THE CIVIL WAR AS EXPERIENCED AND REMEMBERED

Catalog description

(Slashed with HIST 62485 ) This course looks at the U.S. Civil War from the point of view of the men (and occasionally women) who marched, camped, fought, suffered and died during the four years of conflict and the decades after. After giving brief attention to the causes and political issues that led to war, the course focus is on the experiences and reactions of the people called upon to fight it. Rather than concentrate on the famous leaders and generals, students look at the officers and men, civilians and enslaved people and other common folks on both sides who were thrust into the conflict. Some attention is paid to the guerrilla war, the draft, the POW experience and the participation of African Americans and Native Americans. The second part of the course looks at memory, commemoration and the effects of the war on many of these groups in the decades leading into the 20th century.