Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper was published in New York from 1855 to 1922 and produced many volumes of compiled illustrated histories of the American Civil War. Its correspondents and illustrators got close to the action, so close, in fact, that one of their freelance correspondents, James R. O’Neill, was killed during the Battle of Baxter Springs in 1863. Though some illustrations take creative liberties, many of the buildings and locations are re-created in painstaking detail, offering a rare window into that time.
We are proud to offer a small but growing collection of original issues of Frank Leslie’s and Harper’s Weekly, which we have scanned at high resolution and offer here for free to researchers and Civil War buffs alike. We recently added Vol. XII No. 293 June 29, 1861 of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. The issue contains many wonderful illustrations, including of the engagements at Vienna and Romney, and the Battle of Big Bethel, as well as a rich array of illustrations of field commanders and army camp life. Click the link below to download the issue:
Head to our Artifacts page to check out our small but growing collection! We now have three issues of Frank Leslie’s and nine full issues of Harper’s Weekly available for free.
Spirit of '61 