150 Years Ago ~~ 1861-1865

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Civil War Fact page – In addition to the fact page, see the menu for breakouts of specific interest such as Stories, People, etc.

A great research resource is the Soldiers and Sailors Database  on this site.  “Looking for someone who fought in the Civil War? Check our database of over 6 million soldiers, as well as information on regiments, battles, and more.”

Research in Military Records: Civil War – Another site from the National Archives containing records.

Military Resources: Civil War – Also within the National Archives site. Also on this page are “Other Resources” not considered NARA.

Civil War 150th Anniversary –   Site includes a timeline including photos and facts of the day.  See under “Civil War Resources” for links to Civil War Battles, Civil War Maps. The Civil War Overview is another page that is links to overviews as well as more resources. Make sure you FAQ page as well.

Alabama, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 – from FamilySearch.org.

Alabama, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 – from FamilySearch.org.

Civil War Research & Commemoration – a different approach to a Civil War timeline is available. Also Civil War Campaign Summaries, etc.

Under “Archival Materials” are several interesting links. Such as the “War of the Rebellion Atlas” and “The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies“. The latter is from Cornell University Library Making of America. The Civil War documents are in volumes and each volume is available online.

For example, the following 4 of the 16  chapters that involve the state of Alabama:

• Volume I, Chapter III – ‘The secession of Alabama and Mississippi, Jan 4-20, 1861.”
• Volume VI, Chapter XVI – “Operations in West Florida, Southern Alabama, Southern Mississippi, and Louisiana. Sep 1, 1861-May 12, 1862.”
• Volume VII, Chapter XVII – “Operations in Kentucky, Tennessee, N. Alabama, and W. Virginia. Nov 19, 1861-Mar 4, 1862.”
• Volume X, Chapter XXII – “Operations in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Mississippi, North Alabama, and Southwest Virginia. Mar 4-Jun 10, 1862.”

The Southern Homefront 1861-1865 from Documenting the American South. “The Southern Homefront, 1861-1865,” presents documents related to all aspects of Southern life during the Civil War. In particular, government and civilian publications demonstrate the Confederate States of America’s unsuccessful attempt to create a viable nation state. This collection includes over four hundred Civil War era maps, broadsides, photographs, printed works, Confederate currency, and manuscript letters and diaries.”

The Sultana Disaster – When the boiler exploded aboard the steamer Sultana on April 27, 1865, more than 1,700 people lost their lives. Most of those aboard were recently released Union prisoners from Confederate prisons in Cahaba, Alabama, and Andersonville, Georgia. A Featured Content item from Fold3.com.

The Civil Art in Art – A fascinating web site on the Civil War which also is a teaching aide for school teachers. Click on the “Image Gallery”. The “Partners and Collections” button to view the art; each has a description. Each picture can be enlarged for better viewing.

Counting Civil War Casualties Week by Week –  Paper for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. The statistics simply did not exist. We needed the casualties over the four years of the American Civil War broken down week by week. Many statistics existed, of course, but they needed to be updated, verified, assembled, and edited into a consolidated table to achieve weekly totals commensurate with recent Civil War scholarship. This paper outlines the process of an inquiry into this historical imbroglio.