December 2020 ‘The Source’

Civil War News

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Newspaper Navigator

gov/prepackaged/1864_images. zip.

While researching this article using this link, up popped the “Damn the torpedoes!” man himself.

December 2020

Sheridan’s Victory Map. https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1861_illustrations.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1861_illustrations.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1861_comics. zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1861_cartoons. zip

1862

Map from 1864.

Kudos to Ben Lee and the staff at the Library of Congress, including all their wonderful volunteers in the Beyond Words crowdsourcing project, for developing an incredibly helpful tool to quickly search Civil Warera newspapers (and newspapers from other periods in our history)! As of this late October, 1.56 million images from 16,358,041 newspaper pages populate the database. The Library of Congress continues its work in populating the Navigator with additional data, but a goldmine already awaits those researching the American Civil War. This writer will not pretend to understand the technology behind this fantastic tool. Still, thanks to Ben, who kindly provided this non-technology guru with preprogrammed datasets, hopefully, each reader will take the time to unlock the awaiting treasures.

Begin your planning, and one will need to spend a little time mapping a search strategy at https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov. Again, thanks to Ben, we can quickly turn the flanks of the technology defense in using what he terms “Pre-Packaged Datasets.”

Before we look at the possibilities, the following represent the categories one can search: photos,

illustrations, maps, cartoons, and comics. For this exercise, let us focus on maps and photographs (check out the comics as time permits). The datasets Ben provided work as follows. For example, if seeking maps from 1861, enter https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1861_maps.zip into your browser and download a .zip file containing many images. One word of caution, most of these files prove quite large, so perhaps one will enjoy a better user experience on a desktop/laptop versus a mobile device.

Thanks to Ben for explaining things, so even this historian could understand! To search for a different year and or search for something other than maps, follow this process. Let us look at the previous link: https:// news-navigator.labs.loc.gov/prepackaged/1861_maps.zip (hyperlink removed for explanation clarity). The standard part of the URL for various searches remains https://news-navigator. labs.loc.gov/prepackaged/; tweak the final part of the link to obtain different results. For example, if your research leads to images of individuals from, say 1864, start with the base URL and change the portion in bold: https://newsnavigator.labs.loc.

Admiral David Farragut Below, one will find listed all the possible searches from 1861– 1865. These links remain active, so if you subscribe to the electronic edition of Civil War News, click and enjoy!

Pre-Packaged Civil War Era Datasets 1861 https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1861_maps.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1861_photos. zip

https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1862_maps.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1862_photos. zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1862_illustrations.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1862_illustrations.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1862_comics. zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1862_cartoons. zip

1863 https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1863_maps.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1863_photos. zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1863_illustrations.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc.

gov/prepackaged/1863_illustrations.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1863_comics. zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1863_cartoons. zip

1864 https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1864_maps.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1864_photos. zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1864_illustrations.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1864_illustrations.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1864_comics. zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1864_cartoons. zip

1865 https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1865_maps.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1865_photos. zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1865_illustrations.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1865_illustrations.zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1865_comics. zip https://news-navigator.labs.loc. gov/prepackaged/1865_cartoons. zip

Identifying Sources

Opened .zip folder.

Excel screenshot.

The procedure to identify the various images’ source proves a bit more challenging for the nontech folks (this writer included).

Trying to simplify things a bit, for any of the links provided above, open the .zip file to list view, choose the image (Farragut), as shown above. Then select and

December 2020

Publishers:

Please send your book(s) for review to:

Civil War News Email cover image to bookreviews@civilwarnews.com.

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copy the filename (the number Michael K. Shaffer is a Civil War him at mkscdr11@gmail.com, 186412201 may actually repeat historian, author, lecturer, instruc- or to request speaking engagefor a number of images, but the tor, and a member of the Society of ments, via his website www.civilfull name should be unique). Civil War Historians, the Historians warhistorian.net. Follow Michael Now, return to the original link, of the Civil War Western Theater, on Facebook www.facebook.com/ again in this example, https:// and the Georgia Association of michael.k.shaffer and Twitter @ news-navigator.labs.loc.gov/ Historians. Readers may contact michaelkshaffer. prepackaged/1864_photos.zip.

