The election of 1860 showed the deep divisions that split the country. With four candidates representing four very different approaches to the issue of slavery, the outcome resulted in the secession of South Carolina, followed eventually...

This is a large site from American Treasures covering primary source documents from the early 1800s through the Civil War and on to Western Expansion.

This autobiography of an African-American man relates his experiences as a free laborer in Georgia after the Civil War. You will see that he felt his conditions were not unlike the slavery that existed before the Civil War. From the...

A unique collection of first-person accounts, this concentrates on all the populations of the South, such as ex-slaves, enlisted men, middle-class women, displaced plantation owners. The works are sorted by the author's name. To search...

This site is a collaborative work-in-progress involving a team of four scholars based in the US, Ireland and the UK. It consists of ten learning units on topics revolving around the emancipation of slaves in the American South following...

A series of maps showing important campaigns and regions of the American Civil War (1861-1865). The maps show important cities and towns, railroads and campaign routes, terrain and coastal features, and rivers. The maps include (1)...

Where the American Civil War started, with the secession of South Carolina from the Union.

Where the American Civil War ended.

Post-Civil War home of U.S. congressman Robert Smalls, a former slave who commandeered a Confederate ship out to Union lines.

First shots of the American Civil War were fired here on January 9, 1861, and the Battle of Fort Sumter raged from April 12 to April 13.

A fascinating look at the "chess game" that involved Fort Sumter, a United States military installation in Charleston Harbor off the coast of South Carolina. Read about the moves by various leaders to keep or take the fort without...

This is the full text of the novel The Guns of Bull Run by Joseph A. Altsheler, the first in a series of eight books chronicling the Civil War. The Guns of Bull Run follows the adventures of Harry Kenton, a Southern sympathizer from...

A map of the parts of Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia involved in the Georgia and the Carolinas campaigns of the American Civil War. The map shows major cities, towns, and ports, railroads, mountain...

A map showing the seat of the American Civil War (1861-1865) in the east. The map shows the principal areas of conflict from southern Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Gettysburg) south to the South Carolina State Line, showing major cities...

Site has information on the different types of artillery that were used in the Civil War.

A map of the parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, showing the area of General Sherman's march from Dalton, Georgia, Atlanta, and on to Savannah, South Carolina (May-December, 1864), and his northward march from Savannah...

A map of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina showing the routes of Union General Sherman's 'March to the Sea’ from Atlanta to Savannah (November 15 to December 21, 1864), and his march to Raleigh. The map shows state capitals,...

A map of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina showing the routes of Union General Sherman's 'March to the Sea’ from Atlanta to Savannah (November 15 to December 21, 1864), and his march to Raleigh. The map shows the area to the...

A map showing the secession of the Confederate States from the Union, from the secession of South Carolina (December 20, 1860) to the secession of Tennessee (June 8, 1861). The map is color-coded to show the Federal States and territory...

A map of the Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, site of the Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12-13, 1861) at the outbreak of the American Civil War. The map shows the city of Charleston and railroads, the Union held Fort Sumter at the mouth...

A detailed map of Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, in April, 1861 at the beginning of the American Civil War, and site of the Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12-13, 1861). The map shows the city of Charleston and railroads, rural roads,...

A map of the parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina showing the area of Sherman's campaign in late 1864 to early 1865. The map shows the route of Sherman's March from Atlanta to Savannah, and his northward route from...

A map showing Charleston and its defenses during the Civil War.

School for freed slaves, Gullahs, on St. Helena Island which was occupied by the Union near the outset of the American Civil War.