The Source

The New York Times Times Machine

By Michael K. Shaffer · Originally published November 2023 · p. 14

The increasing number of digitized Civil War-era newspapers provides researchers with another tool to gather information from primary sources. This month’s column will explore the New York Times and a look through their TimesMachine. Note: full use of this site requires a subscription; various rates exist. Begin the quest at https://timesmachine. nytimes.com/browser. (See image above) Note the ‘Search Archive’ link at the top left of this page. Select this link, then select ‘Change Dates.’ For this exercise, the writer chose 11/15/1864 through

12/31/1864, and entered the search terms ‘Sherman’ + ‘Georgia.’ The search netted 197 hits, which one can sort using Relevance, Oldest First, or Newest First. An exploration of just a few of the results follows. The November 18, 1864, edition contained a front-page story titled ‘Sherman’s March.’ An original editorial note appears at the beginning: [NOTE. A dispatch was published in a Cincinnati paper of yesterday, giving some details of the departure of Gen. SHERMAN’S columns from Atlanta, on the 9th or 12th, and their probable concentration at Augusta, which the War Department deems contraband, and we therefore refrain from publishing the report, ED. TIMES.] As the image below shows, note the ability to peruse the original newspaper article, read a text excerpt, or view the article as a PDF file. (Researchers can save the PDF file for future reference.) A final glance at the PDF version, from the December 26, 1864, edition, informed readers of Sherman’s Christmas present. Try various search criteria to explore the wartime pages of the NYT. Good luck in researching the American Civil War!

The New York Times Times Machine — photograph 2 from the original article

Michael K. Shaffer is a Civil War historian, author, lecturer, and instructor who remains a member of the Society of Civil War Historians, Historians of the Civil War Western Theater, and the Georgia Association of

The New York Times Times Machine — photograph 3 from the original article

Historians. Readers may contact him at [email protected] or request speaking engagements at www.civilwarhistorian.net. Follow Michael on Facebook, www. facebook.com/michael.k.shaffer, and Twitter @michaelkshaffer.