Naval History and Heritage Command

Andover Historical Society 
97 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Papers
Collection, 1860-1870

The Civil War papers from Andover consist of collected items from the Andover Public Library. The library building was originally dedicated and named for the soldiers and sailors in the Civil War.

Andover sent a quota of men to the war, an allocation which was specified by the state legislature. Included in this collection are personnel records kept by George Foster, administration records for this effort, as well as letters and medical records and personal accounts from the men.

As in any war effort, the effects were devastating to families at home. Many of the men were merely boys when they joined up, or subscribed. Subscriptions were fees paid to families from those who could afford to do so, and more well-to-do families avoided the anguish of losing a loved one by paying a sum of money to one less fortunate. Accounts include touching descriptions from young boys, fifteen or sixteen years of age, and photographs of the soldiers as they prepared to embark on their adventure.

Also in the collection are records of several organizations formed after the war, continuing the memory of the heroes of the war, and saving various and sundry mementos about this time, such as A Guide to the Fortifications and Battlefields around Petersburg, with a Splendid Map.