Questions tagged [american-civil-war]
the civil war that took place between the northern and southern states of the United States between 1861-65.
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How to make sense of Civil War regiment reports?
I'm reading through my book on the 48th VA Infantry by John D. Chapla and interspersed throughout the book are these reports that I'm having a hard time making sense of.
http://imgur.com/yrLex9q
I ...
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1answer
218 views
What caused the Mule Shoe salient?
I have a few ancestors that fought in the 48th VA Infantry Regiment, most of whom were captured at Mule Shoe during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.
The Mule Shoe was a half-mile long, mile-...
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1answer
57 views
To what extent has the United States become (in 1870) the nation that it originally set out to be? [closed]
I was thinking about this for a while. I know that the US never intended to abolish slavery at that time, but it still happened. Is that even relevant?
Some of the things I thought that they ...
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1answer
100 views
How detailed were American Civil War medical records of the types of diseases that various soldiers had?
The Northern armies evidently kept at least somewhat detailed statistics on how many of their soldiers were sick. Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative recalls one incident where the Army of the ...
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2answers
287 views
Why is Jackson's valley campaign considered a Confederate victory?
Wikipedia article on the campaign
I'm curious why Jackson's valley campaign is considered a victorious Confederate campaign. Yes, Jackson won almost all the battles that were fought, but as I ...
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2answers
315 views
What was the South actually afraid Lincoln or Congress would do that precipitated the Civil War?
While the US Civil War was fought over slavery, it doesn't appear that an interpretation of law from the 19th century supports the notion that Congress or the President could have eliminated slavery ...
3
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1answer
106 views
What were the circumstances surrounding Forrest's injury at Shiloh?
In Shelby Foote's, "The Civil War", he describes how Nathan Bedford Forrest was injured during the organized rebel retreat from Shiloh on day 2. According to Foote, Forrest and his troopers ...
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5answers
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Why did Lincoln wait to issue the Emancipation Proclamation?
(Apologies in advance: not being American, while I've read up somewhat about the military aspects of the Civil War, I am somewhat unclear as to its political dimension.)
Lincoln did not declare the ...
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1answer
206 views
Did Frederick Douglass affect British policy during the American Civil War?
In his recent biography of Douglass, David Blight talks about Douglass’s trips to England prior to the war. He explains the Douglass was well received, but doesn’t give insight into any effect this ...
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2answers
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Which “Walker” is Thoreau referring to in “A Plea for Captain John Brown”?
“If Walker may be considered the representative of the South, I wish I could say that Brown was the representative of the North. He was a superior man.”
Excerpt From: Henry David Thoreau. A Plea ...
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5answers
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Why did Robert E. Lee say that George McClellan was the best general he ever faced?
In administration, preparation, and morale, he may have been excellent, but in starting campaigns he was ruinously cautious and in battles he was reluctant to sustain casualties.
In the the Peninsula ...
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1answer
378 views
An American Civil War battle where a general was ordered to advance to a certain point and wait . . . so waiting was all he did?
I'm trying to pin down something I once read about what went wrong with the Union's plans for a certain battle in the American Civil War. I think I once read a few paragraphs about this in a book by ...
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2answers
152 views
How did messages get back and forth between ship and shore during the Battle of Cherbourg?
In volume 3 of Shebly Foote's book on the American Civil war, he mentions that once out to sea, Winslow got a message from France about Semmes's intentions. Does that mean there were boats going back ...
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4answers
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Where can I find a personal account of freedom of a slave in America after 1863
The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 declared free all slaves in the Confederacy. In 1865 the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the whole country. I am familiar with the context.
What I am ...
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1answer
151 views
Is this a US Civil War uniform?
Image is a photo of an original tin type (photographic method introduced in 1856, in popular production until roughly 1867), hat appears to be U.S. Civil War - Union, "X" patch on right front breast ...
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7answers
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Why did the Confederacy think they could win the American Civil War?
The early Confederacy (The 7 founding states) attacked Fort Sumter in April 1861, starting the American Civil War. The Confederacy knew this would lead to war with the Union, yet they seemed to be ...
