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94CIVIL WAB HISTORY In the 1880's, with publication of the Army records under way, it was felt that similar treatment of the naval records was needed. This work was begun July 7, 1884, under the direction of J. R. Soley, then librarian of the Navy Department and later Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He was relieved in 1890 by Lieutenant Commander F. M. Wise, who was succeeded three years later by Lieutenant Commander Richard Rush. The final authorization for publication of their work was given by Act of Congress on July 31, 1894. By 1897, Rush had published the first five volumes. Later directors of the project were Edward K. Rawson, Lieutenant Commander George P. Colvocoresses, Charles Stewart, and Captain C. C. Marsh. The final index volume was not issued until 1927. The Navy, like the Army, encountered difficulties in gathering its information . So little of the Confederate naval files was found that some two thousand documents, loaned by private individuals, had to be relied upon. Mason, Slidell, Yancey, Mann, and other Confederate figures were generous with the use of their papers. Also of great value were the Pickett papers, found hidden in five trunks in a Virginia barn in April, 1865. The legislation providing for publication of 10,000 Army sets permitted the printing of a like number for the Navy. In 1898 an extra thousand sets were authorized to supply naval officers who had not received the work. As mentioned previously, much of the tremendous volume of papers is retained and kept today in the National Archives building in Washington, where access is provided for research. Materials used in the Official Records are properly rubber-stamped, and microfilm facilities are available. If one has both time and patience, he can uncover much new material to settle many controversial points. Joseph L. Eisendrath, Jr. Chicago, Illinois. Cornerstones of Confederate Collecting. By Richard Barksdale Harwell. Second Edition, with Facsimiles, and an Introduction by Clifford Dowdey. (Charlottesville, Virginia. 1953. Pp. ii, 35.) this slim volume is designed to serve as a bibliographical guide to certain areas of the social history of the Confederacy, since "not only the emotional literature, but the whole scope of printed evidence of life in the Confederacy is an index to the feelings and actions of the time." The book is also designed to be a sort of handbook for prospective collectors of Confederate imprints. The author presents what he admits is his own arbitrary selection of a score of "cornerstone" items — a partial culling of the long list of Confederate imprints , and includes entries ranging from an herbal to a biography of Stonewall Jackson. Mr. Harwell's style is enlivened by his enthusiasm for the subject. This reviewer fears, however, that the author's speculation that he is inviting "the troubles of any critic who essays to pick and choose from a too-large field" is likely to prove true. The chief value of the book lies in the insight it affords into the problems of a Confederate bibliographer, as well as in the bibliographical data supplied. Frank E. Vandiver. St. Louis, Missouri. ...

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