Welcome to our book listing. The books below are ones we have used in developing episodes for Civil War Digital Digest. You may have just watched an episode that used some of this information.
The information we are able to use from each source is so small in comparison to everything in the books. We highly recommend acquiring the titles that speak to you. You will gain so much more when you read eveything in them.
This list is broken down by episode. The master list below will help you quickly get to the episode you are looking for.
Civil War Digital Digest Epsidoes
Volume I
Episode 1: Series Introduction - No resources cited as this episode outlines the series.
Episode 2: The Union Ration
Episode 3: Evaluating Reproductions - No resources cited as the guest, Dan Wambaugh, brought the information.
Episode 4: Michigan's Save the Flags - No resources cited as the guest, Matt VanAcker, brought the information.
Episode 5: Hell Fire Stew
Episode 6: Richmond Depot, Type 2
Episode 7: Coffee al a Zouave for a Mess of 10 soldiers
Episode 8: Union Soldiers' Christmas
Volume II
Episode 1: Beef Steak
Episode 2: Book on Michigan in the Civil War - All Michigan Civil War Books Page
Episode 3: Federal Fatigue Blouse -
No resources cited as the guest, Dan Wambaugh, brought the information.
Episode 4: Michigan's GAR Memorial Hall and Museum
Episode 5: Research Triangle
Episode 6: General Casey's Stew
Episode 7: A Flag Comes Home -
No resources cited as the guest, Matt VanAcker, brought the information.
Episode 8: Aprons: Not Just for Cooking
Episode 9: Simple Dumplings
Episode 10: Blanket Rolls
Episode 15: Coffee on Campaign
Episode 16: Men's Vest
Episode 17: Girl's Dresses
Episode 18: Hooker's Retreat
Episode 20: Women's Winter Headwear
Episode 21: Preparing Salt Pork
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Episode 2: The Union Ration
| Revised U.S. Army Regulations of 1861, printed in 1863 | This book is a wealth of information! The link here is a reliable copy, but if you need to use it for Living History, you might want to look for a better cover to take into the field. Full of information about how the army wanted things done, it is an excellent place to start. However, veterans will tell you not all went according to plan. |
Episode 5: Hell Fire Stew
| A Drummer-boy's Diary: Comprising Four Years Of Service With The Second Regiment Minnesota Veteran Volunteers, 1861 To 1865 - by William Bircher | Bircher was a drummer in the 2nd Minnesota. It is said "An army travels on it's stomach" and Bircher is no exception. He writes about food a lot in his diary and in Episode 5, we made up one of the recipes. |
Episode 6: Richmond Depot - Type 2
A SURVEY OF |
These links will take you to great articles where Mr. Jensen creates the typology of jackets from the Richmond Depot. We cover them briefly in the episode but they are worthy of reading closely. Part II leads off with an excellent drawing which shows all three types of Richmond Depot jacket. |
Episode 7: Coffee al a Zouave for a Mess of 10 Soldiers
The Military Handbook & Soldier's Manual |
This is a Beadle & Company (think the "dime" novels) reprint |
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| The Military Dictionary - H.L. Scott | This publication also has the recipe listed, as well as many others by Soyer. |
Episode 8: Union Soldiers' Christmas
Diary of a Young Army Officer - Josiah Favill |
Favill's account of his time in the war has been reprinted as part of the Army of the Potomac series. Not only does he talk about Christmas but this is one of the best junior officer's accounts of the war I've read. |
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| History of the Fortieth (Mozart) Regiment, New York Volunteers, Which Was Composed of Four Companies from New York, Four Companies from Massachusetts - By Fred Floyd | This is a history of the regiment. The author mentions Christmas, along with the many other experiences they shared. | |
| No More Gallant a Deed: A Civil War Memoir of the First Minnesota Volunteers - By James A. Wright | With heroic action at Gettysburg and other fields, this is an excellent read on the 1st Minnesota Infantry. Wright's glum mood is typical in the Army of the Potomac during Christmas 1862. | |
| For Country Cause and Leader: The Civil War Journal of Charles B. Haydon - Edited by Stephen W. Sears | Excellent account of a man who started a sergeant and ended up a field officer. | |
| Army Life in Virginia: The Civil War Letters of George G. Benedict - Edited by Eric Ward | A newspaper man himself, George Benedict wrote regular letters back to the paper during his time of service. | |
| A "Guest" of the Confederacy The Civil War Letters and Diaries of Alonzo M. Keeler, Captain, Company B, Twenty-second Michigan Infantry - Edited by Robert and Cheryl Allen | Keeler's time in service included time in Libby Prison, where he had a Christmas meal men in the army would have craved. | |
| Hell on Belle Isle: Diary of a Civil War Pow - by Jacob Osborn Coburn | This POW account is quite the contrast to Keeler's Christmas in Libby. | |