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1answer
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What was the effect of the Civil War on the cost of cotton?
If you look at contemporary sources discussing slavery as practiced in the antebellum American South, a couple recurring themes pop up again and again:
Cotton. Cotton farming requires large amounts ...
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3answers
863 views
What prompted Lincoln to change his mind about ending slavery?
Prior to the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln asserted that he would not end slavery in the South and that he was not in favor of racial equality. Yet, by 1863 he signed the “Emancipation Proclamation” ...
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1answer
112 views
Why did Heth go towards Gettysburg on July 1, 1863?
In Shelby Foote's book about the civil war, he indicates that General Henry Heth send his men into Gettysburg looking after a "supply of shoes". They ran into Buford's men, Heth approached A.P. Hill, ...
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4answers
805 views
How did Lincoln know to stick with Grant before the completion of the Vicksburg campaign?
I'm reading Shelby Foote's book on the Civil War and something struck me: Lincoln was sticking by Grant, whom he'd never met, well before his big victories at Vicksburg and Chattanooga. How did ...
6
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2answers
716 views
Did Lincoln “usurp” his war powers?
In a previous question I made the statement that Lincoln "usurped" his war powers during the civil war. This statement was controversial and elicited thoughtful comments. I thought I would open up a ...
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5answers
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What did the Emancipation Proclamation exactly do?
I'm a bit confused about what Lincoln's proclamation did exactly. It's thought by some the Emancipation Proclamation gave all slaves the status of free. However from reading the introduction of the ...
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2answers
415 views
How well were the African soldiers equipped in the civil war?
I know that Africans ( former slaves) were used on both sides during the civil war (later in the north than in the south I think) now my question is this: how were the African soldiers equipped during ...
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2answers
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How professional and well equipped were US Civil War soldiers?
Essentially, what the question says - did the war cause Americans to become better at war than the Eurasian powers (Germany, France, England, Russia, Japan, whatever, I am just making up a list) at ...
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1answer
655 views
Why did Confederate General Forrest leave the KKK?
I've watched a video with a simplified version of General Nathan Bedford Forrest's history. It was in the context of contemporary pressure to remove statues of Confederate leaders.
At the request of ...
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2answers
574 views
Why was it necessary to maintain a balance of power between the Slave and Free states?
As said in the title, why was there a need to maintain the balance of power between the Slave states and Free States by keeping them equal in number, before the American Civil War?
Both the Clay ...
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2answers
250 views
How could a deserter go West in 1863?
A man deserted from the Armory Square Hospital in DC in Feb 1863. His next recorded presence was in 1865 Iowa when he got married under an assumed name. I am curious to know how he might have made it ...
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3answers
243 views
Are there historical instances of property rights not being respected/acknowledged between U.S. states, territories, and the federal government?
Some of the controversies leading up to the American Civil War were whether the U.S. States had to recognize the slave property of other States (e.g., maintaining them in a state of slavery, or ...
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2answers
707 views
Were there many foreigners fighting during the American civil war?
Apart from Philippe d'Orléans and his brother, as well as Patrick Cleburne, were there many foreigners fighting during the American civil war ? Any other famous cases ?
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639 views
Why was the North willing to go to war over Slavery?
[edited]
According to Washington Post, "There is a consensus among historians that the root cause of the Civil War was slavery". Assuming that slavery was indeed the root cause, I can understand why ...
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4answers
4k views
Did the North give the South its debt after Civil War ended?
In discussions with a colleague of mine many years ago, concerning the American Civil War (aka the War Between the States), he mentioned that “... the North left/gave all the [financial] debt to the ...
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1answer
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Meaning of Civil War term “playout”?
I am reading Gettysburg The Last Invasion by Guelzo and it is recounted that a captain advised a sergeant to make sure that men who were chronic "playouts" be taken into the fight or killed by the ...
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1answer
230 views
Edmund Burke vs Thomas Paine [closed]
Historical figures are regularly assigned designations left or right.
As Edmund Burke, and Thomas Paine were leading antagonists with these designations at the latter half of the 18th century. Here ...
