"How have historians told the story of the Civil War? Even before Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court house in the spring of 1865, historians and local communities strove to craft a coherent story of a war that left 620,000 soldiers dead and set formally enslaved people on a long road towards freedom. Civil War historiography began in the 19th century and has been reinvented numerous times in the last century. Biographies of Lincoln, of Generals–Union and Confederate still appear regularly. Historians of gender have tried to capture women’s experiences on the homefront and on the front lines. Histories of battles, of legislation, of the era’s music, literature, and art all fill rows of shelves in Sawyer." - Course description
Browse the resources on this guide to get a broad sense of how historians have told this story.