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The War Through Their Eyes

The Day is running an occasional series marking the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War.

Story Archive

'Contraband' slaves seen through the eyes of Civil War soldiers from region

 August 7, 2011; Updated: 12:22 am

Before being freed, runaways were confiscated, used behind lines by Union troops.

New London troops gave vivid reports from the war

 July 21, 2011; Updated: 9:16 am

So sure was the North that the First Battle of Bull Run - 150 years ago today - would be a rout that The Daily Chronicle of New London reported, "A number of members of Congress and even ladies went to the neighborhood of Bull Run to witness the battle." Soon they were running for their lives.

New Londoners left for war, rebel supporters stayed home

 July 4, 2011; Updated: 4:29 am

It was the 85th anniversary of the nation's Declaration of Independence, but when President Abraham Lincoln called the U.S. Congress into special session on that day it was not to celebrate.

For some, Memorial Day still a solemn holiday

 May 29, 2011; Updated: 6:06 pm

At least 618,000 Americans died in the Civil War, more than have died in all the other wars this nation has fought combined.

More - A southern general at rest in the North

A southern general at rest in the North

 May 29, 2011; Updated: 11:54 pm

New London - This Memorial Day, when veterans are honored with small American flags placed on their graves, there's one grave in Cedar Grove Cemetery that could be marked with a Confederate flag.

The war through their eyes: A Civil War poem

 April 20, 2011; Updated: 11:30 am

Two of the first local young men to enlist after the shelling of Fort Sumter were Benjamin and William Perkins, descendants of the Shaws and residents of the Shaw mansion on Blinman Street in New London.

150 years ago: The scene from Sumter

 April 19, 2011; Updated: 11:36 am

While there were early reports of the shelling of Fort Sumter, S.C., in New London's newspapers, it wasn't until April 16, 1861, that The Daily Chronicle gave a full account "by telegraph" of the fort's bombardment, which signaled the beginning of the Civil War.

Civil War began a little too early for one soldier

 April 10, 2011; Updated: 11:37 am

New London resident Daniel Loosely had done battle with the Flathead and Chinook Indians. He had stood guard over Chief Leschi, the "head devil of them all." Sgt. Loosley, who was to become a captain in the Civil War, saw a lot of action and had the foresight to write it all down.

Attention Civil War sleuths

If you think you're pretty sharp and have an interest in Civil War history, the Library of Congress may have a challenge for you.

The identities of many of the individuals who appear in ambrotypes and tintypes found in the exhibit, "The Last Full Measure: Civil War Photographs from the Liljenquist Family Collection," remain a mystery. Only a handful of images had any type of identification when the Liljenquist family acquired the photographs.

The Library of Congress has established a Flickr page where visitors can take a stab at helping identify a group of anonymous soldiers and civilians in the Liljenquist collection.

-McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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