American Civil War Era

Week Four Schedule:

A Rosewater War?


Monday (3/24)

Easter Break.
No Class Meeting Today


Tuesday (3/25)

War Motives and the Contest for the Border.
Read the Supreme Court decision in the case of Ex Parte Merryman. Read Abraham Lincoln's brief response to the court in his War Message to Congress, 4 July 1861, paragraph 17.
Read these brief biographies of William G. "Parson" Brownlow, Winfield Scott, John J. Crittenden, Fernando Wood, and Thaddeus Stevens.
Read the editorial from the Rochester, N.Y., Daily Union and Advertiser (Douglas Democratic), "Why we must Fight and Why We Must Conquer the South," (May 1861).


Wednesday (3/26)

Manassas and Wilson's Creek: the Logistics, Expectations, and Surprises of War. Read Burton, Age of Lincoln, pp. 135-155.

View the Manassas battlefield region map from the U.S. Military Academy. Read the editorial responses to Manassas from the New Orleans Picayune, the New Orleans Crescent and the Charleston Courier. Read the brief National Park Service history of the Battle of Wilson's Creek and read the text descriptions of their Battlefield Tour. Read the martial law and emancipation proclamation of Union General John C. Fremont (pp. 466-467), and Lincoln's response (pp. 469-70) in the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, vol. III.


Thursday (3/27)

Autumn Regroupings and he Trent Affair.
Read the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority's description of the Battle of Ball's Bluff, 21 October 1861. Read the brief Wikipedia description of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War. Read the U.S. State Department's summary account of the Trent Affair. on its diplomatic history timeline website.

The take-home portion of the first in-class exam will be distributed in class today.


Friday (3/28)

First In-Class Exam.
This exam will cover all material discussed in class to this point, inclusive of Thursday's session. Your take-home essay will be your "admission ticket." The in-class portion, will include short-answer "fill-in-the-blank" questions and a one-paragraph essay.


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Note: The instructor reserves the right to change any provisions, due dates, grading percentages, or any other items without prior notice. All assignments on this schedule are covered under the university's policy on plagiarism and academic integrity. See the syllabus statement for further details. This page was last updated on 3/3/2008.