Digital Learning Commons: Civil War: Border States

Border State Resources

Border States
The loyalty of the Border States was a pressing concern for both the Confederate and Union governments in 1861.
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“Border States.” Mr. Lincoln and Freedom, The Lehrman Institute, http://www.mrlincolnandfreedom.org/civil-war/congressional-action-inaction/border-states/.
States of the Pseudo-Confederacy
Quick overview on the decisions "border" states were faced with when forced to make a decision between joining the Union or supporting the Confederacy.
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“States of the Pseudo-Confederacy.” American Battlefield Trust, Hallowed Ground Magazine, 2010, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/states-pseudo-confederacy.

Delaware

Delaware’s Civil War Split
Delaware mirrored the nation during the Civil War. The state was somewhat divided in its loyalties with the northern part of the state closely connected with the Union and the southern portion more aligned with the Confederacy.
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Eichmann, Mark. “Delaware’s Civil War Split.” WHYY, WHYY, 7 Sept. 2015, https://whyy.org/articles/delawares-civil-war-split/.
Delaware During the Civil War
In-depth look at Delaware's involvement in the Civil War, including the events leading up to the war, the state's conflicted decision on joining the Union or the Confederacy, and more.
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Harold Bell Hancock. Delaware during the Civil War : A Political History. Wilmington, Del., Historical Society Of Delaware, 2003, https://archives.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/156/2018/08/Delaware-During-the-Civil-War_-A-Political-History-Harold-Bell-Hancock.pdf.

Kentucky's Neutrality During the Civil War
As the Civil War started, states chose sides, North or South. Kentucky was the one true exception, they chose neutrality. As Lowell H. Harrison wrote, to an outside observer the United States may have looked like it “had become three countries: the Union, the Confederacy and Kentucky.”
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Ford, Laura. “Kentucky’s Neutrality during the Civil War.” Kentucky Historical Society, National Endowment for the Humanities, 31 July 2013, http://history.ky.gov/landmark/kentuckys-neutrality-during-the-civil-war/.
A House Divided: Civil War Kentucky
Situated between three slave states and three free; connected by railroad arteries into Tennessee and Ohio; and bounded by rivers accessing the Deep South and the East Coast, Kentucky was where North and South converged. But when those two philosophies collided over slavery in 1860, the impact shook Kentucky to its core.
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Adelman, Garry E., and Mary Bays Woodside. “A House Divided: Civil War Kentucky.” Hallowed Ground Magazine, 2010, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/house-divided-civil-war-kentucky.

Maryland in the Civil War
An in-depth look at Maryland's role in the Civil War, told from the viewpoint of a Confederate officer, Brigadier General Bradley T. Johnson.
The not-quite-Free State: Maryland dragged its feet on emancipation during Civil War
Maryland calls itself the Free State, but it was in no hurry to give up slavery during the Civil War.
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Spivack, Miranda S. “The Not-Quite-Free State: Maryland Dragged Its Feet on Emancipation during Civil War.” The Washington Post, 13 Sept. 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/the-not-quite-free-state-maryland-dragged-its-feet-on-emancipation-during-civil-war/2013/09/13/a34d35de-fec7-11e2-bd97-676ec24f1f3f_story.html?utm_term=.9fa24afe8f31.

Guide to American Civil War in Missouri
Great resource that explores all aspects of Missouri's role in the Civil War. Includes regiment histories, images, manuscripts, and much more.
Missouri Rejects Secession
As Southern states seceded from the Union in the months leading up to the Civil War, Missouri struggled with the decision of whether to rebel and join the new Confederacy.
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Roe, Jason. “Missouri Rejects Secession.” Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1854-1865, The Kansas City Public Library, http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/content/missouri-rejects-secession.

The Civil War in West Virginia
Collection of resources pertaining to West Virginia and it's roles in the Civil War, including individuals as well as year by year resources.
West Virginia in the Civil War
Website dedicated to all things relating to West Virginia and the Civil War. Includes regiment lists, videos, primary documents and more.