James F. Gibson/Library of Congress
The Civil War
Between 1861 and 1865, the United States was divided between North and South, as Union troops waged war against Confederate rebels. Northern victory in the Civil War preserved the union and ended slavery, but it came at a heavy cost: more than 600,000 Americans, 2 percent of the population, died.
These Web sites provide a straightforward and comprehensive overview of the Civil ... read more »
This section links to Civil War resources that feature battle summaries, articles, ... read more »
Accounts written by officers, soldiers and witnesses are the foundation of ... read more »
Primary sources such as letters, diaries, contemporary news stories, and ... read more »
Online records of Civil War soldiers and regiments provide the opportunity to ... read more »
Teachers can find help teaching the Civil War on sites with lesson plans, ... read more »
The Civil War was the first war to be widely photographed, as Mathew Brady and other pioneering photographers captured thousands of photos of Civil War soldiers and battlefields.
The Library of Congress
has an archive of 7,000 photographs related to the Civil War. Photos can be found through a search or through three subjects organized by the LOC: African Americans, Enlisted Men, and Women. The site also explains how photographs were taken and provides a biography of Brady.
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