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This map relates to my book because Charley fought in the Gettysburg War. Charley fought a
gruesome fight and saw things a 16 year old shouldn't see. Even though Charley saw some crazy things, he also benefited from this war and became a better and stronger soldier.

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This relates to my book because Charley fought in a setting just like this. It reminds me of the 1st Battle of Bull Run. People everywhere. Death. Chaos. Charley fought in an open field, killed people and watched his teammates die around him. This picture fits perfectly with what Charley went through and witnessed.

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Soldiers Getting Disciplined Political Cartoon-By Jamie

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Soldiers Getting Disciplined Political Cartoon-By Jamie

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This directly relates to my book because in many scenes of the book Charley and the soldiers around him are getting disciplined and are being yelled at by their leader.

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This video relates to my book because Charley fought in the gettysburg war and described it as being "a very bloody war" just like the person that created this video.

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The deadliest battle of the Civil War took place on this small piece of farmland that has become known simply as Gettysburg. (Still Image: iStock/rewindtime)

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This article relates to my book because it sums up all of the rough times that Charley went through in battle. Charley had to kill horses which he hated even more than killing people. When the horses would get shot they would struggle for a while and Charley had to watch it all happen. Charley also had to kill people.

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Causes of the Civil War

In the mid-19th century, while the United States was experiencing an era of tremendous growth, a fundamental economic difference existed between the country's northern and southern regions.

In the North, manufacturing and industry was well established, and agriculture was mostly limited to small-scale farms, while the South's economy was based on a system of large-scale farming that depended on the labor of Black enslaved people to grow certain crops, especially cotton and tobacco.

Growing abolitionist sentiment in the North after the 1830s and northern opposition to slavery's extension into the new western territories led many southerners to fear that the existence of slavery in America -and thus the backbone of their economy-was in danger.

Did you know? Confederate General Thomas Jonathan Jackson earned his famous nickname, "Stonewall," from his steadfast defensive efforts in the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas). At Chancellorsville, Jackson was shot by one of his own men, who mistook him for Union cavalry. His arm was amputated, and he died from pneumonia eight days later.

In 1854, the U.S. Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which essentially opened all new territories to slavery by asserting the rule of popular sovereignty over congressional edict. Pro- and anti-slavery forces struggled violently in " Bleeding Kansas," while opposition to the act in the North led to the formation of the Republican Party, a new political entity based on the principle of opposing slavery's extension into the western territories. After the Supreme Court's ruling in the Dred Scott case (1857) confirmed the legality of slavery in the territories, the abolitionist John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry in 1859 convinced more and more southerners that their northern neighbors were bent on the destruction of the "peculiar institution" that sustained them. Abraham Lincoln 's election in November 1860 was the final straw, and within three months seven southern states-South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas-had seceded from the United States.

Outbreak of the Civil War (1861)

Even as Lincoln took office in March 1861, Confederate forces threatened the federal-held Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. On April 12, after Lincoln ordered a fleet to resupply Sumter, Confederate artillery fired the first shots of the Civil War. Sumter's commander, Major Robert Anderson, surrendered after less than two days of bombardment, leaving the fort in the hands of Confederate forces under Pierre G.T. Beauregard. Four more southern states-Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee-joined the Confederacy after Fort Sumter. Border slave states like Missouri, Kentucky and Maryland did not secede, but there was much Confederate sympathy among their citizens.

Though on the surface the Civil War may have seemed a lopsided conflict, with the 23 states of the Union enjoying an enormous advantage in population, manufacturing (including arms production) and railroad construction, the Confederates had a strong military tradition, along with some of the best soldiers and commanders in the nation. They also had a cause they believed in: preserving their long-held traditions and institutions, chief among these being slavery.

In the First Battle of Bull Run (known in the South as First Manassas) on July 21, 1861, 35,000 Confederate soldiers under the command of Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson forced a greater number of Union forces (or Federals) to retreat towards Washington, D.C., dashing any hopes of a quick Union victory and leading Lincoln to call for 500,000 more recruits. In fact, both sides' initial call for troops had to be widened after it became clear that the war would not be a limited or short conflict.

