Washington (CNN) The State Department released its first round of emails from Hillary Clinton's time as Secretary of State on Friday, offering a new look at her handling of the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

The roughly 300 emails, about 850 pages, are part of the 30,000 that she turned over to State from her private email server, which she used almost exclusively to conduct both private and public business during her time at State. They reveal a range of correspondence from Clinton, everything from policy briefs to scheduling requests to friendly exchanges with staff.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest says the new emails "do not change in any way anyone's understanding" of what happened in Benghazi, and the State Department reiterated the same in a tweet.

"The emails we release today do not change the essential facts or our understanding of the events before, during, or after the attacks," the department tweeted.

Clinton herself commented on the release at a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Friday, telling reporters she was happy they were out but was waiting for more.

"It's beginning. I just would like to see it expedited, so we could get more of them out more quickly," she said.

Below, a collection of some of the most newsworthy tidbits from the emails:

A supportive boss

In one email, sent four days before Christmas in 2012, Clinton sent a note to her entire State Department staff, acknowledging a "challenging week." She had fainted about a week prior and suffered a concussion, which prevented her from testifying before House and Senate committees on the attacks.

"We need to learn from the tragedy in Benghazi and make every possible improvement -- and we will," she wrote in the five-paragraph note.

One day earlier, Clinton wrote in an email to two top aides headed to the Hill on her behalf: "I'll be nursing my cracked head and cheering you on as you 'remain calm and carry on!'"

One of those aides, Tom Nides, hints that he's not entirely excited about the grilling.

Clinton replies: "Well, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger (as I have rationalized for years), so just survive and you'll have triumphed!"

In most emails, she's referred to simply as "H."

Stress over Benghazi scrutiny

One email hints at the scrutiny the State Department was facing over Clinton's response to the Benghazi attacks. In their remarks the day after the attack, both Clinton and President Barack Obama made reference to an anti-Muslim video that some intelligence initially suggested prompted the attacks, a claim that was later found to be mistaken.

On Sept. 24, 2012, Jake Sullivan, Clinton's deputy chief of staff at State, forwards her a 24-page document compiling all of the statements she had made after the attacks, and reassures her that she was careful in her wording.

"You never said spontaneous or characterized the motives. In fact you were careful in your first statement to say we were assessing motive and method," he says.

Sullivan also writes: "The way you treated the video in the Libya context was to say that some sought to *justify* the attack on that basis."

Advice on foreign affairs

Clinton received advice on foreign affairs from a range of former advisers from outside of the department, including Sidney Blumenthal, the former Clinton White House aide who's drawn scrutiny for issuing over two dozen memos to Clinton on Libya while also advising businesses looking to break into post-Gaddafi Libya.

The emails reveal that Clinton often read, commented on and forwarded Blumenthal's memos -- which laid out information obtained from his own sources on the situation in Libya -- to Sullivan. Blumenthal will comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee on Benghazi this week after his role in advising Clinton emerged.

In a September 2012 email, Burns Strider, a senior adviser and director of Faith and Values Outreach on Clinton's 2008 campaign, forwards her a post from CNN's Belief blog by Stephen Prothero titled "My Take: A deadly link between Islamic and anti-Islamic terrorists." She typically forwards these to State Department aides.

Libya security concerns

In the years leading up to the attack covered by the emails, there were a number of hints at the decaying security situation in Libya — key sticking point for Republican critics of Clinton's performance at State. Many believe she ignored warnings that the security there was declining and showed poor judgment in failing to beef up protection for U.S. officials there.

In June of 2011, Sullivan emailed Hillary warning of a "credible threat against the hotel that our team is using," and told her security officials would be moving personnel to other locations.

She received an update in 2011 from Stevens on how fragile the security forces were in the country.

"The police chief is a university professor who took on these police duties after the revolution. According to the police chief, there are only 3,000 police in the Benghazi area, down from 6,000 prior to the revolution. Many police simply did not return to their jobs after the revolution, as they feared retaliation,"

Another email, sent in February of 2012 by then Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz, warned of "concern here that continuing rivalries among the militias remains dangerous from the perspective of the havoc they can wreak with their firepower and their continued control of select turf."

Congratulations and condolences on Benghazi

In the days following the attacks, Clinton received a stream of condolences and congratulations from diplomats, lawmakers and world leaders on her handling of the situation.

