“It is well that war is so terrible, lest we should grow too fond of it.” -General Lee to General Longstreet

“Although a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace.”  -Ulysses S. Grant

A hundred and fifty years ago, on April 12, 1861, shots were fired on Ft. Sumter and four years of civil war began in the United States. The New York Times is publishing daily updates about what was happening a hundred and fifty years ago. The sesquicentennial provides an excellent opportunity to learn more about the American Civil War and there are a variety of resources available at the IU East Campus Library.

What were the causes and reasons for the Civil War?     

America: History and Life

https://proxy.library.iue.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=ehost&defaultdb=ahl

ProQuest Military Collection

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JSTOR

https://proxy.library.iue.edu/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/

Where did events occur?

You can explore maps from the period with David Rumsey Historical Maps. This database allows you to search and magnify images:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/view/search?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&q=American+Civil+war&search=Go

http://www.davidrumsey.com/

What was being written in the U.S. and UK at the time?

19^th Century UK Periodicals

http://find.galegroup.com/ukpc/start.do?prodId=NCUK&userGroupName=iulib_east

19^th Century British Library Newspapers

http://find.galegroup.com/bncn/start.do?prodId=BNCN&userGroupName=iulib_east

19^th Century U.S. Newspapers

http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/0/1/1/purl=rc6_NCNP?sw_aep=iulib_east

What was life like for soldiers and citizens?

Daily Life Through History

http://dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1504077?terms=American+Civil+war

American Civil War Diaries and Letters

https://proxy.library.iue.edu/login?url=http://www.alexanderstreet2.com/cwldlive/

What were the main battles and what weapons and strategies were used on both sides?

ProQuest Military Collection

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What role did Women and African Americans have in the Civil War?

African American History Online

https://proxy.library.iue.edu/login?url=http://www.fofweb.com/Direct2.asp?ID=17685&ItemID=WE01

North American Women’s Letters and Diaries

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American Women’s History Online

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Examples of Print Sources housed at the IU East Campus Library:

E492.3 .M38 1997 For cause and comrades : why men fought in the Civil War by James McPherson

E468 .F7 v.1-v.3 The Civil War, a narrative by Shelby Foote

JUV E628 .S555 2008  I’ll pass for your comrade : women soldiers in the Civil War by Anita Silvey

JUV E468 .S836 2000 Civil War by John E. Stanchak, a DK Eyewittness Book

If you have questions, or would like assistance in finding sources or using databases stop by the library or email us at iueref@iue.edu!