AMERICAN
CIVIL WAR
By Linda
Morelli
Historical
Editor
The Civil War is a fascinating subject and one almost as close to this author’s heart (and location) as the Revolutionary War. Many are the times my husband and I have taken our children to the local battlefields of Gettysburg, Manassas, Harpers Ferry and Antietam. In fact, we took a trip to Harpers Ferry during the third week of May 2003, where I had a wonderful booksigning.
In any event, the following links should provide you with plenty of ammunition to work on a historical setting during this fascinating era of American history.
A Civil War Diary
http://dcwi.com/~dave/underwood.html
This site features the Civil War diary of Albert Underwood of Annapolis,
Park County, Indiana, a member of the 9th Indiana Light Artillery.
The diary tells what the war was like for this young man and, as the
introductory paragraph says, “It is so personal, at times you might imagine
Albert Underwood is sitting across the table from you telling you his story.”
Accessories for Civil War Reenacting
http://www.abrahamslady.com/ Another
site for women’s clothing from the period, it also features background
information on the various articles of clothing women wore (i.e, women’s shoes,
underclothes, etc.). All, of course,
are available for purchase, but it has quite a bit of information if you’re
writing about the Civil War era.
American Civil War
http://www.americancivilwar.com/civil.html
A wonderful site which features links to products, stats & maps,
battles, places, people (including “women in the war”), etc. The site also has a cannon and rifle you can
actually fire…had a wee bit of fun with them—but that’s the kid in me.
American Civil War Homepage
http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html Interesting site, with general resources and information on: the
Secession, images of wartime, biographical information, documentary records,
battles & campaigns, rosters & regimental histories, etc. (many updated
through May 2003).
Civil War
Medicine
http://www.cl.utoledo.edu/canaday/quackery/quack8.html Interesting site, with somewhat graphic
illustrations.
Civil War Times http://thehistorynet.com/civilwartimes/ While I found links to the Civil War on this
site, from TheHistoryNet, you’ll also locate some good information on other
history, including the American West, World War II, Vietnam, etc.
Civil War Uniforms and Supplies http://www.ccsutlery.com/ As the site says, you can find Civil War
uniforms for sale…as well as viewing.
New to the site is a growing selection of Ladies’ Civil War apparel and
accessories. Even if you don’t want to
buy anything, this is a fun place to visit. It even features clothing from the
Indian Wars and Cowboy Action reenactment needs.
Civil War Women
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/women/cwdocs.html From Duke University, this site has links to Duke’s collection of
diaries, letters, documents, photographs and prints from the Civil War
era. Interesting site to use to get a
flavor of the language/customs of that era, as well as view actual photographs.
Custom Corsetry and Clothing http://www.originals-by-kay.com/ This is a delightful sight, featuring plates
of Victorian era clothing, with a special section "What Shall I Wear?" (Ladies'
Evening & Formal Wear During the 1860's)
and a report on the Civil War Conference, which features color photographs.
Eyewitness to the Civil
War
http://www.si.edu/archives/documents/mary.htm This Smithsonian Institution site features the diary of Mary
Henry, Eyewitness to the Civil War in the City of Washington. (Mary Henry's
diaries came to the Smithsonian with her father's papers.) The online diaries
are a unique and personal insight into life in Washington during the Civil War.
The diary includes information on the battles of Manassas and Gettysburg, the
end of the Civil War, and the assassination of Lincoln.
More on the Civil War http://4civilwar.4anything.com/ This site has four main links: North vs. South
(Battles from the war between the states); The Blue & The
Gray (Civil War generals and leaders); Civil War Museums
& Documents (Words and memories from the Civil War); and The War in Print
(Read magazines and books about Civil War battles and political history).
Photographs of the
Civil War http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html This comes from the Library of Congress and
features a time line of photographs taken from 1861 – 1865, as well as other
photographs. Good site for getting a
“feel” of the era and battles.
Linda
Morelli