Odds & Ends: July 17, 2008

This version of Odds & Ends can teach you about the Emancipation Proclamation, tell you about some upcoming events at Petersburg National Battlefield, see what kind of Zouave you’d be, and even shed some light on strange steam engines and weapons of the Civil War Era.  Read on to find out how:

• Rea Andrew Redd at Civil War Librarian has a nice review up of Sheridan’s Lieutenants: Phil Sheridan, His Generals, and the Final Year of the Civil War.

• Sarah at Ten Roads interviews Zack Fry, a student at Kent State University and possibly the youngest person ever to take the Gettysburg battlefield guide written exam.

• The Petersburg (VA) People’s News has a list of some upcoming events at Petersburg National Battlefield on their web site.

• The July 2008 issue of Blue & Gray magazine is dedicated to The Attack on Fort Stedman. The major article in this issue was written by National Park Service volunteer William C. Wyrick.

• Larry Arhart discusses opposing views on Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation at Darwinian Conservatism.

• I recently discovered a new Civil War blog with a unique focus, Strange Engines, which looks at strange weapons and technology from the Civil War era. Hat tip to Brass Goggles, a blog dedicated to Steampunk. I’ve added a link to Strange Engines in TOCWOC’s blogroll over to the right.

• ARTstor Blog points out that The Century Magazine Illustrations of the American Civil War collection is now available in their Digital Library. They continue:

This collection is the result of a project undertaken by Allan Kohl, Visual Resources Librarian at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, to assemble images depicting Civil War battle scenes and camp life, as well as details of weapons and uniforms. Kohl selected approximately 100 images from Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, a four-volume publication issued serially in 1887-1888, which presents a comprehensive account of the war that lasted from 1861-1865. Kohl also provided cataloging information for the collection, including topical references to major events and campaigns.

To view this collection: go to the ARTstor Digital Library, browse by collection, and click “Century Magazine Illustrations of the American Civil War (Minneapolis College of Art and Design);” or enter the keyword search: century magazine kohl.

• Holy Taco has a comedic look at what would happen if the United States has a Facebook page during the Civil War.

• What do a Civil War veteran, the Oxford English Dictionary, and insanity have to do with one another you ask? Read The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary to find out! Hat tip to The Upstairs Girl.

• A portrait of James Longstreet stares down at visitors in the Gainesville, Georgia hotel the former general once owned and operated.

• Democratic Central takes a detailed look at the New York City draft riots of 1863.

• Did Sherman actually literally instruct his soldiers to sow salt during the March to the Sea? Or is this another apocryphal story from that often maligned historical event? Seriously, I want to know. If you have the answer, leave a comment at the end of this blog entry.

• The American Civil War is less important than the Call of Duty wargame series, according to Wikipedia.

• Knowing is Half the Prattle presents what they refer to as the most obscure online quiz ever, the What Kind of Zouave Are You? quiz.

Tagged as: abraham lincoln, blue & gray magazine, call of duty, civil war quiz, emancipation proclamation, facebook, fort stedman, james longstreet, new york city draft riots, petersburg natiional battlefield, sheridan's lieutenants, sherman's march, wikipedia, william t. sherman, zack fry, zouave