Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with civilwar

US Civil War life?

imjustsaying — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:48:53 -0800

Books on everyday civilian life during the US Civil War? I've just finished reading The State of Jones, by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer, and The Widow of the South, by Robert Hicks.

These have prompted an interest in the day to day life of people during the US Civil War and the years of reconstruction which followed.

Are there any suggestions for other books on this subject which I might like? The two I've mentioned are historical novels, as opposed to pure non-fiction.

Great historical media collections

Hargrimm — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:28:40 -0800

Where can I find lots of historical media? I'm looking for any kind of photos or film, newsreels, anything. I've always been fascinated by old photos of the Civil War and such, as well as newsreels and archive footage from WWII-era. I'm interested in military stuff as well as everyday life. I'm tired of searching everywhere for a few pictures and newsreels - please help me find some centralized collections!

(Free would be preferable)

Witches, Wizards, and the American Civil War

robocop is bleeding — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:38:59 -0800

What was going on with the occult and belief in the supernatural in Civil War-era America? I'm aware of Spiritualism, but in researching the background for a story idea I have, I seem to be drawing a blank for anything outside of the talking to the dead movement.

What's a good source for the folk beliefs of the 1860s?
Did "Louisiana Voodoo" exist in a recognizable form then?
Were there myths and legends that were well known then that have since fallen out of favor?

Any sources, anecdotes, or ideas you have pertaining to the mysterious and the occult of the 1860s is welcome. Lots of the stuff I've seen that covers that vague period veers into steampunk territory which I'd rather avoid.

Tell me Rico, what's this song called?

kurtroehl — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:52:10 -0800

In the TV movie The Hunley the doomed Confederate submariners sing a song together. I remember it sounding like an Irish folk-type tune but my Googling has failed to indentify it. Can you find the title and lyrics of this song? This movie stars Armand Assante and Donald Sutherland and was aired on TBS in 1999.

Help With Old Handwriting

marxchivist — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:19:58 -0800

Help with old / smudged handwriting on the back of a Civil War photo. Some folks at work and myself are trying to identify a Civil War soldier. Anyone want to take a stab at this guy's last name? Image here.

Pretty sure that last name starts with an M, first name Asa. Other writing is 4th NC Volunteers 1862. I've been through the rosters of the 4th and the 14th (which the first org of the 4th became) and could find no Asa. Maybe some new sets of eyes will help. This is the highest resolution of the image we have.

Picture of the guy himself here, wouldn't want to meet him on a battlefield.

Thanks!

Civil War balloon photography.

viewofdelft — Tue, 22 May 2007 14:38:53 -0800

Are there any extant photographs taken from balloons during the American Civil War? I would prefer photographs (should they exist) referenced online. I would also be interested in other photographs taken from balloons during the late 1800s.

Are vols 1 and 2 of S.R. Gardiner's "History of the Commonwealth and Protectorate" available online?

greycap — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 02:44:38 -0800

Seventeenth-century history-Filter: where can I find a copy of the first and second volumes of S.R. Gardiner's History of the Commonwealth and Protectorate online? I've managed to track down the third volume here. But volumes 1 and 2 are nowhere to be found. Questia doesn't seem to have them and I've trawled Gutenberg and a few other e-books sites. Does anyone know where this might be found? I have the standard academic access rights via Athens access management system, so should be able to access anything that's restricted to unversities.

If all else fails I will go and dig it out of a library, but I am studying part-time on top of a full-time job, so ideally it would very handy to be able to look at it on and off from my desk rather than spend a few hours at a time in a library. Thanks in advance.

Is Foote's writing on the Civil War authoritative?

Prospero — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 09:53:14 -0800

Is Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative widely considered to be authoritative? The hardcover edition of Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative has quietly gone on sale for $32.99 at Amazon, and I'm thinking of picking it up with the intention of reading it sometime. I'm willing to read a 3,000-page historical work if the reward is worth the effort, but I have so many books lying around that I can't afford the space for it unless I'm eventually going to read it.

