Looking for good sites for Civil War info

[Dundee]

I've got a few weeks leave coming up and I want to use the time to do some study on the American Civil War.

First off, I'm an Aussie so other than a module on tactics and technology in the American Civil War which was part of my officer training (and three months of American history way back in my high school days), my civil war knowledge is thin (well, thin compared to you guys anyway).

I've tried to wade through the mass of sites a Google search spat out but frankly there's a hell of a lot of garbage out there.

I'm looking for good sites for information on the issues that lead to the war as well as the actual war itself. I know that different sites will have a different perspective depending on which side you're on, so a mix of sites would be good (and from what little I know I think BOTH sides had a point).

Thanks!

[Tank-FL]

Start here at VMI

http://www.vmi.edu/archives/

[boxerblues]

hmmm the Civil War seems to be the topic of the day here on FR

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1057058/posts

[snopercod]

Going on a walkabout, eh? If you're near Asheville, NC, bring me some Vegemite, will you?

Check some of the articles in the FReeper Foxhole.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Campaign: Operations to Blockade the Texas Coast (1863)

Date(s): September 8, 1863

Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin and Capt. Frederick Crocker, U.S.N. [US]; Lt. Richard W. Dowling [CS]

Forces Engaged: 4 gunboats and 7 transports loaded with troops [US]; Texan Davis Guards (44 men) [CS]

Estimated Casualties: (US 230; CS unknown)

Description: About 6:00 am on the morning of September 8, 1863, a Union flotilla of four gunboats and seven troop transports steamed into Sabine Pass and up the Sabine River with the intention of reducing Fort Griffin and landing troops to begin occupying Texas. As the gunboats approached Fort Griffin, they came under accurate fire from six cannons. The Confederate gunners at Fort Griffin had been sent there as a punishment. To break the day-to-day monotony, the gunners practiced firing artillery at range markers placed in the river. Their practice paid off. Fort Griffin’s small force of 44 men, under command of Lt. Richard W. Dowling, forced the Union flotilla to retire and captured the gunboat Clifton and about 200 prisoners. Further Union operations in the area ceased for about a month. The heroics at Fort Griffin—44 men stopping a Union expedition—inspired other Confederate soldiers.

Result(s): Confederate victory

[freedom4ever]

Here are a few sites:

http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/

http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html

http://www.civil-war.net/

[carton253]

Websites that concentrate on Jackson's valley campaign might be helpful.

[Jaxter]

bump

[dixierat22]

I would suggest reading Shelby Footes' Trilogy on the Civil War. IMHO, he gives the best accounting of the war, how all the battles and political decisions tie in. The little details that matter.

[spudsmaki]

Visit Pamplin Park in Virginia. Best of the sites, it's privately run. Gettysburg is still good, until it's remodelled to be politically correct. The Petersburg federal park is tolerable.

The Civil War Medical Musuem in Frederick Maryland is quite good. Some of the private museums in Gettysburg are good.

Books: The Civil War, companion to the NPR series, by Burns etal is great. Get the $10 version.

Of the Shaara's series the middle opus, Gods and Generals, is quite approachable and explains tactics in lay terms. The Killer Angels, about Gettysburg, is understandable to those with much background.

[Core_Conservative]

Try my site - it even still has a few working links. http://www.geocities.com/rdbrown_79 - this site is for the 2nd United States sharp Shooters - Company B - a small but efficient group.

[JHENN22499]

I do most of my research on questia.com It is a great book library.

[johnny7]

Well I've been to a few. Bull Run, Chancelorsville, The Wilderness and Spotsylvania are all close to each other. Fredricksburg is great. Of course Gettysburg is a must.

Although not a Civil War site, the Custer Battlefield in Montana is my favorite.

As for the causes of the American Civil War, it all can be boiled down to a fight between two different cultures who exhausted all venues of conciliation.

Have a nice trip!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Index of Civil War Information available on the Internet

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The Confederate Navy's Shenandoah and a costly visit to Melbourne in 1865

[carton253]

I just got the first volume of Foote's book. I'm looking forward to reading it.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Frequently Asked Questions About The War For Southern Independence

FAQ Part 2

[TomServo]

Dixie Ping!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Causes of the Civil War -- "Reminiscences Of The Civil War", (Chapter I) By John B. Gordon, Maj. Gen. CSA

[Conan the Librarian]

HearHEAR! Foote is the most elloquent writer. He give a broad overview of the whole thing.

I would recommend going to Appomattox. It is a spiritual experience.