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American History Civil War

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Submitted By michelle7
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It takes an extraordinary person to fight for his land. And we have seen many generations of our U.S. men and woman go to battle for our country. I think that goes to show how dedicated we are to our land. I believe that all Soldiers have stories to tell about their experience during war, and I’m sure that most of the men and women fighting for our country aren’t comfortable telling these stories. However, we are lucky to have such a rich history of letters saved for many wars including the Civil War. I have always had an interest in the Civil War since I first leaned about it in elementary school. The main reason why I was fascinated by the Civil War was because it divvied our country, North and South, and I just couldn’t imagine the United States fighting itself. When it came time for me to take this course I was excited to broaden my knowledge on this war. I always knew that we (Americans) preserved our history very well. On a trip to Washington D.C., I was enlighten when I was able to see George Washington’s’ home, and Abraham Lincoln’s Coat and so much more. But when I began this assignment and started reading the letters from the soldiers of the Civil War in the After-Actions-Reports, I gained a true sense of what those men were going through on those battlefields. I found out that during the Civil War, officers were required to send in reports on their status’s and events. I decided to read Luetinet Colonel Robert Anderson’s official report. Lt. Col Robert Anderson was a Federal officer based near Sharpsburg. The letter I read was dated September 22, 1862, which was the same day Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Anderson’s brigade was on South Mountain and he was very descriptive in his locations for each activity. In fact, I was amazed at how detailed his directions were in the letter. I guess I am used to modern technology like GPS

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