Show and Tell: Civil War Washington
Civil War Washington is a digital center from University of Nebraska Lincoln, that examines multiple perspectives from the national capital during the Civil War. There are multiple views of political, social, cultural, and medical/scientific positions in this time period. This project is divided into multiple sections; Introduction, Data, Maps, Texts, Visual Works, and Interpretations. Then on the bottom there is availability for About, FAQ, Participants, Rights and Usage, Contact, and Blog.
The first link you are able to click on is the Introduction. There’s a brief paragraph giving an overview of what the overall database is about. It also gives the Introductory Materials, like the Emancipation Petitions, which gives historical context; Medical and Surgical Cases, which shows the sources and methods they used at this time; Journalism in Washington, which shows the importance of hospital newspapers, they all gave information on the patients and staff; Organization of Hospitals in the Department of Washington, which shows the placement of hospitals in that area; and Washington known as the Strategic, Symbolic, and Scientific Capital. Then their Grant Narrative, “Civil War Washington Collaborative Research Grant, which gives them the right to research on this certain topic. And lastly their Conference Paper, Civil War Washington: An Experiment in Freedom, Integration, and Constraint. This was delivered at the Annual Conference of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations, in June 2011.
The next page is the Data. It allows you to research people, places, organizations, documents, and events that have connection to the Civil War. It all has been researched by the creators of Civil War Washington, you’re able to search and browse this information. There’s also an option to download some documents, like the 1860 Census, Ward 1 Data; GIS Data, a geodatabase and shapefile; GIS Data, from KML; and L’Ouverture Hospital Register Data.
After that is the Maps page, mapmaking and cartography were very important during this time period. The map is set up for various users, beginners to experts. There are multiple tools that can manipulate the map, that come with in depth instructions. You can look at the overview, add or remove layers, view the legend, change the basemap, search for features, see more information about a place, activate time-aware data and use the time slider, draw, write, or measure on the map, set and use bookmarks, and print the current map view.
After that, there’s the Text page that gives multiple forms of writings from that time period. There are multiple petitions, specifically the Compensated Emancipation Act of April 16, 1862. It gave record of how thousands of slaves felt once they gained freedom. Medical cases, that give basic information on the different injuries, illnesses, and deaths. Letters from Washington, which were written by residents and guests that explained their view of the Capital. And newspapers, which also gave information on the hospitals; names of patients, medical staff, and subscribers, hospital statistics, news, and editorials, and presenting short stories, poetry, and sketches. With this page, you’re also allowed to search by using key words.
Then there is the Visual Works page, which gave photographs, lithographs, drawings, and other visuals from this time period. You are able to look at multiple people like Harrison Allen, Edwin Bentley, and some others. You can also look at different buildings, which are hospitals in that area. There’s also an “Other” section that has a picture of the 4th Colored Infantry, as well as a photo of the Capital without the dome.
The last page you’re able to click on is Interpretations. A lot of the creators of this project wrote essays on the experience of creating it or the database itself. Some examples are, “Civil War Washington: The City and the State” by: Susan C. Lawrence, Elizabeth Lorang, Brett Barney, and Kenneth M. Price, and “Developing Civil War Washington” by: Katherine L. Walter, Elizabeth Lorang, Stacy Rickel, and Karin Dalziel.
My overall experience with Civil War Washington has been great, the database is easy to navigate, it has useful information, and it has all the aspects to make it credible. There is the main page that has each section shown in the middle, making it easy to go from one section to the other. Then, it has information for each part of the time period. You have pictures, newspaper articles, names, essays, and other materials discussing the Civil War. And lastly, throughout the database it gives the credentials they have to show that they can look up this research and make a website about it. I would recommend this to any teacher, student, or person who is interested in this war and needs to research.