Month: February 2022

Last time we talked about a few things we could do to help us understand our Civil War ancestor a little better. Did you try any? How did that hard tack taste? Here are a couple more ideas  to change up your research: 6. Choose a Civil War era song and read the lyrics. Can you hear your ancestor humming it as he marched or set up camp? If he was a Confederate soldier it may have been Goober Peas, Bonnie Blue Flag, or Dixie. If he was a Union man maybe it was Battle Hymn of the Republic, When Johnny Comes Marching Home or We Are Coming Father Abraham. 7. Watch a Civil War movie. Even though movies aren’t exactly historically accurate and produced mainly for entertainment, there are scenes, costumes, firearms and battles portrayed that will help you identify with your Civil War ancestor. Try Glory, Gettysburg, or maybe North and South, Gods and Generals, Red Badge of Courage, and  Lincoln. 8. Read a newspaper or two from the locale your ancestor was from that was published during the Civil War. Even though it was a week later, I was really surprised at how much coverage the battle […]

Since you stopped by today chances are you love doing genealogy research. In fact, seeing that you’re here, you’re probably doing some pretty serious research on your Civil War ancestor too. You’re like me, you’d like to know about his military life. What did he do during the war? Was he injured? Was he a hero? How did it affect his family? So to change up your research a little here’s a Civil War To-Do List. Just a few things you might take the time to do to better understand your Civil War ancestor and it can be really interesting too! Civil War Ancestor To-Do List 1. Research the uniform your ancestor wore. You can start here or here or Google images for an idea of what your soldier wore. See the layers of clothing these men lived in and marched in. Take a look at the number and weight of items a regimental soldier carried on a daily basis. 2. Eat a little like he ate. Make their old stand-by: Hardtack or Johnnie cakes. Recipes below*. 3. Spend some time looking at Civil War photographs, especially colorized versions. Get a feel that these were real men who were lonely, […]