Your American civil war stories

[factasy.com]

Hi everyone. Would like to invite forum participants to share any stories and

photo they may have about Civil War. For those who enjoy researching the

Civilians of the 1861-1865 time period. I will try to publish all stories that

people send to me I will give you the credit for your stories
Thanks for sharing!!


Ann Anderson

[mmescher]

Hi Ann,

Could you provide a few more details on your project?

Since none of us were around during the civil war, the stories we know are either already published or are family stories based on written materials or oral tradition. For already published stories, you would have to credit the original author, not the person retelling the story. For family stories, are you also seeking documentation for the story? If not documented, you run the risk of publishing something akin to a "Hidden in Plain View" scenario that is presented as fact but many historians consider highly questionable if not a fabrication.

Also, depending upon the magnitude of the contribution, would you consider any other compensation for contributors? From your very brief description, it sounds like you intend to publish a book based on these contributions. There is nothing wrong with such a project but, if I were making a contribution, I would like to know in advance that someone intended to profit from publishing what I provide to them.

More information would be appreciated.

[mmescher]

My apologies for one of my questions from my earlier post. It was only after I had clicked "post" that I noticed the website at the bottom of the salutation. When I visited the site, there was a link to information about the Civil War and one of the menu items was family stories. So the purpose is clearer but stating it in the original post would have removed that question. Also, some of the other links that pop up on the home page, e.g., cancer information, are a bit puzzling if you are looking for civil war information.

If I could make one suggestion, the letters are dated and have the writer's and addressee's names. But, if you can find any of the circumstances about either end, e.g., if a soldier, his regiment and approximate location when the letter was written (if not obvious) or the town and state of the addressee. Such information would provide valuable context.

Thanks!