American Civil War: Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new windowThe American Civil War: Letters and Diaries knits together more than 1,000 sources of diaries, letters, and memoirs to provide fast access to thousands of views on almost every aspect of the war. The letters and diaries are by the famous and the unknown, giving not only both the Northern and Southern perspectives, but also those of foreign observers. The collection includes approximately 100,000 pages of published memoirs, letters, and diaries from individuals, in addition to 4,000 pages of previously unpublished materials.