American Civil War

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The American Civil War: A Military History by John Keegan (book review) nytimes.com :: 2009-11-04
John Keegan is the military historian's military historian. A senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, he is the author of 20 very comprehensive military history books. "The American Civil War" is filled with data that will send a thrill down any history buff's spine: details about tactics, geography, economics, ideology, generals, psychology, demographics, and weaponry. Keegan, who is British, takes the long view - a European view - of the American Civil War, placing it into broad historical context. Because the South had few if any large cities to attack its army "presented itself as the only target at which to strike." But that army could be elusive. [Buy from Amazon: US, UK, CA, DE, FR] [Civil War Books]

Tennessee wants captured Confederate flags returned tennessean.com :: 2009-10-12
In 1862, in the middle of the Civil War, two Confederate battle flags from Tennessee made their way to Cincinnati with the Cincinnati soldiers and sailors who seized them as trophies of war and displayed them so that the whole town could celebrate the local boys' victory. Today, Tennessee would like to have them back. But what happened to the battle flags is a mystery. "Maybe they no longer exist, or maybe they are sitting in somebody's attic somewhere in Cincinnati," said historian Greg Briggs, who is writing a book on the battle flags carried by Tennessee troops in the Civil War. [Civil War Flags: Confederate, Rebel & Battle]

The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta by Marc Wortman [book review] huntingtonnews.net :: 2009-10-12
Civil War buffs whose knowledge of the burning of Atlanta in 1864 has been limited to the "Gone With the Wind" will be happy with Marc Wortman's "The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta." He gives a very readable and comprehensive look at the 44-day siege of the vital rail and manufacturing center by the forces of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, providing also a history of the city that in less than two decades had become second only to Richmond as a war production city. Wortman claims Atlanta is the only American city to be besieged and destroyed, although many would include Richmond in that category. [Buy from Amazon: US, UK, CA, DE, FR] [Civil War Books]

Civil War Wives: Angelina Grimke Weld, Varina Howell Davis, and Julia Dent Grant by Carol Berkin csmonitor.com :: 2009-10-12
The 3 women whose lives are explored in "Civil War Wives" came from Southern elite slaveholding families. Through marriage to prominent men, they gained access to power, but had none themselves. Even though they differed temperamentally, each experienced privileges, sacrifices, and restrictions that few others could imagine. And unlike many famous wives Angelina Grimke Weld, Varina Howell Davis and Julia Dent Grant left behind a lot of direct source material - letters, essays, memoirs, and diaries - making them ideal biography topics, allowing us "to glimpse aspects of the nineteenth century that might otherwise be lost in the roar of cannon and heated debate." [Buy from Amazon: US, UK, CA, DE, FR] [Women during Civil War]

Civil War blockade runner Scottish Chief found on bottom of Hillsborough River tampabay.com :: 2009-09-16
Burned and sunk, the steamship Scottish Chief lay at the bottom of the Hillsborough River for 146 years, a legend for its ability to keep Tampa supplied amidst the city's isolation during the Civil War. Underwater archaeologist John William Morris said a research team has spotted the ship, a vessel not seen since the night in 1863 when Union troops raided the shipyard burning two blockade runners. Even with new sonar technology it took some time to confirm that the vague trace in the sand was that of the lost blockade runner. The find comes one year after the discovery of the Kate Dale in the river, which had been reduced to wooden ship's ribs. [Wrecks: Civil War-era]

American History Series: The Civil War at Sea voanews.com :: 2009-09-16
As soon as the war started, President Abraham Lincoln wanted to block the South's ports to prevent the South from shipping its products to other countries in exchange for industrial goods. The plan had weaknesses. The Union navy was too small for the job and the Confederate seacoast was long. The Confederacy had no navy at the start of the Civil War - and little money to create one - plus no factories to build one. For a while, the Confederacy was able to get warships from Britain, but then the Union put diplomatic pressure on Britain to stop this cooperation. So the Confederacy depended on privately owned ships to get goods in and out of the South. [Naval war and blockade - American Civil War]

The California Confederates examiner.com :: 2009-09-16
California was far from the major actions of the American Civil War, but it was very important by both sides because of its riches and location near Mexico. While California treated its Native-American population very harshly it was an anti-slavery Union state. However, a number of California's cities were strongholds of pro-Southern sympathies. This was a major concern to Union commanders who moved troops from the West to strengthen garrisons in the Golden State. Union soldiers guarded wagon trains of California gold heading East. The problem for a California Confederate was how to get to the war. [Confederate - Confederacy - American Civil War]

No Quarter: The Battle of the Crater, 1864 by Richard Slotkin [book review] wesleyan.edu :: 2009-09-16
No Quarter is a recount of the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864. At first glance, the Union's plan seemed brilliant: A regiment of miners would tunnel beneath a Confederate fort, pack the tunnel with explosives, and blow a hole in the enemy lines. Then a specially trained division of African American infantry would spearhead an attack to exploit the breach created by the explosion. The attack was made ineffective by poor leadership and political infighting in the Union command. The explosion ripped open an immense crater, which became a death trap for troops that attempted to pass through it. [Buy from Amazon: US, UK, CA, DE, FR] [Battles and Battlefields - American Civil War]

Lincoln's last signature? Signed envelope, thought to be real, found at flea market morningjournal.com :: 2009-08-30
"Let this man enter with this note. April 14, 1865. A. Lincoln." The short sentence on an envelope marked the beginning of an adventure for Bruce Steiner, who discovered the relic at a box of mixed papers he bought at Jamie's Flea Market in 2006. "It can't be real," Steiner thought when he first saw the signature, dated the fateful day a bullet from John Wilkes Booth's Derringer ended Lincoln's life. Steiner, a Civil War buff, antique collector and amateur historian, said the envelope raised skepticism - for example historical societies refused to return his phone calls. But expert John Lupton carried out a handwriting analysis, and he thinks the item is authentic. [Abraham Lincoln]

Museum of Southern History: Historical accuracy and making the past to come life jacksonville.com :: 2009-08-30
One woman came searching for her ancestors who fought in the Civil War, only to learn that 3 out of 4 were deserters. "It's all about historical accuracy. Political correctness has destroyed history," said Ben Willingham, incoming board president of the Museum of Southern History. "Don't force-feed dates and times. History needs to be brought alive with people and stories, ancestors," says curator Van Seagraves, who wears Confederate uniform for school tour groups and lets kids taste tack - hard bread that soldiers ate. He also lets them shoot blanks from antique weapons. The collection includes one of Lincoln's burial flags, a copy of Nathan B. Forrest's Memphis speech. [Civil War Museums]

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.