On Sept. 13, Clinton is forwarded an email from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, who says that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him to offer "profound condolences" about the Benghazi attack. "He said Israelis know too well how difficult these moments are, and he wanted us all to know that Israelis stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us at such a difficult time," Shapiro writes.

Christian Brose, Sen. John McCain's national security adviser, emailed Sullivan on Sept. 12, 2012, the day Clinton gave a speech honoring those who died in the attacks, sending his boss's compliments. "What a wonderful, strong and moving statement by your boss. Please tell her how much Sen. McCain appreciated it. Me too," he wrote.

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates also sent his condolences.

Intelligence holes?

One October 2012 email underscores the limits of U.S. intelligence. Clinton emailed senior aide Cheryl Mills asking about an NPR report on the attacks.

"I just heard an NPR report about the CIA station chief in Tripoli sending a cable on 9/12 saying there was no demo etc.," she wrote. "Do you know about this?"

Thoughts on the media

A transcript of an interview with Wall Street Journal Reporter Monica Langley was circulated among a few top aides with commentary from Philippe Reines, a longtime spokesman for Clinton.

He declared the October 10, 2012, conversation as an "awesome interview." But he went on to say that Langley violated Clinton's personal space, by moving her chair knee-to-knee with the secretary, comparing it to "the dental hygienist rolling around the floor to get the best access to your mouth depending on which tooth she was trying to get access to."

"I've never seen a westerner invade her space like that," Reines wrote. But he went on to describe the interview as "wonderful. One of the best interviews I've ever witnesses. Wish it were on live TV."

JUST WATCHED Report: Clinton staff kept tight reins on email Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Report: Clinton staff kept tight reins on email 03:29

Clinton on the campaign trail

Facing considerable backlash and deep skepticism over her use of a private server as she makes her second bid for the White House, Clinton asked State to make her emails public this past March, and repeated her public push to have them released on the campaign trail this week.

The State Department initially planned to release them in January 2016, but a federal judge asked this week if there could be a "rolling production" of the emails, calling for them to be disclosed publicly in batches before then. Clinton called for State to expedite their release this week in Iowa, saying "nobody has a bigger interest in getting [the emails] released than I do."

JUST WATCHED State wants to delay email release until 2016 Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH State wants to delay email release until 2016 02:29

A congressional panel investigating the Benghazi attacks, meanwhile, has had the emails related to Benghazi and Libya since February.

Details of Clinton's email habits that have trickled out over the past few months suggest she used email sparingly, mostly for logistics and to forward information to aides. She's said previously that she was careful to never use email to exchange classified information, and the initial batch doesn't show otherwise -- the highest classification of messages was "sensitive but unclassified."

One November 2012 email about arrests in connection to the Benghazi attack, however, was formally classified on Friday, when it was heavily redacted and released as part of the trove.

On Thursday, the New York Times published a portion of the emails relating to Benghazi, which include a handful from Blumenthal tipping Clinton off to volatile conditions on the ground in Libya, including one blaming the Benghazi attacks on an anti-Muslim video, which he later walked back.

Congressional reactions

The top Democrat on the Benghazi committee released a statement praising the State Department's decision to release all of the emails pertaining to the attacks at once and said they would vindicate Democrats' assertion that Clinton did nothing inappropriate in her response.

"Instead of the selective leaking that has happened so far, the American people can now read all of these emails and see for themselves that they contain no evidence to back up claims that Secretary Clinton ordered a stand-down, approved an illicit weapons program, or any other wild allegation Republicans have made for years," Rep. Elijah Cummings said in the statement.

Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state was the first woman to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party. Hide Caption 1 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Before marrying Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her commencement speech at Wellesley's graduation ceremony in 1969 attracted national attention. After graduating, she attended Yale Law School. Hide Caption 2 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Rodham was a lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in 1974. Hide Caption 3 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea. Hide Caption 4 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985. Hide Caption 5 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President. Hide Caption 6 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992. Hide Caption 7 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. Hide Caption 8 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus. Hide Caption 9 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993. Hide Caption 10 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons share a laugh on Capitol Hill in 1993. Hide Caption 11 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton unveils the renovated Blue Room of the White House in 1995. Hide Caption 12 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing. Hide Caption 13 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President. Hide Caption 14 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997. Hide Caption 15 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons dance on a beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 1998. Later that month, Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Hide Caption 16 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton looks on as her husband discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998. Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." In August of that year, Clinton testified before a grand jury and admitted to having "inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky, but he said it did not constitute sexual relations because they had not had intercourse. He was impeached in December on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. Hide Caption 17 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The first family walks with their dog, Buddy, as they leave the White House for a vacation in August 1998. Hide Caption 18 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight President Clinton makes a statement at the White House in December 1998, thanking members of Congress who voted against his impeachment. The Senate trial ended with an acquittal in February 1999. Hide Caption 19 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton announces in February 2000 that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat in New York. She was elected later that year. Hide Caption 20 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton makes her first appearance on the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Hide Caption 21 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Sen. Clinton comforts Maren Sarkarat, a woman who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a ground-zero memorial in October 2001. Hide Caption 22 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton holds up her book "Living History" before a signing in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 2003. Hide Caption 23 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton and another presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, applaud at the start of a Democratic debate in 2007. Hide Caption 24 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, in June 2008. She had recently ended her presidential campaign and endorsed Obama. Hide Caption 25 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama is flanked by Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference in Chicago in December 2008. He had designated Clinton to be his secretary of state. Hide Caption 26 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton, as secretary of state, greets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting just outside Moscow in March 2010. Hide Caption 27 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons pose on the day of Chelsea's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010. Hide Caption 28 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In this photo provided by the White House, Obama, Clinton, Biden and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in May 2011. Hide Caption 29 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton checks her Blackberry inside a military plane after leaving Malta in October 2011. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state. The account, fed through its own server, raises security and preservation concerns. Clinton later said she used a private domain out of "convenience," but admits in retrospect "it would have been better" to use multiple emails. Hide Caption 30 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton arrives for a group photo before a forum with the Gulf Cooperation Council in March 2012. The forum was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hide Caption 31 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama and Clinton bow during the transfer-of-remains ceremony marking the return of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who were killed in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. Hide Caption 32 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at a recycling trade conference in Las Vegas in 2014. Hide Caption 33 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton, now running for President again, performs with Jimmy Fallon during a "Tonight Show" skit in September 2015. Hide Caption 34 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton testifies about the Benghazi attack during a House committee meeting in October 2015. "I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said during the 11-hour hearing. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done." Months earlier, Clinton had acknowledged a "systemic breakdown" as cited by an Accountability Review Board, and she said that her department was taking additional steps to increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities. Hide Caption 35 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a lighthearted moment with Clinton during a Democratic presidential debate in October 2015. It came after Sanders gave his take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America." Hide Caption 36 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton is reflected in a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, in October 2015. Hide Caption 37 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton walks on her stage with her family after winning the New York primary in April. Hide Caption 38 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight After Clinton became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, this photo was posted to her official Twitter account. "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want -- even president," Clinton said. "Tonight is for you." Hide Caption 39 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama hugs Clinton after he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The president said Clinton was ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to her stint as his secretary of state. Hide Caption 40 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton arrives at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York on September 11. Clinton, who was diagnosed with pneumonia two days before, left early after feeling ill. A video appeared to show her stumble as Secret Service agents helped her into a van. Hide Caption 41 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton addresses a campaign rally in Cleveland on November 6, two days before Election Day. She went on to lose Ohio -- and the election -- to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump. Hide Caption 42 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight After conceding the presidency to Trump in a phone call earlier, Clinton addresses supporters and campaign workers in New York on Wednesday, November 9. Her defeat marked a stunning end to a campaign that appeared poised to make her the first woman elected US president. Hide Caption 43 of 43

He added: "The Select Committee should schedule Secretary Clinton's public testimony now and stop wasting taxpayer money dragging out this political charade to harm Secretary Clinton's bid for President."

But panel chairman Trey Gowdy vehemently disagreed, characterizing the emails released as providing a selective and incomplete picture because a team of attorneys working for Clinton chose which ones to send to State, and saying "unresolved questions" still remain about Benghazi.

"We will not reach any investigative conclusions until our work is complete, but these emails continue to reinforce the fact that unresolved questions and issues remain as it relates to Benghazi," he said.

Gowdy said that to get a full picture, Clinton should turn over her servers to a "a neutral, detached, independent third party for review."

"The committee's interest is in building a complete record from which the final, definitive accounting regarding the terrorist attacks in Benghazi can be provided. The best way to answer all questions related to the attacks in Benghazi continues to be having access to the full public record, not a "record" controlled, possessed and screened exclusively by Secretary Clinton's personal lawyers."

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this story said a federal judge ruled that there should be a "rolling production" of Clinton's emails. The judge had asked, not ordered.