The morning call., 1894-02-26
BIG LITERARY WORK.
Uncle Sans History of the War OF
the Rebellion.
Cor. Philadelphia Record.

Cor Philadelphia Record.
The biggest literary work ever undertaken IN
America Is the military history now being pro-
duced by Uncle Sam under the title OF "War OF
the Rebellion, a Compilation OF the Official
Records of The Union aud Confederate Armies"
II is the largest history ever published in the
world. 1t was begun just twenty years ago and
will be practically finished at the end OF the
next fiscal year.
The whole work when completed will en-
brace 100 huge royal octave volumes OF 1000
pages each and a gigantic atlas, and the ulti-
mate cost VIII be something like 2,500,0 900 :.
Each separate book in set is three inches
thick and weighs from fifty 10 sixty ounces
ana the comb ined weight of an entire set will
be $50 pounds, while the volumes. If set up in
a row ON single shelf Of ones library, would
extend distance of thirty feet. Eleven thou
sand copies will be printed, so that he edition
Will comprise 1920, 900 books Of 1000 printed
pages, aggregating 1.320,oo0,ooo pages of
matter, exclusive OF the atlas.
Up TO this date egnty-nine serial volumes
have been published and about 81 5000 has
been spent In all b. anches of The work. or about
$4,000 per volume. The printing and binding
alone cost $4,000 per volume, while the
previous preparation Of each volume for The
printers hands cost an equal sum OF $4,000.
The completed work Will embrace four series.
The first deals in regular chronological order
with all the military operations In the field; the
second will official correspondence and reports
on Doth SIDES relating 10 prisoners OF war; the
third Will cover matters no. specially related to
the subjects treated in the first and second
wbilr the fourth VIII exhibit the correspondence,
orders, reports and returns OF the Confederate
authorities in The same lines as those OF the
I nlOn officials set forth 10 the third series.
The method of treatment pursued throughout
Is altogether impartial and nOn-partisan. Moth
Ing Is printed In the volumes except duly au-
then icaed contemporaDeOus records OF the
war, and newspaper accounts and private re-
COZ ds are rigidiy excluded.
The story OF this story OF the war-the most
extraordinary history of he most extraordinary
war on records full of interest. The manner
oil Its publication is 10 many respects unique,
and some of the methods employed are peculiar
to itself. The first definite steps to execute the
gigantic WORK were AIKEN In 1874, when Con-
gress passed law providing The necessary
means TO enable the Secretary OF War to begin
publication; but some essential preliminaries
were gone through with ten years before that
daIe. Since then the work has passed through
many interesting stages; but has all been so
carefully done as to be perfectly harmonious
and complete.
Every available source OF frst-hand infOrma-
tiou has been ransacked, and contributions of
Official papers that do not happen TO be on file
In the department are being recovered FROM all
parts OF the country. Many of these papers |
are autograph messages and reports written by
the officers in command OF the various armies |
and divisions engaged In the struggle. ana alto
gether they form priceless collection.