Change the extension from .zip to .csv, creating https://news-navigator.labs.loc.gov/prepackaged/1864_photos.csv, click, and an Excel spreadsheet will down100 Significant Civil War Photographs: Charleston load. Open the spreadsheet, and in the War features newly restored images of scenes in the famed city, taken 1860–1865. search for the name from above.

CHARLESTON IN THE The cameramen includeWAR the better-known, such as GeorgeCharleston N. Barnard George S. Cook, 100 Significant Civil War Photographs: in and the War features newlyas well Your results will look somerestored images of scenes in the taken 1860–1865. as famed somecity, lesser-known ones: Samuel Cooley, Charles Quinby, the partners Haas & Peale, thing like this Excel screenshot, The cameramen include the better-known, such as George N. Barnard and Osborn & Durbec.

George S. Cook, as well as some lesser-known ones: Samuel Cooley, Charles Quinby, the partners Haas & Peale, & Durbec.Davis and Jack Melton Text Osborn

by Stephen showing the URL to Farragut’s accompanies eacheachfeatured photograph, Text by Stephen Davis and Jack Melton accompanies featured photograph, the surrounding pictured scenes andselected the history and the history them. The image, plus the publication describing date,the pictured scenesdescribing images depict a variety of settings: that portion ofThe Charleston known as The surrounding them. selected images depict a Battery, the “Burnt District” variety (the areaof of settings: the city destroyed by the Great Fire that portion of Charleston name, and location of the newsof December 1861), the Charleston Arsenal, the many churches allow (the known as TheandBattery, the “Burntthat District” Charlestonians to call theirs “the Holy City.” Special sections of this book are area of the city destroyed by the Great Fire of devoted to the huge Blakely guns imported from England by the Confederates paper. This writer ‘hid’ many December 1861), the Charleston Arsenal, and and close-ups of Barnard’s views. the many churches that allow Charlestonians to The history of Civil War Charleston goes back to Holy The Defense Charleston Harborof this spreadsheet columns, providing call theirs “the City.” of Special sections (1890) by John Johnson, Confederate major of engineers, and to Reminiscences of book are devoted to the huge Blakely guns Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-’61 (1876) by Capt. Abner Doubleday, Federal a picture illustrating the informaimported from England by the Confederates second-in-command. Since then Charlestonians have contributed to the history and Barnard’s views.III. The historical of their city, notably Robert N.close-ups Rosen andof Richard W. Hatcher tion most important to historians. text surrounding 100 Significant Photographs draws on these and other works.

A unique feature is its reliance upon the writings of actual participants, such as and Emma Edwards Holmes (1838–1910).

For those not particularly Augustine inter-T. Smythe (1842–1914) The history of Civil War goes back to As a contribution to this literature, 100 Significant CivilCharleston War The Defense of Charleston Harbor (1890) by John Photographs: Charleston in the War offers rewards for all readers, ested in determining the sourcConfederate major of engineers, and to from the casual novice to the Johnson, serious student.

Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in es, you can skip the section after 1860-’61 (1876) by Capt. Abner Doubleday, Federal second-in-command. Since then Identifying Sources.

Charlestonians have contributed to the history of their city, notably Robert N. Rosen and Richard W. Hatcher III. The historical text Try your skills in utilizing this surrounding 100 Significant Photographs draws on these and other works. A unique feature is its tremendous source! You may even reliance upon the writings of actual participants, such as Augustine T. Smythe (1842–1914) and read about Sheridan’s adventures Emma Edwards Holmes (1838–1910).

As a contribution to this literature, 100 in Virginia and enjoy the map, Significant Civil War Photographs: Charleston in the War offers rewards for all readers, from the which accompanied the story. casual novice to the serious student.

Stay abreast of Ben’s lat160 pages, Over 100 Photos, Maps, Index, Bibliography, Softcover. est work at https://github.com/ ISBN: 978-1-61850-167-7 Stephen Davis JACK W. MELTON JR. Librar yOfCong ress/newspa$19.95 + 3.50 S&H Order online at www.HistoricalPubs.com or call 800-777-1862 per-navigator, and continued good luck in your research!

DAVIS & MELTON 100 SIGNIFICANT CIVIL WAR PHOTOGRAPHS : CHARLESTON IN THE WAR

520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379 Charleston, SC 29412

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CHARLESTON IN THE WAR