However, a number of people accuse Foote of having a "Southern bias," and others claim that Foote's skills lie more in his ability as a writer than as a historian. So. Assume, for the sake of obtaining the best answer to the question, that I know little more about the Civil War than someone who grew up in the United States, but didn't actively research it. I have the following questions. You can answer any or all of them, or say something else that you feel is relevant if you feel these questions entail false assumptions.

1. Is Shelby Foote's work considered by historians to be an authoritative representation of the history of the Civil War?

2. If not, why not?

3. If it isn't authoritative, what works would best be considered as supplementary, or corrective, to Foote's account?

Civil War Sword in the Bay Area

mto — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:22:15 -0800

I want to get my dad a Civil War era sword for Christmas, either an original or a reproduction. However, I would prefer to buy locally (Bay Area / San Francisco, CA). I am willing to go as high as $500, but I want to see the sword in person. There are tons of these things online, but I am a bit nervous that I'll be disappointed. Are there any good stores in the Bay Area that carry either original swords or reproductions?

I never buy or deal with this kind of stuff (swords, the Civil War, weapons, etc), so any other advice you might have would be appreciated. I would prefer to stay away from anything Confederate because I don't think he'd be comfortable with Confederacy memorabilia considering the association with slavery.

slavery in pre-emancipation America

CodeBaloo — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 18:32:58 -0800

Why didn't slave owners in pre-emancipation America make slaves of the Native Americans, opting instead to import slaves from abroad? When the United States, particularly the agricultural South, was settled, the land was inhabited by various Native American peoples. Believing themselves superior to these "savages", why didn't the settlers enslave these people instead of attempting to exterminate them and herding those that survived westward?

Economically, I'd imagine the wholesale acquisition and importation of an African slave must have been a far riskier and more expensive endeavour for the slave trader/owner than the capture and conversion to slavery of the native peoples would have been.

I'm sure there are many individual instances of enslaved Native Americans. I'm more curious, though, about larger scale.

"What's So Civil 'Bout War, Anyway?"

Alvy Ampersand — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 07:55:17 -0800

I'm researching the American Civil War and the Reconstruction. I'm especially interested in everyday life, so first person accounts, almanacs, image galleries, and similar on-line archives would be very helpful. I'd also like to know what was going on in other countries, both in North American and elsewhere, at that time, and the effect the war had on them (Economically, politically, etc.)
Any weird anecdotes or throw-away factoids that you have would also be great!

More specifically, I'm also looking for an archived school primer that was making the internet rounds a few months back. Titled "A Confederate Child's Schoolbook," or something like that, it was published in 1863. It could very well have been posted here, but so far has eluded my Yahoo Fu.

Matthew Brady photograph where are you?

starman — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 17:19:41 -0800

Looking for a Matthew Brady photograph... I'm looking for a civil war photograph of a dead soldier (possibly labeled as a sniper) taken by Matthew Brady (or his posse). There was a controversy because some things in the scene may have been posed - rifle put by his side or propped up. There might be a few of these, but I think there is one famous one in particular. I sort of remember the rifle being propped up on a wall or embankment (I could be totally wrong though).

I've found some online but none fit the rifle on wall or embankment scenario I am thinking of.

Extra points for higher resolution.

Could a tight presidential result in lead to civil war

davehat — Thu, 28 Oct 2004 03:37:51 -0800

Could a tight presidential result in lead to civil war? Either minus the word "in", or add to it "the US".

Emancipation Proclamation

mojohand — Wed, 26 May 2004 12:36:13 -0800

CivilWarTriviaFilter. This was a question on a 'Millionaire' I recently watched, and it's been driving me nuts. There are *two* signatures on the Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln's, of course, but also that of his Secretary of State, William Seward.

What I want to know is why. The Proclamation was a document dealing with domestic affairs. Why would the Secretary of State sign it, rather than, say, my guess, which was Stanton, the Secretary of War (since it only applied to where the Union Army occupied states in rebellion.) Google only confirms Seward's signature, not the reason.