The Civil War in Virginia (1862)

George B. McClellan-who replaced the aging General Winfield Scott as supreme commander of the Union Army after the first months of the war-was beloved by his troops, but his reluctance to advance frustrated Lincoln. In the spring of 1862, McClellan finally led his Army of the Potomac up the peninsula between the York and James Rivers, capturing Yorktown on May 4. The combined forces of Robert E. Lee and Jackson successfully drove back McClellan's army in the Seven Days' Battles (June 25-July 1), and a cautious McClellan called for yet more reinforcements in order to move against Richmond. Lincoln refused, and instead withdrew the Army of the Potomac to Washington. By mid-1862, McClellan had been replaced as Union general-in-chief by Henry W. Halleck, though he remained in command of the Army of the Potomac.

Lee then moved his troops northwards and split his men, sending Jackson to meet Pope's forces near Manassas, while Lee himself moved separately with the second half of the army. On August 29, Union troops led by John Pope struck Jackson's forces in the Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas). The next day, Lee hit the Federal left flank with a massive assault, driving Pope's men back towards Washington. On the heels of his victory at Manassas, Lee began the first Confederate invasion of the North. Despite contradictory orders from Lincoln and Halleck, McClellan was able to reorganize his army and strike at Lee on September 14 in Maryland, driving the Confederates back to a defensive position along Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg.

On September 17, the Army of the Potomac hit Lee's forces (reinforced by Jackson's) in what became the war's bloodiest single day of fighting. Total casualties at the Battle of Antietam (also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg) numbered 12,410 of some 69,000 troops on the Union side, and 13,724 of around 52,000 for the Confederates. The Union victory at Antietam would prove decisive, as it halted the Confederate advance in Maryland and forced Lee to retreat into Virginia. Still, McClellan's failure to pursue his advantage earned him the scorn of Lincoln and Halleck, who removed him from command in favor of Ambrose E. Burnside. Burnside's assault on Lee's troops near Fredericksburg on December 13 ended in heavy Union casualties and a Confederate victory; he was promptly replaced by Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker, and both armies settled into winter quarters across the Rappahannock River from each other.

After the Emancipation Proclamation (1863-4)

Lincoln had used the occasion of the Union victory at Antietam to issue a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all enslaved people in the rebellious states after January 1, 1863. He justified his decision as a wartime measure, and did not go so far as to free the enslaved people in the border states loyal to the Union. Still, the Emancipation Proclamation deprived the Confederacy of the bulk of its labor forces and put international public opinion strongly on the Union side. Some 186,000 Black Civil War soldiers would join the Union Army by the time the war ended in 1865, and 38,000 lost their lives.

In the spring of 1863, Hooker's plans for a Union offensive were thwarted by a surprise attack by the bulk of Lee's forces on May 1, whereupon Hooker pulled his men back to Chancellorsville. The Confederates gained a costly victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, suffering 13,000 casualties (around 22 percent of their troops); the Union lost 17,000 men (15 percent). Lee launched another invasion of the North in June, attacking Union forces commanded by General George Meade on July 1 near Gettysburg, in southern Pennsylvania. Over three days of fierce fighting, the Confederates were unable to push through the Union center, and suffered casualties of close to 60 percent.

Meade failed to counterattack, however, and Lee's remaining forces were able to escape into Virginia, ending the last Confederate invasion of the North. Also in July 1863, Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant took Vicksburg (Mississippi) in the Siege of Vicksburg, a victory that would prove to be the turning point of the war in the western theater. After a Confederate victory at Chickamauga Creek, Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in September, Lincoln expanded Grant's command, and he led a reinforced Federal army (including two corps from the Army of the Potomac) to victory in the Battle of Chattanooga in late November.

Toward a Union Victory (1864-65)

In March 1864, Lincoln put Grant in supreme command of the Union armies, replacing Halleck. Leaving William Tecumseh Sherman in control in the West, Grant headed to Washington, where he led the Army of the Potomac towards Lee's troops in northern Virginia. Despite heavy Union casualties in the Battle of the Wilderness and at Spotsylvania (both May 1864), at Cold Harbor (early June) and the key rail center of Petersburg (June), Grant pursued a strategy of attrition, putting Petersburg under siege for the next nine months.

