OCTOBER 2014: The Voices of the Civil War is a five-year film series dedicated to celebrating and commemorating the Civil War over the course of the sesquicentennial. Each month, new episodes cover pertinent topics that follow the monthly events and issues as they unfolded for African Americans during the Civil War. Within these episodes there are various primary sources – letters and diaries, newspaper reports, and more - to recount various experiences of blacks during this period. We encourage your feedback and commentary through our Voices of the Civil War web blog.
The stories of Cathay Williams, Mary Bowser, Susie King Taylor, and Sojourner Truth demonstrate that African American women contributed to and aided Civil War efforts in a variety of crucial ways. Often lost, ignored, or simply overlooked in the history of the Civil War, these women’s stories serve as an important reminder of black women’s active roles and experiences during wartime.
1-3, 5-7, 9, 13-16, 18-19, 21, 27-29 Library of Congress
4 Willard Library
8 Cate, Margaret Davis. Our Todays and Yesterdays; A Story of Brunswick and the Coastal Islands. Spartanburg, S.C., 1972. 52 and 100. Courtesy of www.glynngen.com
10-12, 30-31 Public Domain
17 Virginia Historical Society
20, 22-23, 25 National Archives and Records Administration
24 Female Buffalo Soldier: Limited Edition Print by William Jennings http://www.dormailgallery.com and 913-682-6373