Top of page

Category: Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877)

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

“When Johnny Comes Marching Home” Marches Across Time

Posted by: Cheryl Lederle

Sometimes listeners are surprised to find a familiar tune lurking behind the lyrics of a new song. Songwriters may revisit and reuse existing compositions, hoping to catch a listener’s attention through something familiar. The Civil War era song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" not only resembles an earlier song, but also inspired a number of parodies.

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Sojourner Truth and the Power of a Portrait

Posted by: Stephen Wesson

A photograph of the abolitionist and suffrage activist Sojourner Truth that appears in the Library's newest Primary Source Set for educators, "Civil War Images: Depictions of African Americans in the War Effort," provides an opportunity to discover the questions that the objects in a portrait can raise about the message that image might have been meant to convey.

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

A Civil War Nurse’s Memoir: Discerning Women’s Experiences

Posted by: Cheryl Lederle

Primary sources such as the letters and diaries of Civil War Nurse Mary Ann Bickerdyke offer rich insights into the lives of real people. The fragmented, personal nature of these sources requires careful reading in context and comparison across multiple accounts to glean information and construct understanding.