Background note:

A long-time patron of the Clements Library and member of the Clements Library Board of Associates, James S. Schoff was a major collector of Civil War manuscripts, books, and photographs. In 1974, Mr. Schoff donated the bulk of his collections to the Clements Library, forming the core of the present-day Schoff Civil War Collections. Included in this gift were a signficant number of individual items collected for their individual historical importance or for their value as items for display, and these were segregated into a series now called the Schoff Civil War Collections--Miscellaneous Manuscripts. The Library has regularly added to Mr. Schoff's foundation, and the series now contains approximately 1,500 items.

Scope and contents:

The Schoff Civil War Collection contains miscellaneous items relating to the American Civil War, ranging from soldiers' letters to home front news, and from returns, reports, and rolls to personal accounts and post-war memoirs. Together, the collection provides documentation of both the military aspects of the war and its social and psychological impact.

Although some of the items in the Schoff Miscellaneous Manuscripts are routine in nature, many are of considerable historical importance, written by participants in important battles and campaigns, generals, politicians, and men and women on the home front. To a somewhat lesser degree, the Schoff Collection also provides documenation of the post-war activities of veterans, including their post-war adjustment, pension requests, and the Grand Army of the Republic and other veterans' organizations.

Cat. 1974-1998

Link to Regimental index to the Schoff Civil War Miscellaneous manuscripts

Alphabetic index to the Schoff Civil War Collections

Return to:

Homepage	Manuscripts	Collections	Staff	Hours and policies