Teaching with Primary Sources — MTSU
PRIMARY SOURCE SET
Impact of the Civil War on the Tennessee
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Tennessee seceded from the United States on May 7,
1861, and became the last state to join the Confederacy.
Tennesseans were deeply divided over secession, and
these divided loyalties resulted in Tennesseans fighting on
both sides of the war.
Tennesseans witnessed the war firsthand with over 2,900
military engagements taking place in the state, the most of
any state besides Virginia. Residents on the homefront
struggled to survive under increasingly difficult circumstances. Troops raided homes and farms for food and
supplies. They commandeered community buildings and
houses, as well as private and public lands for camps,
headquarters, and hospitals. Women managed farms and
households on their own while their men were away at
war. African Americans sought to gain their freedom by
flight or by contributing to the Union cause.
By the end of the war, Tennesseans had witnessed considerable destruction to the landscape and economy. Their
society, furthermore, was irrevocably changed. Tennessee
became the first state to rejoin the Union in July 1866,
and began the long road to recovery.
FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS:
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Teachers Page: Themed Resources: Civil War
American Memory Timeline: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877
US Civil War: Selected Resources
Civil War Photographs
Civil War Maps
Today in History, June 8: Tennessee secedes
Today in History, December 16: Battle of Nashville
ALSO SEE:
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“Civil War” and “Civil War Occupation” from the
Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
TPS-MTSU July 2010 Newsletter
TPS-MTSU Civil War Links Guide
Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area
[Johnsonville, Tenn. Camp of Tennessee Colored Battery]. [1864]
SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS
The Library of Congress offers a wide variety of
primary sources related to the Civil War, allowing
students to think about the war in a larger context than
just military history. Music, photographs, biographies,
letters, and art illustrate the broader societal impact of
the Civil War.
This source set focuses on photographs, maps, and
sheet music to help students understand how different
aspects of community and family life were drastically
affected by the war. You may choose to analyze all the
photographs, or all the maps, for instance, or select
one or two from each category to help students learn
to “read” different kinds of sources.
How did new technology such as photography impact
how Tennesseans saw the war? What do the photographs show of daily life on the homefront? What do
maps reveal about the geographic impact of battle and
occupation? Can you find a map that represents your
community during the Civil War? How does the music
of this time period reflect the feelings of Tennesseans
at home? How does it reflect soldiers’ thoughts about
home and family?
Nashville, Tennessee. [Spectators watching the fight between Hood and Thomas]. [1864]
Nashville, Tennessee. View of city. [1864]
Chattanooga, Tennessee (vicinity). Blockhouse on the Nashville & Chattanooga
Railroad [1864]
[Murfreesboro, Tenn., vicinity. Men repairing single-track railroad after Battle of Stone's
River]. [1863]
Portrait of Pvt. Robert
Patterson, Company
D, 12th Tennessee
Infantry, C.S.A.
[between 1860 and
1865, re-photographed
1961]
Seeking for the wounded, by torch-light,
after the battle [1862 March 8]
[Knoxville, Tenn. Environs of Knoxville
seen from south bank of Tennessee River; East Tennessee University in middle
distance] [1864?]
Oaklands, North Maney Avenue,
Murfreesboro, Rutherford, TN: 2.
SOUTH (front) ELEVATION HABS
TENN,75-MURFS,1-2
Lloyd's official map of the State of Tennessee Compiled
from actual surveys and official documents, showing every
rail road & rail road station with the distances between
each station. Also the counties and county seats, cities,
towns, villages, post offices, wagon roads, canals, forts,
fortifications, &c. [1863]
A Thrilling scene in east Tennessee--Colonel
Fry and the Union men swearing by the flag
[published 1862]
Map of the battle of Nashville, dec. 15th & 16th 1864
Based on the government surveyed and drawn under the
direction of Gen. Tower by M. Peseux. [S.I., 1887]
Memphis and vicinity / surveyed and drawn by
order of Maj. Genl. W. T. Sherman, by Lieuts.
Pitzman & Frick, Topographical Engineers. [186-]
Plat of Murfreesboro. Taken from a top'l. sketch
of Murfreesboro and its environs. Surveyed under
the direction of Capt. N. Michler, Top'l. Engs.,
U.S.A. [S.I. 1863?]
Map of the approaches and defences of Knoxville,
Tenn., showing the positions occupied by the United States & Confederate forces during the siege.
Surveyed by direction of Capt. O. M. Poe ... 18634. By Cleveland Rockwell & R. H. Talcott. [n.p.,
1864. Knoxville, Tennessee Valley Authority,
1974?]
