I am an active participant and a patron of the American Civil War Talk (CWT) website. CWT is a well-moderated message board featuring far-ranging, and often quite scholarly discussions and debates of both historical topics broadly related to the American Civil War, and even some current topics with their roots in the Civil War. (Hey, some folks think the Civil War never ended!)
The ocean of literature and research in this field, which revolves around the most significant and transformational event in American history since the American Revolution itself, is wide and deep (and not infrequently treacherous). Several professional historians and authors are known to participate in CWT discussions, which range over not just the military history of the war itself, but the political history of the war, the history of secession leading up to the war, and the history of the Reconstruction Era following the war. I would venture to say that much of modern American history is not completely comprehensible without a basic knowledge of these topics. I encourage anyone with a real interest in the Civil War in particular, or even in American history in general, to check out the CWT website and consider joining.
Of particular interest to readers of this page will be the CWT forum on Uniforms and Relics, which features numerous posts by yours truly on subjects related to Civil War timekeepers and timekeeping. The first thread I initiated on the CWT, which is in this forum, provides a primer for the collecting of Civil War watches. Although directed at a general readership of Civil War relic collectors without specific horological backgrounds, I believe even many experienced watch collectors will find some of the information there useful. So please do check it out!
(Readers may also wish to consult my two-part PDF presentation, linked on my Pocket Horology page, in conjunction with the CWT primer post.)
Clint Geller 