirs: historical and personal

Gideon Welles: Diary, September 22, 1862

Abraham Lincoln: Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, September 22, 1862; Proclamation suspending the writ of habeas corpus, September 24, 1862

L. A. Whitely to James Gordon Bennett, September 24,1862

George B. McClellan to William H. Aspinwall, September 26, 1862

Abraham Lincoln: Record of dismissal of John J. Key, September 26-27, 1862

Fitz John Porter to Manton Marble, September 30, 1862

Braxton Bragg: To the people of the Northwest, September 26, 1862

Ralph Waldo Emerson: The President's proclamation, September, 1862

Frederick Douglass: Emancipation proclaimed, October 1862

Debate in the Confederate Senate on retaliation for the Emancipation Proclamation, September 29 and October 1, 1862

The Times of London: Editorial on the Emancipation Proclamation, October 7, 1862

George B. McClellan to Abraham Lincoln, October 7, 1862

Oscar L. Jackson: from The Colonel's diary

Charles B. Labruzan: Journal, October 4, 1862

J. Montgomery Wright: Notes of a staff-officer at Perryville

Sam R. Watkins: from "Co. Aytch,"Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment

Abraham Lincoln to George B. McClellan, October 13, 1862

Lord Palmerston to Lord Russell, October 2 and 22, 1862

Charles Sumner to John Bright, October 28, 1862

Francis Preston Blair to Montgomery Blair, November 7, 1862

George G. Meade to Margaret Meade, November 8, 1862

Orville H. Browning: Diary, November 29, 1862

Abraham Lincoln: Annual message to Congress, December 1, 1862

Edward Porter Alexander: from Fighting for the Confederacy

Samuel W. Fiske to the Springfield Republican, December 15 and 17, 1862

Henry Livermore Abbott to Josiah Gardner Abbott, December 14, 1862, and to George B. Perry, December 17, 1862

Clifton Johnson: from Battleground adventures

Walt Whitman: from Specimen days

Louisa May Alcott: from Hospital sketches

Orville H. Browning: Diary, December 18, 1862

Gideon Welles: Diary, December 19-20, 1862

Harper's Weekly: The reverse at Fredericksburg, December 27, 1862

George Templeton Strong: Diary, December 27, 1862

Fitz John Porter to Samuel L. M. Barlow, December 29, 1862

Cyrus F. Boyd: Diary, December 22-25, 1862

Jefferson Davis: Address to the Mississippi Legislature, December 26, 1862

William T. Sherman to John Sherman, January 6, 1863

Samuel Sawyer, Pearl P. Ingalls, and Jacob G. Forman to Samuel R. Curtis, December 29, 1862

Ira S. Owens: from Greene County in the war

Lot D. Young: from Reminiscences of a soldier of the Orphan Brigade

Ambrose E. Burnside to Abraham Lincoln, January 1, 1863

Abraham Lincoln to Henry W. Halleck, January 1, 1863

Abraham Lincoln: Final Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863

Benjamin Rush Plumly to Abraham Lincoln, January 1, 1863

Abraham Lincoln to John A. McClernand, January 8, 1863.