Sketch of the battles of Chattanooga, Nov. 2326, 1863 U.S. Coast Survey Office, A. D.
Bache Supdt. From a sketch by Capt. Preston C.
F. West, U.S. Coast Survey. Drawn by H. Lindenkohl. [1863]
Sketch of the vicinity of the falls of Caney Fork of Cumberland River, Ten. [sic] / Constructed from information received of W. Rosson Esq., under the direction
of Capt. N. Michler, Topl. Engrs. U.S.A. by John E.
Weyss, Maj. Ky. Vols., Apr., 1863.
Knoxville from Mabry's house,
looking towards the southwest,
March, 1864.
First line: The years creep slowly by Lorena [186-]
De darkie's rally / words and music by W.W. Partridge. [1863]
The soldiers funeral. By John
Ross Dix
Bonnie blue flag; A Southern patriotic song. 1861
In our own dear homes again! By
John Ross Dix.
Texts:
Thirty years a slave. From bondage to freedom. The institution of
slavery as seen on the plantation and in the home of the planter.
Autobiography of Louis Hughes.
The testimony of a refugee from east Tennessee / Bokum, Hermann, 1807-1878.
Want-a substitute, By George P.
Holt.
CITATIONS: IMPACT OF THE CIVIL WAR ON THE TENNESSEE HOMEFRONT
Teachers: Providing these primary source replicas without source clues may enhance the inquiry experience for students. This list of citations is
supplied for reference purposes to you and your students. We have followed the Chicago Manual of Style format, one of the formats recommended by the Library of Congress, for each entry below, minus the access date. The access date for each of these entries is May 21, 2010.
“[Johnsonville, Tenn. Camp of Tennessee Colored Battery].” Photograph. 1864. From Library of Congress, Selected Civil War
Photographs, 1861-1865. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/cwar:@field(NUMBER+@band(cwp+4a39751))
Barnard, George N. “Nashville, Tennessee. [Spectators watching the fight between Hood and Thomas].” Photograph. 1864
December 15. From Library of Congress, Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?
ammem/cwar:@field(NUMBER+@band(cwpb+02086))
Barnard, George N. “Nashville, Tennessee. View of city.” Photograph. [1864]. From Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs
Division. http://loc.gov/pictures/item/cwp2003004951/PP
“Chattanooga, Tennessee (vicinity). Blockhouse on the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad.” Photograph. 1864. From Library of
Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. http://loc.gov/pictures/item/cwp2003004972/PP
“[Murfreesboro, Tenn., vicinity. Men repairing single-track railroad after Battle of Stone's River].” Photograph. 1863. From
Library of Congress, Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/cwar:@field
(NUMBER+@band(cwp+4a39757))
“[Portrait of Pvt. Robert Patterson, Company D, 12th Tennessee Infantry, C.S.A.]” Photograph. [between 1860 and 1865, rephotographed 1961]. From Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. http://loc.gov/pictures/item/
cwp2003001061/PP
“Seeking for the wounded, by torch-light, after the battle.” Wood engraving. 1862 March 8. From the Library of Congress,
Prints and Photographs Division. http://loc.gov/pictures/item/2004669212
“[Knoxville, Tenn. Environs of Knoxville seen from south bank of Tennessee River; East Tennessee University in middle distance]” Photograph. [1864?] From Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/
cwp2003000862/PP
“A Thrilling scene in east Tennessee--Colonel Fry and the Union men swearing by the flag” Wood engraving. Published 1862.
From Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/90714771
“Oaklands, North Maney Avenue, Murfreesboro, Rutherford, TN.” Photograph. n.d. From the Library of Congress, Prints and
Photographs Division. http://loc.gov/pictures/item/TN0114
Cowen, James. Map of the battle of Nashville, dec. 15th & 16th 1864 Based on the government surveyed and drawn under the direction of
Gen. Tower by M. Peseux. Map. [S.l., 1887] From Library of Congress, Civil War Maps. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?
ammem/gmd:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(g3964n+cw0430000))+@field(COLLID+cwmap))
Lloyd, James. Lloyd's official map of the State of Tennessee Compiled from actual surveys and official documents, showing every rail road &
rail road station with the distances between each station. Also the counties and county seats, cities, towns, villages, post offices, wagon roads,
canals, forts, fortifications, &c. Map. New York, J. T. Lloyd, 1863. From Library of Congress, Civil War Maps. http://
memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/gmd:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(g3960+cw0389800))+@field
(COLLID+cwmap))
Pitzman, Julius. Memphis and vicinity / surveyed and drawn by order of Maj. Genl. W. T. Sherman, by Lieuts. Pitzman & Frick, Topographical Engineers. Map. [186-] From Library of Congress, Map Collections. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/
gmd:@field(NUMBER+@band(g3964m+cws00168))
CITATIONS, cont.
