We are in the middle of the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Many institutions holding original materials from that time period are presenting those materials for the first time on the Internet for use by researchers, including professors, graduate and undergraduate students, high school teachers, and History Day students. Otto will "show off" what the UW-River Falls Archives has done to provide better access to their materials. She will also talk about what materials their site has available, how it works, and how you as researchers and teachers can make use of them.

1. K
Kathryn Otto
Head of University Archives and Area Research Center
University of Wisconsin-River Falls

2. UWRF is
publishing a
blog about
the Civil War
and its impact
on the St.
CroixValley,
specifically
Northwest
Wisconsin,
butalso
Minnesota
along the
rivers

3.  This blog presents the stories of the American Civil
War as it affected the inhabitants of
Northwest Wisconsin and the St. Croix
Valley, either directly or indirectly.
 Here are stories of the men and women, the
soldiers and civilians, who experienced the
Civil War.
 These stories are both local and national.
 The postings follow the War chronologically
from beginning to end.
 Told through their letters, diaries, and newspaper
articles, and presented when the source material
was created rather than when the event took place.

4.  This blog brings together in one place:
 Letters and other archival materials of actual
soldiers—posted on the date they were
written.
 Newspaper articles, both local War news and
national War news. These local newspapers
were weekly, so articles are posted
throughout the week of publication.
 Illustrations from period publications in our
collections.
 Library of Congress photographs when we
don’t have anything appropriate.
 On rare occasions photographs or images
from elsewhere.
 Always cited and linked back.

5.  The audience is:
1. UWRF and other college and university
students.
2. High school—and especially History Day
students.
3. Civil War “buffs.”
4. Anyone who finds this material interesting.
 We have followers from places mentioned in the
letters, who have gotten hooked!
 Given that the primary audience is students,
we do a lot of explanatory footnotes, and
linking between posts.

6.  The audience is:
1. UWRF and other college and university
students.
2. High school—and especially History Day
students.
3. Civil War “buffs.”
4. Anyone who finds this material interesting.
 We have followers from places mentioned in the
letters, who have gotten hooked!
 Given that the primary audience is students,
we do a lot of explanatory footnotes, and
linking between posts.

11. Whowere the
soldiers?
• We’re
compiling
lists of
soldiers who
lived in the
area when
they enlisted
and other lists
of those who
moved here
afterwards
• Very much a
work-in-
progress!

12. The Soldiers
• Work in progress!

13. The Soldiers – lists
by company, or
thosecompanies
comprised mainly
of soldiers from
this "area"
• Just starting to
compile lists by
county and by place
• Easy, but time-
consuming
• Could use some
volunteers to help!

14. • We have put together their service
information, obituary, etc.
• And, people submit information
The Soldiers – information
on individual soldiers

15. • Jerry Flint’s page
The Soldiers – informationon individual soldiers

17. Local newspapersprovided local war–related news

18. Local newspapersprovided local war–related news

19. Local newspapersprovided local recruiting news
• The Hudson North Star
• The Polk County Press
• The Prescott Journal
• The Prescott Transcript

20. Local newspapersprovided local recruiting news
Info on soldiers and those who “staid” behind
Frequent footnotes on local “boys”

21. Local
newspapers
also provided
national news

22. Local newspapersalso
provided national news
The Battle of Shiloh, often called
Pittsburg Landing at the time
April 6-7

23. Local newspapersprovided national news
Including how Wisconsin’s “boys” were involved in the fighting
April 6-7

24. Local newspapersprovided national news
Including news from Minnesota

25. Do you know
who T.S.C. Lowe
was?
Frequently list
resources in the
UWRF Library
and/or Archives
Often, the
newsof
yesteryear
requires
footnotes
fortoday’s
audience!

