Lost Civil War: The Disappearing Legacy of Americas Greatest Conflict

Unlike conventional Losts this book will be organized thematically. In many cases battle sites are difficult to pin a date of loss on, as they are encroached, or get overgrown. This book is effectively, Lost Civil War Heritage featuring:

Battlefields

Encampments: Over-wintering camps, winter quarters - these are good as there were lots of photos taken.

Forts/Batteries: Morris Island near Charleston had batteries and a whole settlement from which they bombarded Fort Sumter. The island has been totally lost to the sea.

Trench Systems/Signalling Towers

Historic Buildings: Many or the original buildings were destroyed and have had to be rebuilt. Such as the McLean House in Appomattox, also the Ford Theatre in Washington DC, while Secession Hall in Charleston was burnt down and lost before the conflict even started.

Prisons: Libby Prison was dismantled and the bricks shipped to Chicago for exhibition, Andersonville Prison, Capitol Prison in Washington DC, Castle Pinckney in Charleston Harbor

Arsenals: lots of photos of the Washington Arsenal (also the place of execution for the Lincoln conspirators)

Soldiers Homes: one near Nashville that is featured in Nashville Then and Now was erased off the face of the earth when the last veteran left.

Hospitals

Cycloramas: there was such an interest in seeing re-enactments of the Civil War that many cycloramas were built specially to show re-runs of Gettysburg (Boston).

Rail depots: such as Atlanta, demolished by Sherman

Ships: Very few of the prominent ships, monitors or riverboats have survived

Photos: George Barnard (Sherman's photographer) lost a whole trove of Civil War photos in a fire

Statues and monuments: bringing the book right up to date, the high profile statues and memorials that have been taken down since the end of the war. This will be handled sensitively.

Endpiece - a spread on the longest lived Civil War veterans.