| Divided Christmas: Four Years of Civil War Yuletides- By Patricia B. Mitchell | A compilation of stories, including General Sherman's famous telegraph. | |
| On the Skirmish Line Behind a Friendly Tree: The Civil War Memoirs of William Royal Oake, 26th Iowa Volunteers - By William Royal Oake | A soldier's account from Iowa, including a Christmas story after Sherman's entered Savannah. | |
| The Civil War Letters of First Lieutenant James B. Thomas, Adjutant, 107th Pennsylvania Volunteers (Army of the Potomac Series) - By James B. Thomas | Another great account of a junior officer in the Eastern Theater | |
| Dear Carrie: The Civil War Letters of Thomas N. Stevens - By George M. Blackburn | Stevens was in hospital in 1864 and left letters from both 1863 and 1864 for his "Dear Carrie" and their children. |
Beef Steak - Volume II, Episode 1
Hardtack and Coffee |
Veteran John Billings wrote about life in the Union army. |
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Michigan's GAR Memorial Hall and Musuem - Volume II, Episode 4
| Michigan's GAR Memorial Hall and Museum | Here's a link directly to the Museum's site. They will keep it updated so you can find the most up to date information on events and special exhibits | http://garmuseum.weebly.com/ |
| Michigan SUVCW | As the descendents of the GAR, the Sons of Union Veteran's of the Civil War carry on their legacy. Learn more about both groups in Michigan by visiting their web page. | http://www.suvcwmi.org/ |
National SUVCW |
More information on the history of the GAR will be found here, as well as national resources, if you are looking to contact a camp across the nation. |
Research Triangle - Volume II, Episode 5
| Victorian Needle Blog | Here you will find Kristen Mrozek's blog with a lot of information on how she does reserach and her recommended links to do your own research. | |
| Victorian Needle | Interested in seeing Kristen's reproductions? Here is a link to her Etsy storefront. | https://www.etsy.com/shop/VictorianNeedle |
| The Met Museum | The Met Museum is mentioned in the episode as having a huge collection and an excellent search feature. Here is a link to their search page so you can start looking around. | http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?&persisted=true&sc_device=default&when=A.D.+1800-1900&pg=1 |
| Who Wore What | Written by Juanita Leisch, this book gives an over view of civilian garments during the Civil War. | |
| The Way There Were: Dressed in 1861 - 1865 | This is another reference when looking at civilian dress and clothing of the Civil War era. | |
| Victorian Jewelry | This books gives an overview specifically of jewelry. | |
| Jewels and Jewelry | ||
| Victorian Jewelry | Same title as above but a different author with more infomation. This one covers over 4,000 pieces. | |
| Whitby Jet | A book specifically on Jet Jewellery. | |
Jet Jewellery and Ornaments |
A book specifically on Jet Jewellery. |
General Casey's Stew - Volume II, Episode 6
| A Taste For War: The Culinary History of the Blue and the Gray - By William C. Davis | An excellent book about food and the soliders. Mr Davis includes a lot of original recipes with documentation where they come from in the back, including General Casey's Stew. | |
| Harmony House Dried Cabbage Flakes | One of two parts of the dried vegetables we mixed to make our stew. Many accounts of dessicated vegetables talk about cabbage. We added it here. | |
| Harmony House Vegetable Soup | The other part of our dryed vegetable mix to make General Casey's soup. | |
Authentic Campaigner Article |
The Authentic Campaigner website is an excellent place to go to learn more about Civil War history, espeically as interpreted in the living history world. This link takes you directly to an article about dessicated vegetables on their site. |
Aprons: Not Just for Cooking - Volume II, Episode 8
| Past Reflections Reproductions | This is Jackie Jacobs' business page, with her partner Beth Tart. Some of the items discussed in the epsiode will be found in here. | |
| Who Wore What | Written by Juanita Leisch, this book gives an over view of civilian garments during the Civil War. | |
| The Way There Were: Dressed in 1861 - 1865 | This is another reference when looking at civilian dress and clothing of the Civil War era. |
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Simple Dumplings - Volume II, Episode 9
| A Culinary Campaign - by Soyer | This is a repubished copy of Soyer's work. He presents his Dumplings in here. This version was published in 1995. Introductions by Elizabeth Ray and military historian Michael Barthorp. | |
| A Culinary Campagin - by Soyer | Do you want Soyer's book and don't mind the "print on demand" style? Looking to save a few bucks. Here's the same text lacking modern commentary. | |
| Military Dictionary - Colonel H. L. Scott | This military dictionary is full of information for the military living historian or arm chair general about the military at the time of the Civil War. Included are a number of recipes for use in the field. This link will allow you to select either a paperback or hardbound copy of the book. | |
| Kentucky Housewife: Containing Nearly Thirteen Hundred Full Receipts - by Lettice Bryan |
