Curated OER
National Park Service: Gettysburg National Military Park
This exhibit of Civil War collections showcases some of the belongings made or used by soldiers in Union and Confederate Camps. Soldiers used these items to cope with the long days in camp.
Kidport
Kidport Reference Library: Uniforms of the Civil War
Shows actual photographs of the uniforms of the Union and Confederate soldiers in the Civil War.
University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina: The Civil War Day by Day
These primary sources offer a glimpse into the mentality of those living in the South during the Civil War. Included are pictures, letters from soldiers, letters from women on the homefront, and reactions to the Confederate surrender and...
Read Works
Read Works: Passages: "Patrick Cleburne's Proposal to Arm Slaves"
[Free Registration/Login Required] In this letter from January 2, 1864, Patrick R. Cleburne, a Confederate commander, writes to a Confederate general proposing that black soldiers be added to their ranks as they were in grave danger of...
Other
North Carolina Museum of History: North Carolina and the Civil War
This museum from North Carolina has collected artifacts, personal accounts of soldiers, biographies, and information about battles in North Carolina.
Curated OER
Library of Congress: Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Portraits
View this entire collection of beautiful ambrotype and tintype photographs of Union and Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. Many have personal notes found in the case. It is very touching to see the young faces of these...
Cornell University
Cornell University: Library: Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the War
This collection of photographs from the Civil War is divided into seven different themes. Along with each picture, there is a lengthy description, the name of the photographer, and the date taken.
Library of Congress
Loc: A Sharpshooter's Last Sleep
An informative three-page site on the famous image by photographer Alexander Gardner at Gettysburg. There is a detailed description of the photograph as well as a great discussion on the authenticity of the image.
Virginia Historical Society
Virginia Historical Society: Home Front: How Did Slaves Support the Confederacy?
Read about the different roles that slaves and freed blacks took on in Virginia during the Civil War. They provided labor while the white men were away fighting and they helped with the military efforts. Many took the opportunity to...
Black Past
Black Past: Fort Pillow Massacre
In this encyclopedia entry you'll learn about the Fort Pillow Massacre where Confederate soldiers attacked a Union garrison of whom roughly half, about 300, were runaway slaves who joined the Union Army. Over two-thirds were slaughtered...
Other
West Virginia in the Civil War: The Jessie Scouts
A thorough discussion of the formation and use of the Jessie scouts who were mainly cavalrymen who gathered intelligence. Dressed as Confederate soldiers, they were used extensively by General Sheridan in the Shenandoah Campaign.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Northern Plans to End the War
By 1863 Northern military strategists developed a five-pronged plan to end the war. Read about how these goals were accomplished and at what great cost to both the Union and Confederate soldiers and civilians.
State Library of North Carolina
N Cpedia: Hiram Rhoades Revels
Biography of Hiram Rhoades Revels, who is best remembered as not only the first African American to hold a seat in the U.S. Senate, but also for his dedication to improving the spiritual and educational needs of the African American...
US National Archives
National Archives: Comparing Civil War Recruitment Posters
The Lincoln administration struggled with the idea of recruiting black troops until it became a necessity for the Union army. Compare and contrast the following recruitment posters - one for recruiting black men for the Union army and...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Gettysburg National Military Park: Camp Life
An online exhibit that shares items made or used by Confederate or Union camps. It also describes some of the soldiers' activities in camps between battles.
American Battlefield Trust
American Battlefield Trust: Civil War Biography: Moses Ezekiel: Vmi Cadet
Biographical profile of Moses Ezekiel, who served in the Confederate ranks when still a student at the Virginia Military Institute, and later became a well-known sculptor.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Of Generals and Soldiers
Many of the generals on both sides of the Civil War were friends and acquaintances because of their service in the Mexican War. Read about some of these generals and see on which side they fought and why.
University of North Carolina
Documenting the South: The War: "Stonewall" Jackson as I Saw Them
A first-hand chronology of James H. Wood's experiences in the Civil War. Included are campaigns of Stonewall Jackson in which Wood participated.
Curated OER
Library of Congress: Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Portraits
View this entire collection of beautiful ambrotype and tintype photographs of Union and Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. Many have personal notes found in the case. It is very touching to see the young faces of these...
American Battlefield Trust
American Battlefield Trust: Civil War Biography: Loreta Janeta Velazquez: Lieutenant
Biographical profile of Lieutenant Loreta Janeta Velazquez, a woman who served in the Confederate army disguised as a man.
Other
Cartania: Civil War Reflections 1862 1865
Harvey Hogue's adventures as a Union soldier in a Confederate prison camp, and his escape from the notorious Andersonville make interesting reading. Not exactly a primary source document, but stories from an actual participant in the...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "The Gettysburg Address" by President Abraham Lincoln
This speech was given in 1863 after the Union and Confederate armies had been at war for more than three years and several hundred thousand Americans had already died. Thousands of Union soldiers died at the Battle of Gettysburg alone. A...
Curated OER
Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Clip Art Etc: Edmund Ruffin
Edmund Ruffin (January 5, 1794 - June 18, 1865) was a farmer and slaveholder, a Confederate soldier, and an 1850s political activist.
Curated OER
Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Clip Art Etc: General William Mahone
(1826-1895) Confederate soldier and US senator from Virginia.