New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-23
LIBRARY OF THE CIVIL WAX.
REMARKABLE COLLECTION OF PUBLISHED
RECORDS COMPILED BY T. r. TOWN
sEND-Now OWNED BY CO.
LUMBIA UNIVERSITY.


Columbia University recently received from
Thomas R. Townsend the last volume Of his
work which is called The Townsend Library
OF National State and Individual Civil War
Records" and one OF the most stupendous tasks
ever undertaken in historical fields has been
successfully completed Mr.. Townsends labor
was begun in November. 1850. when, seeing that
the events Of the time were making history, he
set out TO keen a daily record Of things done
and undone. To photograph the wordy strife
Of the political discussions caused by Lincoln
election and the probabilities OF secession, ne
collected and saved everything relating to the
important questions constantly arising that was
nr,nted nv the journals and magazines during
the Civil War.
The orisinator Of this novel method Of re-
cordng history did not however. cease from
his ,labors with the surrender OF Lee ana the
close Of the military conflict. He continued MS
daily record until 1870 collecting with the same
faithful persistence everything printed on all
subjects growing out OF the war, so that the
library contains a complete account OF the I'M
rortant Reconstruction period. From lo'o until
the present year Mr.. Townsend has allowed no
item even remotely relating to the topics as
cussed IN the main body Of his work TO escape
his attention. but with wonderful patience mas
Incorporated them in his library.
Ar nresent the work is comprised In ninety
volumes larger in size than the ordinary BANK
ledger. containing six hundred pages eacn'
which with four columns Of printed matter on
n mage gives a grand total OF 2l6oVo columns
each being as long as those OF an ordinary news
naper This crude mass had TO be careiu'y
collated and epitomized in order TO De OF hiuCn
Ito % tho historical student or the general
rorlQr
,,o~L called "The Encyclopedia comprised OF
thirty volumes Of 1900 pages each In whcn
ra,orercs ,s made 10 the volume and page where
go, ,,ero mentioned in the main compilation
10 N he found In order TO facilitate his laoors'
,ho oouactor invented an original plan. some
,bing Ike the "journalizing" Of accounts IN
.orhle-entrv bookkeeping The result has been
- han,v one and. with the aid of the indexes
,b,s massive work is easy OF reference
A. the beginning OF the first index are founo
references TO the history OF the country from
175O IN 1860. covering Colonial and Revolution
srv times the founders OF the government the
uorroe Doctrine etc Two pages ana nan OIL
references In the encyclopaedia are deVo'eu u
buchanan. then come FIVE and one-half pages 10
tho individual record Of Lincoln, eleven pages u
hin, "a Chief Magistrate and seven pages 10 MS
ossassination and the trial OF the conspirators
or twenty-three and one-half pages In all An
drew Johnson occupies fourteen pages OF the IN
dex Rv consulting the indices. ana the euloe u
thorn one can readily turn to the encycIop@u'a
ard then 70 the work itself for such matters DIS
reg,mentaI records, Union and Confederate; the
,,ar,ous army corps general officers and naval
officers on either side: all the States the regi-
mental and company officers Northern ana
coutbarn are 10 he found under the headings OF
their regiments and those enrolled IN is' Vi
"Our Honored Dead. from Military Naval ana
Civil Life. from April. 1861. to May 1877
The library" itself has had peculiar ana IN
tsrestinr career. Before the end Of the war
sucb men as Governor Dix. William NJ. Evarts
and Generals Slocum and Fitz John Porter be-
cana Interested in Il. and had the library
taken 10 Washington where its purchase for the
National Library was stopped by the ihpeacn-
ment OF President Johnson. In 1877 the senate
nassed a bill for it's purchase but In the hurry
NJ m. last hours OF the session II was not voted
IN in the House. Three years later senator
Sherman. Mr. Evarts and Generals slocum' Por-
Ter and Hawley headed a movement for us pur-
chase nv q popular subscription OF SJOOoo the
work 10 90 10 the American university receiving
the largest number OF votes. THIS scheme
nroved abortiye The work was finally placed
on exhibition at Columbia. and there 1t was pur-
chased by F. Augustus Schermerhorn, one OF the
trustees who presented 1t TO the university Mr..
rownsends recent gift Of another volume prac-
tically brings the library UP TO date.