The following links are provided as starting points for learning more about the American Civil War, Iowa’s role in the war, battlefield preservation, historical research, museums, and educational resources.
These websites are maintained by outside organizations. The Des Moines Civil War Round Table does not control their content, but they may be useful to members, students, researchers, and anyone interested in Civil War history.
Iowa Civil War Resources
Aquilla Standifird Civil War Journal
Cedar Valley Civil War Round Table
Iowa Gold Star Military Museum
Iowa-Related Lincoln Documents
Letters from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War
Pieces of Iowa’s Past (Battleflags)
Sons of Union Veterans of Civil War – Dept of Iowa
State Historical Society of Iowa
Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum
Union Regimental Index for Iowa
Research and Records
Nat Park Srvc Civil War Soldiers & Sailors DB
National Archives Civil War Records
Library of Congress Civil War Photographs
Gilder Lehrman Civil War Collection
10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment
104th Pa. Volunteer Infantry, Co. C
33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band
Battlefields, Maps, and Education
Gettysburg National Military Park
Civil War Timeline – Smithsonian
Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College
Civil War Studies – Smithsonian Associates
Civil War Teacher Res – Lib of Congress
Pictures of the Civil War Lesson Plan
Museums and Preservation
M1857 12 pounder Napoleon Cannon in 3-D
Mark Rogers created a 3D model of a full M1857 12 pounder Napoleon cannon: “I’ve always been drawn to nineteenth century design, where old time craftsmanship and artwork weren’t separate things, they were one, and one of the things I decided to build was a Napoleon. I set out to copy one from what I could find online, but there were no good blueprints and no decent models anywhere, so I started digging, and that’s how I found the blueprints at the Library of Congress. So when I found those plates, I knew they were good enough to build an accurate cannon. A few weeks of modeling later, I had a full Napoleon about ninety five percent faithful to the original Ordnance Board plates, the rest is gaps where the drawings themselves leave things ambiguous. The M1857 12 pounder Napoleon was the most widely produced field gun of the Civil War, with well over fifteen hundred built for Union and Confederate armies.”
You can view the model on GrabCAD without an account:
https://grabcad.com/library/m1857-12-pounder-napoleon-1
For the interactive explode and spin experience, Autodesk account sign in may be required:
https://autodesk.com/community/gallery/project/199841/m1857-12-pounder-napoleon-3
Media and Publications
Des Moines Register Article About Gala Speaker Mike Kauffman
Grenville Dodge: Architect of the iron road, man of intrigue — Part 1 of 2
Grenville Dodge: Architect of the iron road, man of intrigue — Part 2 of 2
Do you have a suggested link?
If you know of a Civil War-related website, Iowa history resource, museum, battlefield organization, or educational link that may be useful to members, please contact the Round Table.