Sherman outmaneuvered Confederate forces to take Atlanta by September, after which he and some 60,000 Union troops began the famous "March to the Sea," devastating Georgia on the way to capturing Savannah on December 21. Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina, fell to Sherman's men by mid-February, and Jefferson Davis belatedly handed over the supreme command to Lee, with the Confederate war effort on its last legs. Sherman pressed on through North Carolina, capturing Fayetteville, Bentonville, Goldsboro and Raleigh by mid-April.

Meanwhile, exhausted by the Union siege of Petersburg and Richmond, Lee's forces made a last attempt at resistance, attacking and captured the Federal-controlled Fort Stedman on March 25. An immediate counterattack reversed the victory, however, and on the night of April 2-3 Lee's forces evacuated Richmond. For most of the next week, Grant and Meade pursued the Confederates along the Appomattox River, finally exhausting their possibilities for escape. Grant accepted Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9. On the eve of victory, the Union lost its great leader: The actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington on April 14. Sherman received Johnston's surrender at Durham Station, North Carolina on April 26, effectively ending the Civil War.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

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Civil War - Causes, Dates & Battles | HISTORY

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The Civil War in the United States began in 1861, after decades of simmering tensions between northern and southern states over slavery, states' rights and westward expansion. Eleven southern states seceded from the Union to form the Confederacy. Ultimately more than 620,000 Americans' lives were lost in the four-year war that ended in a Confederate defeat.

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This relates to my book because it includes many battles that Charley witnessed or fought in. Charley fought in three gruesome wars and grew as a soldier after each one. Charley saw death, violence and terrible things. In the end Charley became used to these things and began to fight naturally and kill like its nothing.

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An infographic displaying information on the human costs associated with the biggest battles of the American Civil War.

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Civil War Soldier's letter to his Wife-By Jamie

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Civil War Soldier's letter to his Wife-By Jamie

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This directly relates to my book because Charley writes letters to his family very often and tells them about what he has experienced. At first Charley's letters would say that he wanted to go home but now Charley has become a better and stronger soldier and wants to stay and fight for his country.

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The Civil War Home Page contains thousands of pages of Civil War material including Photos, Images, Battles, Documents, Associations, Letters & Diaries, Research Records, Biographical Information, Reenacting and Unit Information.

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First Battle of Bull Run Articles with Video-By Jamie 

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First Battle of Bull Run Articles with Video-By Jamie 

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This article with a video relates to my book because Charley fought in the Battle of Bull Run. It was the first battle of the Civil War, and Charley witnessed death, bullets, dead bodies, bombs, and more during the battle. It terrified him, because he wasn't used to it and hated seeing death..

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First Battle of Bull Run ‑ Dates, Location & Who Won | HISTORY

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The First Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle of the American Civil War. The battle, fought in 1861 by poorly trained volunteers, ended in Confederate victory. The high casualty count from the battle made both sides realize it would be a long, costly war.

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This recruitment poster relates to my book because Charley saw a recruitment poster for a shooting war, and he knew that he couldn't miss out on the opportunity. Also, in the book Charley was able to enter easily without being of legal age, and on this recruitment poster it says nothing about age or anything.

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Related Posts:Stay Tunes For Similar Posts

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This song relates to my book because when you listen to this song you get the feeling of war and winning and losing. It gives you the feeling of freedom and breaking free. Charley won many battles and lost many battles. In the end he wanted to break free and just leave the war. If Charley was very fortunate and had not died he would've gotten home safely. Charley died serving his country.

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American Civil War Documentary-By Reilly

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American Civil War Documentary-By Reilly

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This tells the story of many soldiers through the Civil War.This relates to my book because Charley met many different soldiers throughout the book with different mindsets about war. Many soldiers died right before Charley's eyes.This documentary tells all about the events of Civil War that Charley went through in the book.

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History: The American Civil War 1861 - 1865 The Complete Documentary

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The American Civil War: A collection of free online primary sources

Susan Birkenseer

The American Civil War began in 1861, lasted until 1865, and was ruinous by any standard. Within months of President Lincoln's inauguration, seven southern states began the secession from the Union and declared the Confederate States of America. This split in the fabric of the country began a bitter war, concluding in the death of more than 750,000 soldiers. When the South finally surrendered, the Confederacy collapsed, and slavery was abolished. To understand the conflict, take a look back at the primary documents that highlight decisions of generals, the everyday drudgery of soldiers, and the photographic images of battle.

