Military History
The history of men and women serving in the military from Cleveland and the Western Reserve is documented through over 300 collections that cover the War of 1812 through the Vietnam Conflict. The collections include records of militia groups in the early Western Reserve, numerous collections related to the creation and activities of Cleveland’s Troop A, and the papers of soldiers, sailors, and officers. The collections also include the records of veterans groups, including the Grand Army of the Republic and local chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The records of Base Hospital No. 4 document the activities the “Lakeside Unit” during World War I and are augmented by the personal papers of doctors and nurses who served in the unit. The collections document the home front during various wars, most significantly World War II. The Spanish American War is documented extensively as well. The library boasts one of the most significant Civil War collections in the world that includes almost 300 manuscript collections, tens of thousands of photographs, regimental histories, books, pamphlets, and broadsides.