Kansas college adds 3,000-piece Civil War collection

One of the oldest items in the collection is an autobiography titled, "Nurse and Spy," published in 1864.-photo courtesy Mark Rountree, Leavenworth Times — One of the oldest items in the collection is an autobiography titled, “Nurse and Spy,” published in 1864.-photo courtesy Mark Rountree, Leavenworth Times

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Confederate currency, bone dice and a memoir from a nurse who also was a Union spy are among a 3,000-piece Civil War collection that the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth is adding to its library.

The Bobby D. Lawrence collection was a gift from the Lawrence family of Leavenworth. The collection includes several memoirs, along with more than 2,000 books about the Civil War that will go into the library’s circulation and available for checkout from students and the public.

Librarians and curators say the collection has two significant areas of focus: women in the war and regional materials from Kansas and Missouri.