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We appeciate you stopping by and we'd like to help you understand what you will find on the Civil War Gazette (CWG) and answer some basic questions. CWG is a non-commerical site. The banners or sponsors one sees on CWG are provided free though they usually represent some kind of partnership between CWG and that entity that results in CWG getting free content.
We believe CWG is one of the best kept secrets on the Web related to the American Civil War. It is probably the largest Civil War site on the Internet period. A brief but diligent stay on our site will reveal the depth of content on it.
The Civil War Gazette is a WebZine dedicated to telling the story of the common soldier during the American Civil War. We do this through authentic and original letters, diaries, excerpts from historical records, photos, pictures, ambrotypes, tin types, dagguerotypes, CDVs, newspaper accounts, etc.
There is nothing that can replace seeing pictures of the soldiers themselves. As often as possible, we include regimental histories or historical accounts alongside CDVS and pictures of the soldiers we place on the site.
Let us address some commonly asked questions:
1. How often is this site 'updated'?
Believe it or not, we update CWG 5-6 days a week. It is a passion of a small band-of-brothers and we are dedicated to keeping it fresh.
2. If the site is updated daily then why do I not always see different content on the home page?
We leave content on the home page we think is of a strong interest. We sometimes add numerous items on a a given day but 'archive it' in a section like "In their own words".
3. I see a date (i.e., March 10, 2005) beside content items, what does that mean?
It usually means that date was the actual date when that specific content item was added on the site, but not always. We sometimes rotate items "to the front of the line" by adjusting this date.
4. How does the "Search" work?
This is defintely one of the best ways to find content on the site. There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands (we stopped counting) of content items on the site.
When we add a content item to the site we usually assign several key words to it. For example, one letter might contain the following key words: the soldier's last name, his regiment number (i.e., 15th), his hometown (if known), some major battles he was in (if known), etc.
You will be amazed what you can find on CWG by doing key word searches. A little bit of time invested in using our search feature will go a long way in appreciating the depth of content on CWG.
5. How and why is the site organized or structured like it is?
We structure CWG in a way that helps us best to tell the stories of the soldiers and the Civil War. This is why "In their own words" and "In the news" are featured sections near the top of our main navigation.
The "In their own words" section contains items like complete or excerpted letters of soldiers and civilians, poems, diary accounts, etc. Reading through items in this section will really help one get an appreciation for what a soldier went through during the Civil War.
"In the News" is a recent addition to CWG but will become a major part of our content strategy. We have an exclusive partnership with Applewood Books who publishes the Harper's Weekly Magazine which was very popular during the Civil War. The "In the News" section will especially leverage this content in forthcoming content items for CWG.
The "CDVs, Misc" section contains lot's of images, phoitos or pictures of soldiers and of the Civil War. One could spend many hours in this section alone. When possible we strive to do background research on a soldier or person profiled in a content item. We look for a story angle that is interesting.
Where do we get our pictures of soldiers (CDVs and ambrotyopes, etc.)? We usually get them off eBay or perhaps from a major government site. These images are all in the public domain. Most of our images come from eBay items but when we do list an image from a government or non-profit organization's web site we typically include an appropriate reference. More frequently now, we are receiving content submissions from private individuals.
6. I don't see many battles listed under the "Battle" section, why is that?
We only list the few battles in which we have done very extensive content development for (e.g., Franklin, Shiloh, New Bern, etc.), however, you might find a soldier's CDV on the site and we could have ten different battles keyword indexed to his name. Simply put, always do a keyword search for a battle (e.g., Gettysburg, Murfreesboro) to get an idea what is on the site. For example, Gettysburg is not listed as a major battle under our "Battle section" because we have not developed it into what we want it to be at this time. But enter in "Gettysburg" into the search window and you'll find many content items related to Gettysburg on CWG.
7. Does CWG have contemporary photos or pictures of Civil War battlefield or sites important to the Civil War?
Yes we do. Our "Pictorials" section features several major sites we have photographed. We will be adding greatly to this area on CWG this year, especially with pictures from major stops around Virginia, including: Appomattox, Petersburg, Richmond, Cold Harbor, North Anna, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, etc.
8. If I only come back a couple times a month what is the best way to get a feel for what has changed?
Make sure you visit the major sections on the main left navigational column (i.e., In their own words, CDVs, etc.), make notice of the dates next to content items in those sections, and thirdly, checkout the "CWG News" section to see some of the major activity happening on the site.
9. Where do you get your letters and diaries from?
We get most of our letters from items sold on online auctions like eBay. These items belong legally in the public domain and can not be copyrighted. We even have permissionfrom some dealers to publish soldier content, and we often pull authentic soldier words/excerpts out of books or magazines. Again, the actual words of soldiers preserved in a book or magazine can not be copyrighted, just the 'editorial comments' around the actual soldier's words.
10. Can I contribute content to the CWG, like transcripts of letters, diaries, pictures of soldiers, etc?
This is one of the best ways to not only improve the quality of CWG but to also providea larger readership/audience for your content. It is not uncommon for us to receive a CD burned with content or items private individuals have collected on a given soldier, regiment or battle. If you have lot's of content or information on a relative who fought in the Civil War what better way can you honor their memory than by sharing their story with people who have a similar interest or passion in the Civil Wart?
If you have any comments, feedback, questions, found an error, have content to share, or just want to say 'Hi' feel free to drop us an email. We'd love to hear from you. We'd especially like to hear from individuals who have original soldier content and information they'd like to be added to the Civil War Gazette. Enjoy your visit with us, bookmark our site, and check back often.
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Publisher
Harper's Weekly
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