The pro-South historian who revolutionized how we use primary sources

Wars & Conflicts · Published 9 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: John Thomas Scharf was a soldier, a lawyer, and a politician, but his true legacy lies in his meticulous archives. By treating newspapers as vital historical evidence, he transformed how we reconstruct the past, even when his own intense prejudices colored his writing about the American Civil War.

Scharf’s methodology was remarkably modern for the 19th century. He employed a rigorous, formulaic approach to historical research, utilizing detailed questionnaires to extract information from contemporaries. This exhaustive process resulted in the J. Thomas Scharf Collection, which spans from the 1730s to 1892 and is now preserved by the Maryland Historical Society.

He was a pioneer in the use of ephemeral media, being one of the first American historians to consistently treat newspapers as primary source material. Rather than offering detached analysis, Scharf frequently provided lengthy quotations from magazines, pamphlets, and official city or state documents. While his prose was often described as flowery, his ability to compile massive amounts of original data makes his works essential for modern researchers.

However, Scharf's work was deeply influenced by his personal history. Having served in both the Confederate States Army and Navy—specifically with the 1st Maryland Artillery—he could not maintain objectivity when documenting the American Civil War. His writings on the conflict clearly reflected a strong pro-South perspective and personal prejudice. Despite this bias, his 'History of the Confederate States Navy' remains a foundational and valuable contribution to Civil War literature.

Beyond his writing, Scharf led a multifaceted life. He served in the Maryland General Assembly in 1878 and held the position of Commissioner of the Land Office of Maryland from 1884 to 1892. During his concluding years, he held the role of Special Chinese Inspector within New York's Southern District, responsible for upholding the Geary Act of 1892 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

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