April 9: General Lee Surrenders

On this day in 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House. Shortly thereafter, Confederate forces throughout the South surrendered as news of Lee’s surrender reached them. FCIT has assembled a large collection of Civil War illustrations, photos, maps, and literature for a study of the American Civil War.

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Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Speech given by Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Available as an audio file and as a PDF from the Lit2Go website. Reading level: 10.9, Word count: 278

The Emancipation Proclamation

Audiobook of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863 from the Lit2Go website.

Civil War Maps

Over 130 Civil War maps including regional seats of the war, battle and campaign maps, and territories held by Confederate and Union forces. From FCIT’s Maps ETC website.

Land Battle Illustrations

Over 250 illustrations of land battles that were fought between the Union and the Confederacy from the ClipArt ETC website.

Naval Battle Illustrations

Nineteenth century naval battle illustrations from the ClipArt ETC website.

Camp Life Illustrations

Nineteenth century camp life illustrations from the ClipArt ETC website.

Slave Narratives

Thirty-four slave narratives describing the conditions before, during, and after the Civil War. From the Exploring Florida website.

Important Events Illustrations

Over a hundred illustrations of other important Civil War events from the ClipArt ETC website.

Civil War Locations

Illustrations of places that are famous due to battles or other events during the Civil War, from the ClipArt ETC website.

Miscellaneous Civil War Illustrations

Miscellaneous illustrations of the American Civil War from the ClipArt ETC website.

Miscellaneous Photos

Various photos, primarily of monuments and memorials at Arlington National Cemetery, from the ClipPix ETC website.

Corinth Contraband Camp

Over 50 photos of the Corinth Contraband Camp feature life-size bronze sculptures representing the men, women, and children who inhabited the camp. Photo gallery is from the ClipPix ETC website.

Corinth Civil War Center

Photos of the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center in Corinth, Mississippi. These photos of the “Stream of American History” are from the ClipPix ETC website.

Re-enactment Video Clips

A dozen short video clips of firearm demonstrations by reenactors at Shilo National Military Park from the ClipVideo ETC website.

A Victorious Union

A Victorious Union, part of Oliver Optic’s Blue and the Gray series, is an adventure story set in the time of the Civil War from Lit2Go. PDFs are available for each of the 31 chapters. Reading level: 9.0, Total word count: 72,505

At the Dry Tortugas During the War

At the Dry Tortugas During the War is an account written by Emily Holder describing her memories of Fort Jefferson during the Civil war. Audiobook and PDFs available from Lit2Go. Reading level: 9.0, Total word count: 37,242

Florida's Role in the Civil War

This two-page PDF is a part of the “Florida Then and Now” reading series on the Exploring Florida website. Over 70 Florida history passages are available a web pages and as PDFs, along with teacher notes, questions, and student activities. Each is written at the upper elementary reading level.