There is nothing "civil" about war. While a certain amount
of chivalry once existed between men on horseback or among those who held
officer status, it usually amounted to little more than a brief nod of recognition
by the victor to the skills and abilities of the vanquished who was about
to come in second, which is to say, dead last.
In war there are usually clear-cut reasons for fighting, not necessarily
logical, but most often definable. Whether it was preserving the Union,
ending slavery, defending the Southern way of life, supporting states' rights
against interference from the Federal government or something as uncomplicated
as duty, honor and love of country; more than two million Union soldiers,
half that number for the Confederacy, fought a War of Rebellion that left
deep emotional and physical scars on an entire nation. It was also a war
that to some made little sense, requiring them to spend more time protecting
life and limb than advancing philosophy or property rights.
The Civil War's four long years cost approximately 620,000 American lives,
almost one out of every 50 people living in the United States at the time.
Following two days of fighting during the Battle of Shiloh nearly 24,000
men out of 100,000 combatants were dead, wounded or missing in action. Five
months later on a Maryland battlefield near Antietam Creek that number climbed
to more than 26,000 casualties following an engagement that lasted less
than twenty-four hours.
Not only was the Civil War one of history's bloodiest, it also has the
dubious distinction of being the first "modern" war where trains
were used to ferry troops and supplies and generals communicated by telegraph.
It was also the first war covered by the news media and recorded in photographs
by men like Matthew Brady, which in itself is another story.
During the 132 years since generals Lee and Grant met on the courthouse
steps at Appomattox, Virginia, a tremendous amount of information has been
gathered about the Civil War. In fact, so much information is available
that without the technological resources of computers and the Internet,
it would be impossible to place all this information in a manageable academic
setting for today's educators and students.
You will note that most of the Internet resources available on this topic
are targeted for older students. Teachers of primary, elementary, and middle
school levels will find content, images, and photographs to use in their
lessons, but most of the sites in this theme are not designed for younger
students to visit without teacher or parent direction or guidance.
Resources for Educators
