Washington During the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865
Critical Thinking

[Detail] The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865. About this image

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Chronological Thinking: Creating and Interpreting Timelines | Chronological Thinking: Continuity and Change Over Time | Historical Comprehension: Personal Bias | Historical Comprehension: Evidencing Historical Perspectives | Historical Analysis and Interpretation: Comparing Different Stories About an Event | Historical Research: Interrogating Historical Data | Historical Research: Formulating Historical Questions | Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making

Chronological Thinking: The Civil War

Fredericksburg, Va. Burial of
soldiers. May 1864.

The Civil War Photographs collection in American Memory includes a detailed timeline of the Civil War. Choose one of the years for which Horatio Nelson Taft made a significant number of entries. Use the Civil War Photographs timeline for that year as a base for a timeline. Expand the timeline by incorporating selections from the Taft diaries corresponding to important campaigns and battles.

What do the diaries reveal about public response to successes and failures on the battlefield?
What other sources could you check to learn more about public responses to events of the war?
If you were to create a timeline about the Second World War or Vietnam War, how much information would you include about public response to the war? Why?

Last Updated: 06/12/2009

Washington During the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865 Critical Thinking

Chronological Thinking: The Civil War

Washington During the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865
Critical Thinking