Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "West Point Graduates During the Civil War and Reconstruction"

West Point in the Making of America Homepage

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:29:15 GMT

This website looks at the lives of selected West Point graduates who attended the Academy between 1802 and 1918. Students will also learn about the U.S. Army's major functions in 19th and early 20th century America: building the nation's infrastructure of roads, bridges, canals, and railroads; exploring its territories from the Mississippi to the Pacific; and fighting its wars-the role of the West Pointers in engineering, exploration, and war.

The Civil War

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:22:31 GMT

From 1861-1865, Americans battled over preserving their Union and ending slavery. The Civil War is the focus of this section of The Price of Freedom: Americans at War, an online exhibition. This pivotal and complicated period of American history is divided into sections that allow students to focus either on a specific aspect of the war, or the conflict as a whole. The sections included are: John Brown, Fort Sumter, the Battle of Bull Run, major turning points, the war at sea, Wilderness to Appomattox, political leaders, military leaders, soldiers in blue and gray; battles and casualties and Reconstruction and the legacies of the war. A non-flash version of this site is available: The Civil War.

West Point Graduates Quiz

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:46:11 GMT

West Point graduates had diverse careers and interests. They were not only military officers, but also inventors, builders, managers, and businessmen. Students can use three interactive multiple choice quizzes to review information contained in the exhibition. The topics of the quizzes are: Inventions and Innovations, Private and Public Works and War & Diplomacy. The West Point Graduates Quiz is part of the online exhibition West Point in the Making of America.

Travis Panorama

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:43:58 GMT

In this online exhibition, students can see a dramatic recreation of how the Travis Panorama would have been presented, using the original narration .Near the end of the Civil War, veterans of the Army of the Cumberland commissioned the artist William D. T. Travis to memorialize the career of General William S. Rosecrans and his campaigns in Kentucky and Tennessee. Travis produced a huge panorama on a single roll of canvas over 500 feet long. Today, the original panorama is too fragile for display. The Travis Panorama is part of the online exhibition West Point in the Making of America.