This is a reprint of an 1839 book of recipes. Dumplings can be found in here for use in the home. |
Blanket Rolls - Volume II, Episode 10
| One of Jackson's Foot Cavalry: His Experience and What he Saw During the War 1861-1865,Including a History of "F Company," Richmond, Va.,21st Regiment ... Jackson's Division, Second Corps, A. N. Va. - By John H. Worsham | Our Southern account comes from one of the great accounts of the Southern soldier's experience. Worhsam marched with Jackson. They had to be fast and move light. He used a blanket roll. | |
| The History of the 9th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, June, 1861-June, 1864 (The Irish in the Civil War) - By Daniel G. Macnamara | MacNamara served in the Eastern Theater. His account both details how the blanket roll was made and also how it could be used on the march. | |
| The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War 1861-1865 - By Leander Stillwell | Stillwell marched in the west. His book carries an account of making an using the blanket roll. | |
| A Soldier's Story Of The Siege of Vicksburg - By Osborn H. Oldroyd | Since we shot the episode, one of our team has found another account describing how a blanket roll was made. This is an excellent soldier's account of his fight with lots of detail about daily life. |
Coffee on Campaign - Volume II, Episode 15
| A Soldier's Story of the Siege of Vicksburg: From the Diary of Osborn H. Oldroyd (Classic Reprint) - By Osborn Oldroyd | Oldroyd was a member of the 20th Ohio Infantry. If an army marches on it's stomach, Oldroyd wrote it down. His account if full of great daily life details. |
Hooker's Retreat - Volume II, Episode 18
| The Heritage Center of the Union League of Philadelphia | This archive was very kind to us and provided us with high quality scans of the CDV's of Crocker and Donaldson. When the Civil War Museum and Library was forced to close, the received part of that collection, these two CDVs being part of it. | http://www.ulheritagecenter.org/ |
| Wisconsin Veteran's Museum | The staff of the WVM went above and beyond to help us with this epsiode. They hold the Cassius Fairchild liquor chest that we have the reproduction of displayed. Their team realized the photos they had weren't large enough technically for our needs and re-shot the original make it possible to have the image in the epsiode. | http://www.wisvetsmuseum.com/ |
| Inside the Army of the Potomac: The Civil War Experience of Captain Francis Adams Donaldson | This book is Donaldson's account of the Civil War. It's a very rich read and we recommend it! | |
Jerry Thomas Bartenders Guide 1862 Reprint: How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon Vivant's Companion |
A reprint has recently been released of the Bartender's Guide we reference in the episode. There are many, many drink mixes mentioned and this comes from 1862. | |
La Perruche Pure Cane Rough Cut Cubes, 1 lb.10.50z(750g) |
Based on the sugar in Fairchild's Chest at Wisconsin Veteran's Museum, this was the sugar we chose to use for Hooker's Retreat. |
Women's Winter Headwear- Volume II, Episode 20
| Past Reflections Reproductions | This is Jackie Jacobs' business page, with her partner Beth Tart. Some of the items discussed in the epsiode will be found in here. |
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Preparing Salt Pork - Volume II, Episode 21
| Cooking Salt Pork | This article was prepared by Charles Heath for the 145th Anniversary of Gettysburg, the "At HighTide" event. Released here as a PDF, this information is an excellent compilation. The books listed below are resources Charles pulled on for this document. Several we already had on our shelves as they've been used in other episodes here, either released or upcoming. | Cooking Salt Pork PDF |
| Grocers' Handbook: And Directory for 1886. | Though post war- Heath uses this as a 19th century description of the cuts of pork and the varieties of quality of Salt pork that could have come in the barrel. | |
| The Compleat Housewife - Eliza Smith, London, 1758; reprinted London, 1994 | Recipes from here pre-date the Civil War by a good amount of time and there are some discussions of boiling meats in it. | |
Hand-Book for Active Service: Containing Practical Instructions in Campaign Duties; For the Use of Volunteers |
Egbert L. Viele's work often ends up here in our resource page and it's no different in this episode. You will find a few good rations for salt pork use in it's pages. At less than $10.00 for this modern reprint, this is information you really should have on the shelf! | |
| Grandmother in the Kitchen: A Cook's Tour of American Household Recipes from the Early 1800s to the Late 1890s | This is a source you will see Charles goes for even more recipes. | |
| Matt Braun's Western Cooking | ||
| Authentic Campaigner Ration Thread | Many threads of discussion on the Authentic Campaigner forums were combined into one massive ration thread. It's full of research, questions and excellent ideas and it very worth reading. We also recommend signing up for this forum if living history is of interest to you. |
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