American Civil War

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Archaeologists locate Confederate cannons from a sunken Confederate gunboat in the Pee Dee River sciencedaily.com :: 2009-06-10
Archaeologists have located 2 large cannons - each weighing upwards of 5 tons - from sunken Confederate gunboat C.S.S. Pee Dee in the Pee Dee River and have pinpointed where the Mars Bluff Naval Yard once stood on the east side of the river in Marion County, S.C. Underwater archaeologist Christopher Amer says the findings and the artifacts recovered will help tell the story of the people who worked at the Mars Bluff Naval Yard and how they built the Confederate warships. The Mars Bluff Naval Yard was one of many Confederate naval yards that were located inland in Southern states so gunboats and support vessels could be built and protected from Union forces. [Wrecks: Civil War-era]

Valuable Abraham Lincoln document found in the Hawaii State Archives kgmb9.com :: 2009-06-10
A document that was hidden away in the Hawaii State Archives for decades has finally been explained. Abraham Lincoln signed it as part of his plan to free slaves during the Civil War. Someone found the file in a vault in 1935. They noticed Lincoln's signature, but did not know what the document was. It remained a mystery until Daniel Stowell visited the archives, realizing the date, Sept. 22, 1862, was the date Lincoln signed the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. "This document is intimately related to the end of slavery in the US. It's the beginning of the process. The order to the Secretary of State to affix the seal of the US to make official the preliminary emancipation proclamation." [Civil War Documents, Archives]

Civil War memorabilia up for auction after Civil War Museum closes capitalnews9.com :: 2009-06-04
It's one of the biggest and rarest collections of Civil War memorabilia in the entire country. And it's about to be auctioned off. "This is probably one of the hardest things that we had to do. The cannons, the costumes, the uniforms, the guns are going," explained Eastover Resort owner Ticki Winsor. Eastover Resort in Lenox is the home of the Civil War Museum. But because of the bad economy, Winsor is forced to sell the property, including everything in the museum. [Relics and Memorabilia - American Civil War]

Female Confederate spy Isabelle Boyd - Cleopatra of the Secession examiner.com :: 2009-06-04
Isabelle Boyd - one of the most infamous of Confederate spies, who provided information to General "Stonewall" Jackson - today lies buried among the very "Yankees" she plotted so hard against. She became known as "Le Belle Rebelle" by French war correspondents and the "Cleopatra of the Secession" by the North and is now sometimes referred to as the "Wisconsin's Southern Belle." Isabelle's town was occupied by the Union in 1861. One day a band of drunken Union soldiers broke into her home looking for souvenirs. They found nothing and one soldier intent on raising the Union flag pushed her mother. Belle drew her pistol and shot the man dead - She was just 17. [Spy & Intelligence - American Civil War]

St. Louis opens Civil War era court documents stltoday.com :: 2009-06-04
Archivists browsing through pages inside metal file drawers at the St. Louis circuit clerk's office have unlocked never-before told stories of looting, betrayal and slavery in the years after the American Civil War. Now these rare documents, uncovered during a 10-year preservation project, will be available to anyone who wants to read about how Missourians tried to bring law and order after the chaos of war. "This is a treasure trove of information, most of which has never been seen by historians. These cases are attempting to right the wrongs that people saw in those years," said Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. [Civil War Documents, Archives]

Jennie Hodgers fought like a man for freedom in Civil War npr.org :: 2009-05-27
Albert D.J. Cashier was the shortest soldier in the 95th Illinois Infantry. In one of the few existing pictures of Cashier during the Civil War, you can faintly see the outline of breasts under his military uniform. But that's if you're looking for it. And the military was not. Jennie Hodgers, disguising as Cashier, marched thousands of miles during the war. She was at the Siege of Vicksburg and the surrender of Mobile. Her regiment participated in over 40 clashes and battles. After her secret was exposed, Hodgers told different stories to different people about why she had lived as a man. "The country needed men, and I wanted excitement." [Women during Civil War]

Touring the American Civil War battlegrounds and historical trails dailymail.co.uk :: 2009-05-27
As a kid, I was on the side of the Confederates - I simply preferred their grey uniforms. The American Civil War continues to fascinate me, so I decided on a pilgrimage to the battlegrounds of Pennsylvania and Virginia. Timing couldn't have been worse: tourists flocking to see the fabulous fall, thousands escaping for the 4-day Columbus holiday, and TV crews all over the place for the Apple Fest. Not to mention the masses heading for the main attraction: the National Military Park with its new museum. Welcome to my very own Battle of Gettysburg. The battle that would decide America's destiny was fought at Gettysburg in July 1863. [Civil War Tours]

Selling replicas of Civil War firearms and other antique weapons nwanews.com :: 2009-04-24
Buying an antique pistol or rifle might be the dream of many until they see the price tag. Purchasing a replica is much more affordable, said JoAnn Graham, a partner in 4G Company, which sells replicas of flintlock, Civil War, old west, WW1 and WW2 firearms and other antique weapons. "Unlike conventional firearms, replica guns cannot be used to fire harmful projectiles or adapted to do so, and therefore require no federal license." Graham explains the rifles and pistols have had their barrels plugged so they can't fire rounds. If someone takes out the plugs, they will discover regular ammo won't fit the guns. [Weapons: Rifles, Muskets - Civil War]

Re-enactors in full uniform enliven Civil War walking tour chapelhillnews.com :: 2009-04-24
It seemed to be a ghost, awakened after 150 years -- wearing the dark blue uniform of a Union officer from the American Civil War, a pistol strapped to one hip, a sword hanging from the other, a clay pipe between his teeth. He was not a ghost, of course, but Ernest Dollar, the executive director of the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill, and a Civil War historian and re-enactor. Soon he'll be in in his Union blues again to lead "O' Cruel War," a walking tour of Civil War sites in Chapel Hill. The historical tour will stop at several sites along the way, and characters portraying famous figures will tell their tales. [Civil War Tours]

Vicksburg 1863 by Winston Groom [book review] boston.com :: 2009-04-24
The 5 maps included in Groom's account of the Union campaign to grab the Confederacy's Mississippi River stronghold of Vicksburg all but tell that story just by themselves. The maps reveals 5 of General Ulysses S. Grant's 8 failed efforts to grab the city. Including digging a canal to cut off the river's turn under the Confederate guns on Vicksburg's bluffs and advances through the bayous north and south of the city. There also were efforts by the Union's ironclad fleet to run the gauntlet of the guns. The eighth attempt, a 200-mile loop through the rivers and bayous north of the city, was "one of the strangest wartime expeditions in naval history." [Buy from Amazon: US, UK, CA, DE, FR] [Civil War Books]

American history 1861-1865: U.S. Civil War was a conflict between the Abraham Lincoln led Union and 11 southern states that formed CSA - the Confederate States of America, led by Jefferson Davis. In the first year the Union got control of the border states and established a naval blockade as both sides raised large armies. In 1862 the bloody battles began. Robert E. Lee get a series of Confederate victories, but his best general, Stonewall Jackson, was killed at the Chancellorsville in May 1863. Lee's invasion of the North was repulsed at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. In July 1863 Ulysses Grant seized control of Mississippi by capturing Vicksburg, thus splitting the Confederacy. The war ended after the Confederacy collapsed following General Robert E. Lee's surrender at the Battle of Appomattox.

Also called: 'War of the Rebellion', 'War of Southern Independence', 'War of Northern Aggression' and 'War Between the States'.

American Civil War in the News is a edited review of American Civil War related news and articles, providing collection of hand-picked 1861-1865 era history.