The Edwin C. Fishel Papers contain research material generated by Civil War historian Edwin C. Fishel for his book "The Secret War for the Union: The Untold Story of Military Intelligence in the Civil War." Of note is correspondence between Fishel and noted Civil War historians, such as Bruce Catton, James M. McPherson, and Stephen W. Sears. Also, Fishel's extensive subject files on a variety of topics are retained. In addition, drafts of Fishel's masterpiece are preserved, and copies of his published articles on Civil War military intelligence are present. The collection is contained in 25 boxes (35.5 l.f.).
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: A native of Alliance, Ohio, Edwin C. Fishel moved to Washington, D.C. during World War II while serving with the Army Signal Intelligence Service. After the war, he remained as a civilian with the government codes and cipher organizations. From 1947 to 1968, he worked for the National Security Agency. Thereafter until his retirement in 1972, he worked at the National Cryptologic School Press. Fishel's book "The Secret War for the Union" (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996) was a landmark in Civil War intelligence history. Fishel wrote a number of articles on Civil War military intelligence. He also performed in a jazz band and lectured on jazz. Edwin C. Fishel died on February 11, 1999, in Arlington, Virginia, at the age of 84. [Source: "Washington Post" 15 February 1999, p. B7.]
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SERIES SYNOPSIS:
Series 1 - Correspondence
Series 2 - Subject Files
Series 3 - Manuscripts Series
4 - Xeroxed Documents Series
5 - Printed Materials Series
6 - Note Cards Series
7 - Photographs
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ACCESSION DATA:
Status: Open. Photocopying Permitted.
Provenance: Gift of Mrs. Edwin C. Fishel, March 2003.
Processed by Scott S. Taylor, August 2003.
BULK DATES: 1980 - 1990
SPAN DATES: 1918 - 1999
EXTENT: 25 boxes (35.5 l.f.)