Michler, Nathaniel. Plat of Murfreesboro. Taken from a top'l. sketch of Murfreesboro and its environs. Surveyed under the direction of Capt. N.
Michler, Top'l. Engs., U.S.A. Map. [S.l., 1863?] From Library of Congress, Civil War Maps. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/
r?ammem/gmd:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(g3964m+cw0429200))+@field(COLLID+cwmap))
Rockwell, Cleveland. Map of the approaches and defences of Knoxville, Tenn., showing the positions occupied by the United States & Confederate forces during the siege. Surveyed by direction of Capt. O. M. Poe ... 1863-4. By Cleveland Rockwell & R. H. Talcott. Map. [n.p., 1864.
Knoxville, Tennessee Valley Authority, 1974?] From Library of Congress, Civil War Maps. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/
query/r?ammem/gmd:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(g3964k+cw0428200))+@field(COLLID+cwmap))
Lindenkohl, Henry. Sketch of the battles of Chattanooga, Nov. 23-26, 1863 U.S. Coast Survey Office, A. D. Bache Supdt. From a sketch by
Capt. Preston C. F. West, U.S. Coast Survey. Drawn by H. Lindenkohl. Map. [S.l., H. Lindenkohl & Chas. G Krebs, Lith., 1863] From
Library of Congress, Civil War Maps. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/gmd:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band
(g3964c+cw0400400))+@field(COLLID+cwmap))
Weyss, John E. Sketch of the vicinity of the falls of Caney Fork of Cumberland River, Ten. [sic] / Constructed from information received of W.
Rosson Esq., under the direction of Capt. N. Michler, Topl. Engrs. U.S.A. by John E. Weyss, Maj. Ky. Vols., Apr., 1863. Map. [S.l. : s.n.] ,
1863. From Library of Congress, Civil War Maps. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/gmd:@filreq(@field
(NUMBER+@band(g3962c+cw0396400))+@field(COLLID+cwmap))
Barnard, George N. “Knoxville from Mabry's house, looking towards the southwest, March, 1864.” Photograph. March 1864.
From Library of Congress, Panoramic Pictures. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/pan:@field(NUMBER+@band
(pan+6a00047))
Webster, Joseph Philbrick. “Lorena.” Sheet music. Macon, Georgia, John C. Schreiner & Son, [186-]. From Duke University,
Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/dukesm:@field(DOCID+@lit
(ncdhasm.conf0042))
Partridge, W.W. “De darkie's rally / words and music by W.W. Partridge.” Sheet music. Cleveland : S. Brainard & Co., c1863.
From Library of Congress, African American Sheet Music, 1850-1920. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/
aasm:@field(NUMBER+@band(rpbaasm+0847))
Macarthy, Harry. “Bonnie blue flag; A Southern patriotic song. 1861.” Sheet music. New Orleans, Louisiana, A.E. Blackmar &
Bro., 1861. From Duke University, Historic American Sheet Music 1850-1920. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/
dukesm:@field(DOCID+@lit(ncdhasm.conf0115))
Dix, John Ross. “The soldiers funeral. By John Ross Dix.” Song sheet. New York, 1864. From Library of Congress, America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/amss:@field(DOCID+@lit(hc00013b))
Dix, John Ross. “In our own dear homes again! By John Ross Dix.” Song sheet. New York, 1864. From Library of Congress, America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/amss:@field(DOCID+@lit
(hc00009a))
Holt,George P. “Want-a substitute, By George P. Holt.” Song sheet. From Library of Congress, America Singing: Nineteenth-Century
Song Sheets. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/amss:@field(DOCID+@lit(hc00003c))
Hughes, Louis. Thirty years a slave. From bondage to freedom. The institution of slavery as seen on the plantation and in the home of the planter. Autobiography. Milwaukee, South Side printing company, 1897. From Library of Congress: Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books
from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lhbumbib:@field
(NUMBER+@band(lhbum+21103))
Bokum, Hermann. The testimony of a refugee from east Tennessee / Bokum, Hermann, 1807-1878. Booklet. Chaplain, U.S.A. Philadelphia : printed for gratuitous distribution, 1863. From University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Southern Voices. http://
memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/uncall:@field(DOCID+@lit(AWI-5658))