Review

Textbooks, Readers, and References

William G. Thomas and Alice C. Carter have done American history teachers a great service. They have compiled a reader's guide to Civil War websites. Their book is much needed because Civil War websites are proliferating at a rate beyond our capacity as teachers and scholars to keep up. Because much of what is published on the web is of dubious quality, Thomas and Carter have developed a rating system to help guide us to the best sites. They have included chapters on "Battles and Campaigns," "Political and Military Leaders," "The Life of the Soldier," "The War on Water: The Navy," "The Experience of United States Colored Troops," "Slavery and Emancipation," "Women in the Civil War," and "Regimental Histories." The book thus has something to offer for military and social historians alike. The authors, however, are wary of taking sides in the military vs. social history conflict by insisting that they are only trying to represent the sites that are currently on the web. Websites merely reflect the scholarly divide; it remains to be seen which areas will generate more websites. The authors selected for inclusion only those sites that would meet two criteria: high quality content that will assist researchers in learning more about the Civil War and content that is "extensive, accurate, and well documented" (p. xxvi).	1
The guide is well organized and easy to read. It is designed for quick reference. Each chapter begins with a very general essay that concludes with a description of those who tend to visit and those who maintain a given category of sites. Many of those who visit the websites listed in the "Battles and Campaigns" chapter, for example, tend to be those who "make pilgrimages to archives and battlefields in search of a connection" with family members and historical figures. Those who maintain the battlefield sites are usually custodians of the battlefields who include National Park Service guides and other government employees. Each site chosen is described and critiqued according to content, aesthetics, and navigation. The descriptions are very useful, allowing the researcher to quickly determine whether a particular site will be of use. Since most researchers are more focused on content than aesthetics, evaluation of aesthetics will not be as important to most as the authors' determination of content quality. For teachers assigning projects, however, ease of navigation is important for the novice user. Each chapter is concluded with a bibliography of important book sources to guide further research. The guide concludes with a topical index that includes many sites that did not qualify for discussion.	2
The Civil War on the Web is an excellent quick reference for teachers and students. Teachers can use it to design research assignments and projects without spending hours on the Internet in an attempt to sort through and evaluate sites. Because plagiarism is a perennial problem, the book can also be useful to check on written work that might be lifted wholesale from a particular source. For scholars, the guide will be less helpful, except for those who can use it to find published diaries, letters, and regimental histories and muster rolls located at archives that they cannot visit. But the guide has a few shortcomings. A separate chapter on the Civil War in the Popular Imagination that focuses on the arts could have been constructed, bringing together music, political cartoons, photography, and painting. A chapter with a visual focus would appeal to many teachers and students. In addition, because the guide reflects what is best on the web, students and teachers should be aware that the western theater of the war is woefully under represented among the sites that are selected. Teachers who rely too heavily on The Civil War on the Web to develop research assignments about the military aspects of the war will fall into the trap of neglecting the war in the West. Finally, the authors would do well to add a red flag icon or section. Some aspects of the Civil War are still very controversial and neo-Confederate websites that glorify the Old South are offensive to many students and parents. The authors should, for example, red flag partisan regimental histories that glorify the Confederate units that participated in the Fort Pillow massacre. Indeed, any unit or individual involved in atrocities or war crimes should be singled out with a red flag icon. Criticisms aside, The Civil War Guide to the Web is a much needed reference tool that will save students and teachers a great deal of valuable time.	3
University of Northern Iowa   Paul Horton

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