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1answer
277 views
Pre civil-war, did the north ever make any attempts to stop the underground railroad? [closed]
Did Northern authorities before the Civil War make any attempts to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act and/or stop the Underground Railroad?
3
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1answer
236 views
Was John S. Mosby the model/motivation/template for John Carter?
I've always suspected this but have never seen any concrete proof. Was the fictitious Edgar Rice Burroughs character John Carter based on the civil war hero/villain John S. Mosby?
Mosby was arguable ...
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1answer
507 views
Were Confederate pikes just a curious item to laugh at?
If you check this video you can see many Confederate pikes being unearthed. There are also other videos featuring high-tech Confederate pikes. Were these meant just to entertain troops in the field? ...
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1answer
574 views
American presidents on secession legality?
I am writing article (in Russian) on secession legality, and would like to include and analyze expressed opinions of antebellum American Presidents on the subject.
My favorite is Andrew Jackson’s ...
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8answers
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Emancipation Proclamation in a tweet
Today is the 155th anniversary of the signing (but not the release) of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Critics remarked even at the time that it didn't free a single slave, since it only applied to ...
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3answers
801 views
Would occupying Big Round Top have been a good idea for the Confederates?
A lot of attention was given at the end of the 19th century to the "what if" the Confederates occupied the Little Round Top at Gettysburg, but there's the Big Round Top nearby and the Confederates ...
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2answers
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How did the American Civil War help the U.S economy recover from the Panic of 1857 given that civil wars are extremely destructive?
From the Wikipedia article on the Panic of 1857:
Beginning in September 1857, the financial downturn did not last long;
however, a proper recovery was not seen until the American Civil War.
...
3
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1answer
495 views
Could the 1864 US presidential election have been postponed?
This article on HistoryNet makes the following observation about the 1864 election:
The 1864 race for the White House was the United States’ first presidential election during wartime. Proposals to ...
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3answers
510 views
During the 1850’s and 60’s, was the free North (and its cause in the U.S. Civil War) considered more virtuous than the slave-holding South?
During the 1850’s and 60’s, was the free North (and its cause in the U.S. Civil War) considered more virtuous than the slave-holding South?
Do we find authors or politicians in the U.K. or France ...
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1answer
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Flag with 13 white stars and a crescent on red background
What flag is this?
I saw this flag as a sticker on a car from another country. I could not recognize the plate so I do not know its nationality.
My search on Google/images resulted mostly in the ...
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3answers
886 views
Why did Union troops like General McClellan?
I have read that when President Lincoln dismissed General McClellan for the second time (after he didn't try to beat Lee to Richmond in 1862), the troops almost mutinied (The Civil War by Shelby Foote ...
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2answers
136 views
Looking for source for Jefferson Davis with Bat Wings
Some time ago I came across a large print of Confederate President Jefferson Davis with bat wings, which was ostensibly printed in a northern newspaper during or shortly after the American Civil War. ...
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2answers
473 views
Did Lincoln provoke the US civil war? [duplicate]
Did Lincoln provoke the US civil war?
Did there exist a position that Lincoln took that ignited the war, or was it just the consequence of long unsolved US problems.
If the reason is the second, ...
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1answer
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What were the casualties and ship damage on each side of the Battle of Plum Point Bend, Tennessee?
Specifically, how many were killed/wounded/missing on each side?
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1answer
131 views
Exactly how much of what did General Benjamin Butler seize from the Netherlands Consulate in New Orleans on May 10th, 1862? [closed]
There seems to be some conflicting reports over whether or not the amount was cash or specie, and exactly how much of it was seized.
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2answers
574 views
What is the difference between the union free state and the territories controlled by the federal government?
In the context of the American Civil War, I stumbled upon the so called territories controlled by the federal government. This map for example makes the distinction between them and the union free ...
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2answers
210 views
How did the James river serve as a natural defense during The US Civil War?
In a text I read it the following was stated:
“Although Richmond's proximity to Washington, D.C., was hazardous strategically, Virginia's topography—the Appalachian Mountains and rivers, such as the ...
