German Civil War Soldier's Bible

Pocket bible dated 1863 issued by the Baltimore Bible Society in Baltimore, Maryland. A 1933 newspaper article noted that the society supplied "9,000 Testaments sent across the Potomac." Primarily catering to German immigrants during the Civil War era, the Maryland Bible Society (as it was later known) was founded in the early 19th century.

This example bears a blank yellow card affixed to the inside of its front cover where a soldier could write his name and who to contact in the event of his death. It states "Should I die in the battlefield or in a hospital, for the sake of humanity, acquaint _ residing at _ of the fact, and where my remains can be found."

[Civil War, Union, Confederate]