Footnote.com, a website focused on original historical documents, has opened up access to its Civil War Collection for free to the public for the remainder of June.

Footnote says it has worked with the U.S. National Archives over the past three years to create the largest collection of Civil War documents on the Internet, featuring over 30 million documents, photos and maps.

"Our strong partnership with the National Archives has allowed us to build an extremely valuable resource for researchers, historians and genealogists," said Russell Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com.

"Now more people than ever have access to records relating to one of the most prolific events in our history."

Highlights of Footnote’s Civil War Collection include:

*Union and Confederate Soldier Service Records

*Widow’s Pension Files

*Emancipation Documents and Slave Records

*Confederate Amnesty Papers and Citizens Files

*Lincoln Assassination Investigation and Trial Papers

*Civil War Photos and Maps

Footnote members can also create their own pages to highlight their findings and research. "When documents and member contributions come together, a more powerful side of history is revealed," says Justin Schroepfer, Director of Marketing at Footnote.com.

"Our members have added comments, insights and information that significantly increase our understanding of these events and the people involved."