ThisRepublicofSufferingResources

See also: Seminar page for “Touched with Fire:” Examining Wartime Participation of Men and Women in the American Civil War, Available at: http://historyconnected.wikispaces.com/ParticipationintheAmericanCivilWar

Resources Related to George Harold Parker, Soldier from Reading, MA in the American Civil War
 * Some Local History Resources: **

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors’ System [] A computerized data base with basic facts on Union and Confederate servicemen. Users can look up soldiers by name; state; regiment; ethnicity

Lowell and the Civil War [] A collection of images on the Civil War and Lowell. It includes photographs of individuals, memorials, and historic sites.

Drew Gilpin Faust Biography, Office of the President Harvard University []
 * Websites **

Republic of Suffering Author Drew Gilpin Faust, Fresh Air, NPR [] Drew Gilpin Faust interviewed about her book on January 9, 2008 by one of my most favorite book people Terry Gross on Fresh Air. When you have an uninterrupted 30 minutes give a listen. You will not be disappointed—brilliant radio!

Disunion [] One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Americans went to war with themselves. Disunion revisits and reconsiders America's most perilous period -- using contemporary accounts, diaries, images and historical assessments to follow the Civil War as it unfolded.

Timeline: The Civil War Interactive Feature, The New York Times [] An unfolding history of the major events of the Civil War since Lincoln's election using contemporaneous coverage from the Times' article and photo archives.

Pictorial Americana [] See the Table of Contents to access a variety of images from every year of the Civil War. Additional links provide access to images of Women's Activities during the Civil War and African Americans during the Civil War.

Virtual Museum Exhibit at Clara Barton National Historic Site __ [] __ This exhibit showcases the extraordinary life, tenacious personality, remarkable leadership, and humanitarian contributions of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. Visitors can explore Clara Barton's rich professional work and honors, engaging personal life and letters, and take a virtual tour of her Victorian-style Glen Echo, Maryland home and American Red Cross headquarters.

“Reliving and Denying an Ugly Past” [] An op-ed piece by Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe on the recent Secession Ball held to mark the 150th Anniversary of South Carolina’s Secession from the Union

Teaching With Documents: The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady. [|http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/brady-photos/] Website contains documents, teaching activities, and document analysis worksheet.

New York Historical Society Podcasts (scroll down the page) [] Two renowned Civil War historians – Drew Gilpin Faust and David W. Blight – examine the lives that were irrevocably changed by the Civil War and the mental and physical suffering of a nation.

Library of Congress American Memory Selected Civil War Photographs. [] Contains 1,118 photographs. Most of the images were made under the supervision of [|__Mathew B. Brady__], and include scenes of military personnel, preparations for battle, and battle after-effects. The collection also includes portraits of both Confederate and Union officers, and a selection of enlisted men.

The Price in Blood! Casualties in the Civil War [|http://www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm] At least 618,000 Americans died in the Civil War, and some experts say the toll reached 700,000. The number that is most often quoted is 620,000. At any rate, these casualties exceed the nation's loss in all its other wars, from the Revolution through Vietnam. The Union armies had from 2,500,000 to 2,750,000 men. Their losses, by the best estimates: include battle deaths, 110,070; disease, 250,152. Confederates had from 750,000 to 1,250,000 in uniform. Their losses, by the best estimates: battle deaths 94,000; disease, 164,000.

Civil War.Net [] The Civil War Home Page contains thousands of pages of Civil War material including photos, images, battles, documents, Southern historical papers, troops furnished, death stats, associations, letters & diaries, census of 1860, maps, official records, message board, Dyer's Compendium, Fox's Regimental Losses, regimental histories, genealogy, biographical information, reenacting and unit information.

The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns [|http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/]

Massachusetts Civil War Websites [] Home page for MA civil war websites.

Official National Park Service Civil War Website [] The approaching 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War (2011-2015) offers the current generation of Americans a most important opportunity to know, discuss, and commemorate this country's greatest national crisis, while at the same time exploring its enduring relevance in the 21st century.

The United States Civil War Center, Civil War Collections & the Civil War Book Review [|http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/] The mission of the United States Civil War Center is to promote interdisciplinary study of the American Civil War. It was founded in 1993 by novelist David Madden, Professor of English at Louisiana State University.

Civil War at Smithsonian [|http://www.civilwar.si.edu/] Civil War at the Smithsonian site is produced by the National Portrait Gallery and is dedicated to examining the Civil War through the Smithsonian Institution's extensive and manifold collections. Since the war itself, 1861–1865, the institution has been actively collecting, preserving, and remembering America’s most profound national experience. Now through the World Wide Web, this site gives the public increased access to Smithsonian collections and archives.

US History Civil War Sites [|http://www.besthistorysites.net/USHistory_CivilWar.shtml] This is one of the oldest and most impressive gateways to Civil War web sites. Categories are updated regularly.

Civil War Preservation Trust: Saving America’s Civil War battlefields. [|http://www.civilwar.org/]

//Battle Cry of Freedom// by James McPherson. If you want a single volume book that covers the political and economic events that led up to the war, as well as the same subjects during the war itself, you can't get any better than this book. McPherson also discusses the major battles and the political and military leaders. Whereas most books will give you a narrow-focused, highly biased account of the era, McPherson does not. This is a well-researched study, and ably written. My bible!
 * Books **

//This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War// by Drew Gilpin Faust. Battle is the dramatic centerpiece of Civil War history; this penetrating study looks instead at the somber aftermath. Historian Faust, (president of Harvard University) notes that the Civil War introduced America to death on an unprecedented scale and of an unnatural kind—grisly, random and often ending in an unmarked grave far from home. She surveys the many ways the Civil War generation coped with the trauma: the concept of the Good Death—conscious, composed and at peace with God; the rise of the embalming industry; the sad attempts of the bereaved to get confirmation of a soldier's death, sometimes years after war's end; the swelling national movement to recover soldiers' remains and give them decent burials; the intellectual quest to find meaning—or its absence—in the war's carnage. Truly brilliant and at the same time disturbing.