26. Despiteall,
theydidn’t
lose their
humor!
• John Dale,
former speaker
of the
Wisconsin
Assembly,
chasing a
deserter
• Very rare to see
illustrations in
local
newspapers at
this time

27. Local
newspapers
published
letters by
soldiers
• Some wrote as
“correspondents”
for the local
paper
• Some letters
were shared by
their families
and friends

28. Letters by
soldiers –
Jerry Flint
• Jerry Flint, and his
brother Phineas,
were from River
Falls
• Jerry joined the
Hudson City
Guards, which
became Company G
of the 4th Wisconsin
Infantry
• Eventually
promoted to 1st
lieutenant of
Company G

29. Letters by soldiers
— Frank Harding
• Frank Harding , from Hudson, also
joined the 4th Wisconsin
• Harding’s 1863 discharge paper notes
that he was “25 years of age, five feet
six inches high, light complexion,
gray eyes, black hair, and by
occupation, when enrolled, a clerk”
• In 1863 promoted to captain of
Company C , 99th U.S. Colored
Troops – starts a diary
• After the War wrote 2 books

30. Letters by
soldiers – the
Levings
Brothers
• Edwin and his
younger
brother
Homer, from
Prescott
• Edwin was a
prolific letter
writer, and
opinionated
too! Homer
was a
scrounger

31. Transcription
challenges!
• Cursive!
• Bad hand-writing
• Ink blotches
• Crossed-out words
• Old-fashioned
spellings
• Using every inch
of the paper

32. Common themes in letters: Everyday life,
• Picket duty
• What they
eat
• What
clothing is
provided –
what clothing
they buy
• Sending
money home
• When do we
get paid
next?
food, clothing, pay!

33. Common themes in letters: Illnessand death
• Small pox
• Erysipelas
• Typhoid Fever
• Measles/mumps
• Pneumonia
• Ague (fever)
• Severe cold/sore throat

34. • Soldier-speak
for
secessionists
• Stealing food,
etc., from the
locals
• What the
towns are like
and the land
Common themes in letters: The locals and the “secesh”

35. Common themes in letters: Theywanted
news from home

36. • Most of these
soldiers have
never seen a
Black person
• Many of them
have
abolitionist
leanings
• They don’t
have much of
anything good
to say about
the slaves –
and use all of
the worst
words
Common themes in letters: Slavery

37. • Constitution, by-laws,
minutes, election of
officers of the River
Falls Rifles (militia
company)
Othertypesof material you will
seeon the blog

38. Othertypesof material
• A. D. Andrews was an
assistant surgeon in the 6th
Wisconsin Infantry (the Iron
Brigade)
• Became mayor of River Falls
after the Civil War

39. Othertypesof material
• Black-and-white
illustrations from Harper’s
Pictorial History of the Civil
War

40. Othertypesof material
• Color illustrations from
Battles of the Civil War: The
Complete Kurz & Allison
Prints, 1861-1865

41. Othertypesof material
• Maps from Atlas to
Accompany the Official
Records of the Union and
Confederate Armies

42. Othertypesof material
• Photographs from Original
Photographs Taken on the
Battlefields During the Civil
War of the United States, by
Mathew B. Brady and
Alexander Gardner

43. Othertypes
of material
Occasionally, a
letter will have
something with
it, in this case a
map (from Ed
Levings, May 26,
1862)

44. The Blog:
 www.uwrf.edu/archives
then “Civil War Blog” link on gray navigation bar
 thecivilwarandnorthwestwisconsin.wordpress.com
 Sign up to get an e-
mail every time we
post something
 Sign up for RSS feed
 Follow us on Twitter
 Follow us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/UWRF-University-Archives-Area-
Research-Center/154148371284281

45.  University Archives and Area Research Center:
 E-mail: archives@uwrf.edu
 Phone: 715-425-3567
 Visit us: 170 Chalmer Davee Library (lower level)
 Monday-Friday 10:00–4:30
 2nd Saturday of every month 10:00–4:30,
Introduction to the Archives class at 9:15