The Southern Historical Society Papers were published in 52 volumes from 1876 to 1959. Many volumes contain first person accounts of the wartime South by noted Confederate Civil War veterans. Given the unfortunate political environment we see at the dawn of the 2020s, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that critics of this set believe many of these accounts are laced with Lost Cause rhetoric so that I am not accused of being a “Lost Causer.” In addition, the length of time between the war and when these accounts were written as well as the potential desire of writers to make themselves look better also calls into question the accuracy of many accounts.
Broadfoot Publishing web site states:
The history of the War-time South! The Southern Historical Society was formed to gather and preserve the history of the war-time South. Through men such as Robert E. Lee, Dabney Herndon Maury, Alexander H. Stephens, Wade Hampton, and Jubal Early, The Southern Historical Society Papers offered almost 20,000 pages of material, many articles became famous in their own right.
Articles pertaining to the Siege of Petersburg are scattered throughout the 52 volumes. They will begin to appear here as I transcribe and edit them.
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- SHS Papers: Volume 1: Attack on Fort Gilmer, September 29, 1864 by Charles Johnston
- SHS Papers: Volume 2: Defence of Petersburg by W. Gordon McCabe
- SHS Papers: Volume 3: Defence of Fort Gregg by James H. Lane et al
- SHS Papers: Volume 3: The Defence of Fort Gregg by Napier Bartlett
- SHS Papers: Volume 4: Defence of Batteries Gregg and Whitworth, and the Evacuation of Petersburg by C.M. Wilcox
- SHS Papers: Volume 5: Flanner’s North Carolina Battery at the Battle of the Crater
- SHS Papers: Volume 7: Operations of Second South Carolina Regiment in Campaigns of 1864 and 1865 by William Wallace
- SHS Papers: Volume 7: Notes on the Final Campaign of April, 1865
- SHS Papers: Volume 7: General Longstreet’s Report of Affair of October 27th, 1864
- SHS Papers: Volume 8: Defence of Battery Gregg by N.H. Harris
- SHS Papers: Volume 9: An Official Paper which was Never Sent — Letter from Colonel Keatley
- SHS Papers: Volume 9: The Defence of Battery Gregg-General Lane’s Reply to General Harris by James H. Lane
- SHS Papers: Volume 9: General Lee’s Offensive Policy in the Campaign of 1864
- SHS Papers: Volume 9: Battery Gregg-Reply to General N. H. Harris
- SHS Papers: Volume 9: Some Reminiscences of the Second of April, 1865 by H. W. Bruce
- SHS Papers: Volume 9: History of Lane’s North Carolina Brigade at Petersburg, Part 1 by James H. Lane
- SHS Papers: Volume 9: History of Lane’s North Carolina Brigade at Petersburg, Part 2 by James H. Lane
- SHS Papers: Volume 9: History of Lane’s North Carolina Brigade at Petersburg, Part 3 by James H. Lane
- SHS Papers: Volume 10: History of Lane’s North Carolina Brigade at Petersburg, Part 4 by James H. Lane
- SHS Papers: Volume 10: History of Lane’s North Carolina Brigade at Petersburg, Part 5 by James H. Lane
- SHS Papers: Volume 14: Campaign of 1864 and 1865 by Charles W. Field
- SHS Papers: Volume 16: Account of Skirmish at Swift Creek by Lieutenant-Colonel George C. Cabell
- SHS Papers: Volume 16: The Thirty-eighth Virginia (Steuart’s Brigade) at Battle of Five Forks by Colonel George K. Griggs
- SHS Papers: Volume 19: A Remarkable Victory. Wilson’s Defeat at the Staunton River Bridge in 1864 by Dabney H. Maury et al
- SHS Papers: Volume 28: Great Battle of the Crater by George S. Bernard
- SHS Papers: Volume 31: Gordon’s Assault on Fort Stedman, March 25th, 1865 – A brilliant Achievement
- SHS Papers: Volume 31: Fort Gregg Again: A Surgeon’s Defense of the Garrison
- SHS Papers: Volume 37: Fighting That War Close by Us: One Who Was There Tells About the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff‑‑Many Errors Corrected by John U. Sumter