Civil War (1861 – 1865) Sesquicentennial Resources

This web page launched on April 12, 2011, the 150th anniversary of the attack on Fort Sumter, SC, by Confederate forces, an act that is seen as the official start of the Civil War.

“The resources accessible through this site will help teachers and students across Wisconsin learn more about the events of one of our nation’s most trying times,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers in a public statement.

The resources on this page will be updated throughout the four-year recognition of the Civil War sesquicentennial.

Wisconsin and the Civil War:

• The Wisconsin Historical Society unveiled their “Wisconsin in the Civil War” site in mid-April, 2011. It is is the culmination of 18 months of work by numerous staff and volunteers, and includes information of interest from people first learning about the Civil War to those who have studied it for years. Thousands of primary source documents are indexed by topic, regiment, individual name, date, and location can be found on over 16,000 pages of information on the site.
• The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is offering a number of educational programs throughout the year about Wisconsin’s involvement in the Civil War. Wisconsin Veterans Museum will be hosting lectures pertaining to the Civil War throughout the Sesquicentennial. The Veterans Museum offers a travel trunk program for teachers, including one Civil War trunk. They also have information on Civil War battleflags and online research through the Civil War database.
• Wisconsin Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. The Wisconsin Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission recently launched its website, which features images and accounts of the war as well as a calendar of events and other resources. Featured on one page is a historically-minded prediction by Abraham Lincoln: "The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation." The fifteen members of the commission plan to work with museums, libraries, historical societies, and veterans organizations to increase public interest and understanding of Wisconsin's role in the Civil War.
• The Wisconsin Historical Society Museum opened “Civil War Memories and Mementoes” in March. This exhibit will remain open through October 8, 2011. The Museum is open 9 am - 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Those wishing to inquire about group visits can call the Tour Office at 608-264-6557.
• The Joseph Arnold collection on the Civil War offers a glimpse into the experiences of a Fond du Lac native who enlisted in 1862. Personal accounts of the battles at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, as well as first-hand accounts of his internment as a prisoner of war are included. At the Oshkosh Museum website:
• The Kenosha Civil War Museum has information on their exhibits, re-enactment dates, and events throughout the year in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
• In February, the Neville Museum in Green Bay opened "Badger Boys: Northeast Wisconsin and the Civil War," dedicated to the stories of the people and communities of northeastern Wisconsin during the war.
• Diigo list on Wisconsin in the Civil War.

Current Events:

• As state and national news stories regarding the Civil War sesquicentennial are available, they will be added to this collection.

Web 2.0:

• The American Interest has a blog set in real time – but 150 years in the past.
• Civil War Wiki
• Diigo list on Civil War Sesquicentennial resources.

Twitter:

• The National Park Service offers a Twitter feed of Beglan O’Brien, a fictional Civil War newspaper reporter.
• The Washington Post is using primary sources to tweet information on the Civil War from the people who lived it.
• US Civil War tweet
• The US National Archives has a Civil War Twitter feed, as well.
• Civil War Letters
• Civil War Trust: Saving America’s Battlefields

Facebook:

• The Civil War Sesquicentennial Network is on Facebook.
• Civil War Preservation Trust
• General George H. Gordon (from Framingham, Mass., Union officer) has a Facebook feed

For History Buffs:

• The National Park Service’s website for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War offers information on the Legacy of the Civil War: Then and Now.
• The Civil War homepage offers photographs, battle maps, books, timelines, and living history information.
• Click here for resources on weaponry and battles, an interactive battle map, primary sources and a discussion board.
• A database of historical markers in Civil War battlefields.
• That A Nation Might Live has a weekly podcast looking at what happened 150 years ago to the date, concentrating on the Civil War.
• Virtual Civil War is a collection of photographs of Civil War battlefields and re-enactments.

The Library of Congress: American Memory:

• The Library of Congress has over 1,000 Civil War photographs
• Part of the Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana is online at American Memory: Library of Congress. The online portion of the collection includes over 1300 pieces (out of over 11,000 items), including newspaper accounts, law papers, cartoons, photos and campaign tickets.
• Band music from the Civil War era from the Library of Congress.
• American Memory also has “Civil War Treasures from the New York Historical Society.”
• Civil War Maps uses information from the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division, the Virginia Historical Society, and the Library of Virginia to offer detailed battle, reconnaissance, and theater-of-war maps.
• The Civil War experience of Captain Tilton C. Reynolds, a member of the 105th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, can be found by clicking here.
• The diary of Horatio Nelson Taft documents life in Washington, D.C. during the Civil War.

Lincolniana:

• Selected speeches by Abraham Lincoln
• The Gettysburg Address (1863)
• Abraham Lincoln’s Classroom offers many resources to teachers regarding our 16th president.
• Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park
• National Park Service – Lincoln’s tomb
• List of Lincoln websites on Diigo

Curriculum Resources:

• Journey Through Hallowed Ground “Of the Student, By the Student, For the Student” Service-Learning Program is a nationally recognized and award-winning service-learning program that combines movie-making with on-site national history and authentic experiences to connect young people with American heritage.
• The Civil War Trust has a FREE Civil War K-12 curriculum available online in honor of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.
• Teach the Civil War with Technology is a blog that outlines multiple ways to have students access information on the Civil War using the internet.
• Teaching Future Historians has free video downloads on many Civil War topics.
• Teaching the Civil War wiki
• A Teaching American History grant entitled Lesson Plans and Teaching Ideas for Sectionalism, Civil War and Reconstruction
• More info can be found by clicking here.

Civil War Battlefield Sites

• Find Civil War battlefield information on Diigo.

For questions about this information, contact Kristen McDaniel (608)266-2207

Last updated on 4/12/2011 11:53:49 AM