//The Civil War: A Narrative// by Shelby Foote. Everyone has seen Shelby Foote on TV by now, either in the PBS "Civil War" series or on one of A&E's programs. He's usually described as a "writer" rather than historian, but believe me--he's both. Par excellence. The only critical thing I can say about this mammoth 3-volume, 2500 page work is that it's a shame it's a narrative, rather than a history book with footnotes. Although there is little worry about Foote having his facts mixed up, it would be awful nice if the reader could go to the source of the anecdote for further reading. No matter. Just find an easy chair and relax. Enjoy history at its best. A tome, but the standard work others are measured against.

//The Civil War// by Bruce Catton. Although Catton frequently writes about the war from the North's viewpoint, I do not agree with those that say he presents a biased view. He criticizes and praises both sides, as he sees fit. Like Shelby Foote, he is both an excellent writer and a thorough historian. Typically just about anything Catton writes reads as easily as good fiction. This book is no exception, but one must realize the limitations of trying to tell a story of the mammoth proportions the Civil War is in only 372 pages--many of which are jammed with photographs and maps! Like Foote's work, this is a narrative also, but Catton puts together an accurate story.

//A Commitment to Honor: A Unique Portrait of Abraham Lincoln in His Own Words// by Gordon Leidner. This is an attractive book of Lincoln quotations (usually 2 or 3 sentences long) and quotations about Lincoln by people that knew him. They are organized according to topics such as Leadership, Honesty, Faith, Character, and Hope. The author is also the webmaster for this website (greatamericanhistory.com) so it's obvious I'm somewhat prejudiced--but the book really is an excellent source of Lincoln quotes, each one annotated so you know exactly where they come from. Also has nice Lincoln photos. Hardbound.

//Men of Secession and Civil War, 1859-1861// by James Abrahamson. Abrahamson presents a succinct, factual account the men and issues that brought about the American Civil War. He explores the personalities and plans of fireaters like Robert Rhett and William Yancey of the South, and politicians such as Steven A. Douglas and abolitionists such as Salmon P. Chase of the North. The reader will gain a clearer understanding of the reason the North and South went to war in 1861. Well researched and clearly written, appropriate for students of all ages.

//Abraham Lincoln// by Benjamin Thomas. Long considered the authoritative single volume study of Lincoln, Thomas' book has stood the test of time--first published in 1952. Well written, well-researched. Old school biography at its finest.

//With Malice Toward None// by Stephen B. Oates. This is a slightly longer work than Thomas's, but it is also a warmer, more in-depth one that gives you a better understanding of the magnificent heart of Lincoln's. Very enjoyable reading and one of my favorite teachers.

[|//The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery//] by [|__Eric Foner__]. A mixture of visionary progressivism and repugnant racism, Lincoln's attitude toward slavery is the most troubling aspect of his public life, one that gets a probing assessment in this study. Columbia historian and Bancroft Prize winner Foner traces the complexities of Lincoln's evolving ideas about slavery and African-Americans: while he detested slavery, he also publicly rejected political and social equality for blacks, dragged his feet (critics charged) on emancipating slaves and accepting black recruits into the Union army, and floated schemes for colonizing freedmen overseas almost to war's end. Just published, and for my money one of the best history books I’ve read in a long while.

//Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln// by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Goodwin makes the case for Lincoln's political genius by examining his relationships with three men he selected for his cabinet, all of whom were opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860: William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates. Ms Goodwin on her game.

The Impending Crisis, 1848-1861 by David M. Potter. Brilliantly analyzes the problems of slavery, expansion, sectionalism, and party politics that influenced mid-nineteenth-century America leading up to the Civil War.

[|//__The Colfax Massacre: The Untold Story of Black Power, White Terror, and the Death of Reconstruction__//] by [|LeeAnna Keith]. It happened in Colfax, La., on Easter Sunday, 1873; when it ended, the largest number of victims in the history of racial violence in the United States, more than one hundred and fifty African-Americans, were dead. Keith places the massacre at the center of her book, but her sharpest focus is upon white political figures and the slave-holding Calhoun family (the character Simon Legree in Uncle Tom's Cabin was based upon a Calhoun forebear). Keith traces the fortunes of the Calhoun family to the events leading to the massacre… Three white men were convicted, not for murders but for conspiracy in one murder. These convictions were overturned... Louisiana's Governor Kellogg declared no white man could be punished for killing a Negro. Later memorialized by the state with a plaque celebrating the demise of 'carpetbag misrule in the South, (Publishers Weekly)

Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory by David W. Blight. Almost all the dominant views of the Civil War and its aftermath—including Reconstruction and “reunion”— prevalent in this country until the coming of the civil rights movement, were the result of an extensive Southern propaganda war, argues Blight (Yale University professor of history). Blight surveys a mass of information detailing the mechanics of mythmaking: how the rebels were recast as not actually rebelling, how the South had been unjustly invaded... He traces the growth and development of what became, by the turn of the 20th century and the debut of the film ‘The Birth of a Nation’, the dominant racist representation of the Civil War. I love this book!

Manifest Destinies: America's Westward Expansion and the Road to the Civil War by Steven E. Woodworth. A sweeping history of the 1840s, Manifest Destinies captures the enormous sense of possibility that inspired America’s growth and shows how the acquisition of western territories forced the nation to come to grips with the deep fault line that would bring war in the near future. Brand new – out in November 2010.