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Sketch of Chickasaw Bayou via Wikimedia Commons.

Research Arsenal Spotlight 21: Richard Ransom and the Chicago Mercantile Battery Light Artillery

Richard “Dick” Ransom was born in 1842 to Daniel Ransom and Lucy Edson (Lake) Ransom of Woodstock, Vermont. By the 1860s, Richard Ransom was living in Chicago working as a pri…

This is a screenshot of a TikTok video I found that shows a Civil War uniform exhibited on a mannequin that is too large. Notice how it cannot be fully buttoned. By buttoning the top two buttons, you can see the stress put on the garment because those two buttons are trying to hold the whole thing together. This is an example of why it is important to use a mannequin that fits your garment, and why it's better to work with one that's on the slightly too small side and pad it up.

8 Tips for Displaying Historic Clothing at Home

For private collectors, historic garments are not just beautiful objects — they’re tangible connections to the past. Displaying them at home allows you to share their stories …

1st Lieutenant Biddle Boggs of Company H, 80th US Colored Troops Infantry.

Research Arsenal Spotlight 20: Biddle Boggs, Lt. on Gen. John C. Frémont’s Staff

Biddle Boggs was a rather unique character in history, serving in both the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. He was born in 1822 to Andrew Boggs and Sarah Talman…

Beyond the Charge: Captain H.C. Coates and the 1st Minnesota After Gettysburg

Beyond the Charge: Captain H.C. Coates and the 1st Minnesota After Gettysburg The story of the 1st Minnesota Infantry is usually told in a single moment—the desperate charge o…

Here you can see a number of pages that have been cut out of the ledger to be sold separately.

Angry Archivist: Cutting Up History

Angry Archivist: Cutting Up History Don’t you love it when you sit down to read through a historic book and someone has cut pages out of it? Isn’t that wonderful? No? I did…

CDV of General Nathaniel Banks with Officers at Fort Williams, Louisiana

Research Arsenal Spotlight 19: Varnum Valentine Vaughan 53rd Massachusetts Infantry

Varnum Valentine Vaughan was born in 1826 to Doctor Hubbard Vaughan and Azubah (Shaw) Vaughan of Prescott, Massachusetts. He married Lavonia King in 1847 and was working as a…

Here's an example of CatalogIt's online HUB virtual exhibit as used by the Chattanooga Historical Society.

4 Benefits of a Digitized Collection

4 Benefits of a Digitized Collection Last week, we went over some tips for scanning your collection. So, you’ve gotten a scanner and digitized your Civil War era photographs, …

Headquarters of Provost Marshal, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Research Arsenal Spotlight 18: George P. Jarvis of the 3rd Ohio Infantry

George P. Jarvis was born in 1842 to Leonard R. Jarvis and Susan (Thomas) Jarvis of New England, Athens County, Ohio. He also had a sister, Leonora Jarvis, born in 1850….

Here you can see the file name format used by the Research Arsenal and how multiple scans of the same document are given parenthetical numbers.

How to Scan Your Collection

How to Scan Your Collection This is only a basic guide on how to scan your collection. For this purpose, I’m focusing on documents and photographs. Things like maps, glass n…

Petersburg fortifications like the ones shown here were once manned by soldiers of the 21st South Carolina Infantry including Robert Alexander Garner.

Research Arsenal Spotlight 17: Robert Alexander Garner of the 21st South Carolina Infantry

Our focus this week is on a collection of 14 documents related to Robert Alexander Garner of the 21st South Carolina Infantry. Robert Alexander Garner was born in 1843 to…

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