American Civil War

Stop Here! Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 3 Comments

Heading to Winchester, Virginia to look for a little history or enjoy a weekend getaway? As you wander the historic downtown district in this city about seventy-five west of Washington D.C., you’ll see the old courthouse building which dates back 1840.

An important structure in the local history and a key part of Civil War history in the Shenandoah Valley, the old courthouse now features The Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum as well as the building’s own fascinating story written on the walls – literally. Let’s stop and take a look… Continue reading →

10 Things To Know About Civil War Maps

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 3 Comments

I’ve always been the type of researcher that wants a good map. Give me the battle details and a good map and I can follow along, but without a map – if I don’t already know the terrain and maneuver facts – I’ll be lost. Learning how to read the terrain of a battlefield is vastly different that just reading a map, but there are similarities.

Last year I had several interesting experiences: studying the creation of rather famous battle map through archived documents, learning how to read a battlefield accurately, and getting to work with a modern mapmaker to create essential maps for my new book. All of this got me thinking about mapping during the 1860’s.

To start off Gazette665’s January theme for Friday blog posts, here are ten important overview facts to know about Civil War maps and mapmaking. Continue reading →

Notes On 19th Century Newspapers

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 3 Comments

Throughout Lighthouse Loyalty, newspapers, journalism, and writing feed into the plot of the story. Is it accurate? What papers could the Arnold Family have read? And how did newspapers help American’s form opinions about the Civil War?

I thought I’d share some of my notes on newspapers and delve into the historical backing for some of the journalistic details in my newest historical novel. Happy reading… Continue reading →

Blockade Runners: Running The Confederate Economy?

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 2 Comments

It’s the post that some of my readers have been waiting for…

Let’s talk about Blockade Runners’ role in the Confederate economy and their economic impact. These unarmed merchant vessels – owned privately or by the state or Confederate governments – carried cargoes worth thousands of dollars in and out of the blockaded Southern states. Today, we’ll do a “twenty-thousand” foot overview of King Cotton, the gross value of the cargoes, who was paying for the cargoes, and what happened (economically) when they were captured. Continue reading →

5 Things To Know About Blockade Runners

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 4 Comments

Today we’ll delve into five fascinating facts about blockade runners during the American Civil War. Facts beyond the basics. (Check out last week’s infograph for the introduction!)

Did steam or wind propeller these 19th Century vessels? What were their favorite Southern ports? Where did they sail? What if they were captured? Who owned the blockade runners?

Read on and discover the answers: Continue reading →