Battle Analysis:
1.When and why did this particular battle take place?
2.Where did it take place?
3.What influenced the outcome of this battle?
4.What influence did the outcome of this particular engagement have on the campaign of which it was part?
5.What influence did that particular campaign have on course of the Civil War?
The main emphasis of your paper should be on placing the battle that you have selected to research into the wider context of the Civil War as a whole. As such, your paper should not focus solely on military matters, but should also take into account any political, economic, and social considerations for which you can find evidence.
Minimum Requirements
Your Battle Analysis paper must meet the following minimum requirements:
1. It must be between eight and ten (8-10) pages in length. The length of your analysis paper does not include the title page, table of contents page, or reference page.
2. It must have a title page. The title page must have the title of the analysis paper, your name and address, and the name of the course.
3. It must have a table of contents. The table of contents must indicate the pages on which each portion or section of your paper begins.
4. It must have an abstract. An abstract is a short statement of the central idea(s) in your analysis paper. The abstract must be between 25 and 50 words in length.
5. It must have a statement of the issue(s). The statement of the issue(s) identifies the topic discussed and any related subordinate issues. For purposes of this analysis paper, the abstract is a discussion of the topic, your reaction statement, your reasons for selecting this question, identification of the major issues relating to the topic, and your position on the issue. The “statement of the issue” section of your analysis paper might identify more than one issue relating to the topic. However, after the “statement of the issue” section, discuss only the major issue(s) you have identified.
6. It must have a conclusion section. It should briefly summarize the issue(s) you raised and clearly articulate your analysis of the topic.
7. Your analysis paper must have a reference section. There is no specific referencing style that you must use, but whichever one you choose should be an accepted style (i.e. MLE, Turabian, AP), and you should be consistent in using it. Check with your mentor.
8. The references you cite should be from reputable and authoritative sources. Be discerning; just because something is in print or on the Internet does not mean it is credible. Your references must include primary and secondary sources. See the “Sources” section below for more information.
9. Each section of the analysis paper must have a separate heading and each section must correspond to the page numbers noted on the table of contents. Placing a heading at the beginning of each section of the paper makes the discussion in the paper easier to follow. Headings also improve the paper’s visual presentation.
10. Your analysis paper must use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. All technical flaws in your analysis paper will result in grade deductions.
Sources
A vast amount has been written about the American Civil War, and in general you should not have much difficulty finding information for any of the major battles or campaigns that were waged over the period 1861 to 1865. Indeed, so much exists that initially one of your biggest problems will be to narrow down which sources to use since the quality of the available material will vary considerably. One of the major concerns you should have is to select reputable works, and your mentor will be able to help you with your selection.
A good starting point for you to use when deciding on which battle to research for your analysis paper is the Civil War Preservation Trust’s Web site, which allows you to search battles by date, state, or specific engagement
Another source that you should consult for your paper is The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, the Official Records. Often referred to as simply the “Official Records” or “OR,” this is a multivolume series compiled by the U.S. government beginning at the end of the Civil War. This series contains documentation such as reports, letters, etc., produced by the participants involved in the various battles and campaigns of the Civil War.
The OR is available on CD, and Ohio State University has made the entire 128-volume series available online free-of-charge at their e-history Web site: http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/sources/records/
This Web site features an index of campaigns which, when used in conjunction with your textbook’s Table of Contents and Index, also provides a good starting point for you to use when making your choice of which particular battle to research. Click here for an index of campaigns: http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/sources/records/list.cfm
Clicking on the link for any specific campaign listed will take you to a page with a “Summary of Principal Events” associated with that campaign, including battles, followed by documentation for the campaign.
As a source of primary evidence, the OR is indispensible for any study of a battle or campaign. However, the OR should not be your main source of information since the reports, letters, etc. it contains were not checked for accuracy before their inclusion in the series. You will need to use a variety of sources, particularly secondary works that give a reasoned perspective of events–something the primary records in the OR will not provide.
Also note that typographical errors may occur in both the Ohio University and CD electronic versions of the OR. These errors are not in the original printed version of the OR and occurred as result of the scanning process when the series was converted to an electronic source.
Study Guide
Another source you will find useful when producing your analysis is an abridged version of the Study Guide for Battle Analysis, based on the methodological format developed by the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College to study battles and campaigns. It contains generic questions that can be applied to any battle.
Please consult the Course Documents area of the course site for this document. This abridged version gives you a good idea of the type of questions you should be attempting to answer in your analysis.
NOTE: Keep in mind that your paper should be 8-10 pages in length, which means that you will have to be very discerning about the amount of detail to include in your paper. Remember that one of your primary objectives is to relate how a particular battle or campaign affected the course of the Civil War. You need to keep your eyes on the “big picture” and avoid getting bogged down in too much detail.
