CIVIL
WAR STORIES
(excerpts
from posts)
(If you want to retell any of the stories listed below, be sure
to obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain)
1) There
is a wonderful Civil War story in NSA's Tales
as Tools which, on the surface is a story about forgiveness,
but in a deeper way, I think, it is about understanding and respecting
why someone made the choice they made, and predicting and pre-absolving
guilt when the person realized the consequences of their choice.
I believe that book is out of print, hence not easily available,
but it is reprinted by permission from another book that might
be worth checking on the availability of: Blatt, Glora, Once
Upon a Folktale (New York: Teachers College Press, copyright
1993 by Teachers College, Columbia University.
The story I mentioned is called A Cold Night,
and it is not what I generally classify as a "folktale," being fiction but set in greatley detailed and accurate description
of the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stones River). In the
Tales as Tools chapter, a lesson plan and other background
is given, and another resource is given for students to find stories
in: The Civil War, Strange and Fascinating
Facts by Burke Davis (Fairfax Press, 1982).
2) There is a short novel I used to read with junior high students
about a girl forced to hide in a cave during the Rev. war -- Sarah
Bishop by Scott O'Dell. It was so good, with such a strong
heroine, and perhaps individual parts could serve as stories.
3) http://www.civilwarhome.com/index.htm
This site covers it all. Can't vouch for accuracy of info, but
it looks good.
4) Official end of war was April 9, 1865. Everything after that
was winding down as news traveled slowly in those days.
http://www.americancivilwar.com/
Click time line, then 1865
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/tl1865.html
http://www.civilwarhome.com/timeline.htm
Section of above URL
http://www.civilwarhome.com/endofwar.htm
End of the War
Homeward Bound: The Demobilization of the
Union & Confederate Armies, 1865-66 by William B. Holberton,
March 2001 (Amazon).
5) Recently I became more interested in Civil War, particularly
in Gettysburg, and found a couple of books over at Barnes and
Noble on medical conditions.
One is The Debris of Battle: Wounded at
Gettysburg by Gerard A. Patterson, and the other has a
section on medical treatment/conditions, When
the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg by George Sheldon. Another
I just thought of is The Loyal, True, and
Brave: America's Civil War Soliders, edited by Steven Woodworth.
It covers the lot of the common soldier and may have some of the
information you want.
6) I highly recommend a Tony Horwitz' CONFEDERATES IN THE ATTIC:
DISPATCHES FROM THE UNFINISHED CIVIL WAR. It reads like a novel
and you will probably gain a lot of insight into the mindset of
Civil War Re-Enactors who thoroughly research their characters.
I loved this book and I'm no maven of history. It's a good read,
in any case.
7) Megan Hicks has a BRILLIANT CD out called, What was Civil about that War? Not sure where she has it for sale. And even if not for sale, she's one I would suggest might be a good contact for your needs.
Her contact information is here:
http://www.storyteller.net/tellers/mhicks
She also has an in-depth article with us, writing about historical stories at this link:
http://www.storyteller.net/articles/185
There may be other articles on our site that fit, just do a search in the Articles section.
Sean B. 9/8/05
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8) I don't have some of my own stories to share but there is a wealth of info on the web, including some of the regiments from TN. If you are up to reading here are some sites with stories, diaries, records, etc. that will help you give the personal side of the war. Good luck!
The Blue and Gray from Hawkins Co. TN
http://www.angelfire.com/tn/hawkinscocivilwar/
Scott Co, TN Military Records
http://www.tngenweb.org/scott/war_records.htm
Life Stories of Civil War Heroes
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/6732/
CivilWarLiterature.com
http://www.civilwarliterature.com/
The American Civil War Homepage
http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html
USCWC -- Diaries, Letters, and Stories/Recollections
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/links/links6.htm
Ohio Civil War Stories
http://www.ohiocivilwar.com/stori/
Karen C. 9/8/05
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9) I have an Underground Railroad program that I do that is specific to our area, but the family I tell about (from the viewpoint of their oral history & letters) was also involved with their sons & others during the War of Rebellion, as they then called it here in Yankee land. As a result there are a few small suggestions that may help. The Lerich family planted an immense cedar as their Beacon Tree for the U.R. & sang an Abolition song to the well-known folksong "Old Rosin the Beau." If you can learn the original song then "Roll on the Liberty Ball" & the subsequent Civil War song, "Lincoln & Liberty, Too." put a developmental spin on how the war came about. Liberty Ball's words are at http://www.civilwarpoetry.org/union/songs/libertyball.html
& Lincoln & Liberty, Too is at
http://www.civilwarpoetry.org/union/songs/lincoln-liberty.html
& while you there you may decide to click on the composer, Jesse Hutchinson, Jr., http://www.civilwarpoetry.org/union/songs/hutchinson.html
for the story of the Hutchinson Family Singers, for they "often performed before socially progressive gatherings -- temperance, abolitionists, women's rights groups -- or in prisons and almshouses" popularizing "The Battle Cry of Freedom", "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground" & other songs. There's more to their story, but I've found the 2 I've used give shape to a story that isn't as tidy as fiction.
By all means check your personal library & public library for stories about Lincoln. I don't have the book, but either Best-Loved Stories: Told at the National Storytelling Festival or More Best-Loved Stories Told at the National Storytelling Festival which both date back to the days of the National Association for the Preservation & Perpetuation of Storytelling" has a great story about why Lincoln grew a beard. I'm sure someone can get it from their own collection & give the complete citation so you can request it be FAXed to your local public library if your's doesn't have it. If I recall correctly, it was written by an Asian student of storytelling & is an interesting bit of background to the story.
LoiS S. 9/8/05
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10) Anything by Ambrose Bierce! You might also want to look at the Teaching History section from the book Tales as Tools. It has some great exercises you can use with the group using a Bierce Civil War Story.
Steve O. 9/8/05
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11) Also Nancy Roberts' Civil War Ghost Stories and Legends is a handy book too.
Cathy M. 9/8/05
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12) Here is a link to an online book called Acres of Diamonds by Russell H. Conwell. There is a chapter called The Story of the Sword. It's about John Ring, a man-servant to Conwell during the Civil War, and how his dedication to Conwell cost John his life during a battle. I think it's a pretty good story that you may be able to use.
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=ConAcre.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=all
Tim M. 9/9/05
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(This
web page updated 9/11/05)