Hundreds of websites offer insight into the American Civil War. This guide is not comprehensive, but it highlights a diverse collection of free websites of primary sources for the study of the war. These websites include digitized newspaper archives for both the Union and Confederate sides of the struggle, collections of letters and diaries, digitized photographs, maps, and official records and dispatches from the battlefields.

Newspapers

Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1841-1955). An important daily newspaper, the Eagle was unusual for its time since it covered national as well as regional news. The archive is searchable, can be browsed by date, and includes zooming capabilities to see the tiny text up close. The archive is maintained by the Brooklyn Public Library. Access: http://bklyn.newspapers.com/title_1890/the_brooklyn_daily_eagle/.

Chronicling America. This site offers access to multiple newspapers from both the Confederate and Union states. Over 1,400 newspapers are in the archive, but not all of them are from the Civil War years. Examples of newspaper titles include: Memphis Appeal (1857-1886), Chattanooga Rebel (1862-1865), New York Sun (1859-1916), and New York Daily Tribune (1842-1866). Search across the newspapers for a range of contemporary stories from both sides of the war. From the Library of Congress. Access: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/#tab=tab_newspapers.

Harper's Weekly. The archive of this popular weekly newspaper highlights only the Civil War years. The site is searchable and is arranged chronologically with thumb-nails of the front pages. All pages from the 1861-1865 Civil War period have been scanned including the engravings and illustrations. From the Lee Foundation. Access: http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/the-civil-war.htm.

Richmond Daily Dispatch (1860-1865). This paper was published from the Confederate capital and has a digitized and searchable online archive of 1,384 issues. The site is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Access: http://dlxs.richmond.edu/d/ddr/index.html.

Maps and photographs

Civil War Maps. Nearly 3,000 maps are included in this online composite of three collections from the Library of Congress, the Virginia Historical Society, and the Library of Virginia. Search by keyword and narrow with the facets to the left of the results page. Access: http://www.loc.gov/collection/civil-war-maps/about-this-collection/.

Diaries and letters

Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1855-1865. A collection of letters, photographs, and diary entries that document a lesser-known conflict of the time. The resources are scanned and transcribed. When possible, the letters also show connections to other related people and events. This site is a result of collaboration with Kansas City-area libraries, historical societies, and museums. Access: http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/.

Dispatches and battles

Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library. This site from Mississippi State University contains the first 31 volumes of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant published by Southern Illinois University Press, and includes his military papers from the Civil War. Also included are photographs and prints from the life of Grant, including photographs from the war. The volumes are searchable as well as browsable. Access: http://digital.library.msstate.edu/cdm/usgrantcollection.

Copyright © 2015 Susan Birkenseer

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The American Civil War: A collection of free online primary sources | Birkenseer | College & Research Libraries News

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Susan Birkenseer The American Civil War began in 1861, lasted until 1865, and was ruinous by any standard. Within months of President Lincoln's inauguration, seven southern states began the secession from the Union and declared the Confederate States of America.

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First Battle of Bull Run Timeline of Events-By Reilly

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First Battle of Bull Run Timeline of Events-By Reilly

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This timeline relates to the book because when Charley fought in the battle of bull run he was scared and didn’t understand why it was happening.Charley fought people and watched others die right in front of him.

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The First Battle of Bull Run - known as the Battle of First Manassas by the South - was the first true clash of opposing sides in the American Civil War.

There are a total of (10) First Battle of Bull Run / First Manassas Timeline (April 21st, 1861) events in the CivilWarTimeline.net database. Entries are listed below by date-of-occurrence ascending (first-to-last). Other leading and trailing events are also included for perspective.

July 22, 1861

Confederate forces claim the first major victory of the war at the "Battle of First Manassas" - known to the north as the "First Battle of Bull Run". The war spanned just one day but resulted in tens of thousands of casualties including nearly 2,000 for the Confederates and over 2,700 for the Union. The battle also marks the war's first photographic images - these taken by Matthew Brady.

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First Battle of Bull Run / First Manassas Timeline (April 21st, 1861)

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There are a total of (10) First Battle of Bull Run / First Manassas Timeline (April 21st, 1861) events in the CivilWarTimeline.net database. Entries are listed below by date-of-occurrence ascending (first-to-last). Other leading and trailing events are also included for perspective.