U.S. Historical Chronology

The Civil War: 1861 - 1865

Updated: February 28, 2002

: American Civil War Home Page - Grades 6-12 - Dr. George H. Hoemann – This site offers an extensive set of hypertext links to the most useful identified electronic files about the American Civil War. This site is updated weekly, and contains sufficient detail to enable a young civil war buff to find - for example - records of a specific regiment. The page has received numerous awards, honors, and favorable comment since its first appearance. Most recently it was included in the American Library Association's "Top 700 Web sites for Children." Extensive detail, lots of interesting "starting points."

Lesson Unit: Choices and Commitments - Grades 4-8 - The National Park Service created this extensive lesson unit to help students understand the Civil War from a soldier's perspective. The unit uses lots of primary sources, and provides an opportunity for a creative response to the lesson content. There is enough background information that teachers have several different options for presenting the material. This unit could form the basis for several weeks' study of the Civil War.

Civil War Artifacts - Grades 4-12 - Don't let the design of this Smithsonian site scare you off! Behind the quirky user interface is a collection of hundreds of items used during the Civil War, along with short descriptions explaining their function. These images can bring the conflict into focus by showing students the actual implements that were used by soldiers and others in the mid-nineteenth century. If you're imaginative, this site has lots of possibilities.

Civil War Gazette - Grades 4-8 - This site has students act as a newspaper team and publish a newspaper. The students are asked to take positions as editorialist, cartoonist, obituary writer etc. to describe a particular battle. The site contains a list of resources and encourages surfing the Internet. It contains few discussion topics, and the teacher materials are limited.

Civil War Women - Grades 6-12 - This site from Duke University offers information and links to a large selection of journals, diaries, and other writing from women during the Civil War. There is also additional information about women who played important roles during the conflict.

Photos from the Library of Congress

Valley of the Shadow - Developed at the University of Virginia

- A comparison of two counties - one in Pennsylvania, one in Virginia - during the Civil War.

Letters from Soldiers

The Civil War Center - At Louisiana State University

Raising the Hunley - Grades 4-12 - This site provides information on the Civil War Confederate submarine Hunley and the efforts to find, raise, and restore the vessel. Used to attack Union ships blockading the Charleston, SC harbor, the Hunley successfully sank the USS Housatonic, then mysteriously disappeared. This site is worth a look for both its scientific and historical possibilities.

The Battle of Gettysburg - Grades 6 and up - from the Gettysburg visitor's center.

The Battle of Gettysburg - This site from Militaryhistoryonline.com offers a complete military historian's resource for understanding the three days of the Gettysburg battle. This details in this site will be overkill for all but the most enthusiastic civil war buffs, but it provides an excellent overview of the events of the battle. If a field trip to Gettysburg is in your schedule, this site would be a great starting point for either teachers or students.

First Hand Accounts - Grades 6-12 - Here is a collection of first-hand accounts of selected battles and other events during the Civil War. They're a great introduction to the use of primary sources in studying historical events. Students may be particularly interested in comparing first-hand accounts of an event with the way in which those same events are presented today.

Antietam - A Photo History - Grades 6 and up - Photos, chronology, artifacts, and other information.

The life of Abraham Lincoln - from The History Place. Dates and events from Lincoln's life.

Abraham Lincoln Research Site - Grades 4-12 - This site was created by a retired history teacher who has collected a wide range of resources and information on Lincoln's personal and political life. Lots of illustrations, appropriately written text, and guidance to other information and resources.

The Elementary Abraham Lincoln - Grades 3-5 - Here's a site about Abe by and for elementary students. Easy for young ones to use, with just enough information to make it all interesting. Worth a look if you have an Internet connection available for your students.

North American Slave Narratives - Beginnings to 1920 - Grades 9-12 - A collection from the University of North Carolina's "Documenting the American South" series, this site contains original writings and transcripts of interviews with slaves and former slaves collected prior to 1920. As such, they differ from some other accounts which were recorded as part of a depression-era effort to recapture this portion of our history. Interesting as a primary resource for research.

The Southern Homefront - 1861-65 - Grades 9-12 - This site from the University of North Carolina contains full-text documents written by southerners during the course of the Civil War. Students may need some help establishing the context for these writings, but they form an interesting picture of the life and mindset of southerners during this conflict.

The Thousand Mile Front - Grades 6-12 - A National Park Service site which describes the course of the war in the lower Mississippi river valley, the war's "western front." The site includes narrative, maps, and archival photos illustrating the campaigns fought by Union and Confederate armies along this front.

Civil War Time-Line - A Nation Divided - Grades 4 and up - Chronological listing of Civil War events, with pictures. Easily navigated. From The History Place.

When Johnny Went Marching Off - Grades 6-12 - This site is a group research project that could serve as the culminating activity for a Civil War unit. It asks students to "enlist" for a tour of duty and then chronicle the events and emotions that soldiers might have experienced during that tour. The site offers a collection of web links for beginning research, but students could also tackle this content using a school-approved search engine. Lots of creative possibilities here.

Women in the Civil War - On-line exhibit from the National Archives.

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