'California, Gold and the Confederacy' the Next Focus of the American Civil War in the West Series at OldWestNewWest.Com

Cheyenne, WY (PRWEB) September 4, 2007 -- Confederate desires to control California and its gold and how those plans were thwarted is the focus of the September issue of OldWestNewWest.Com (www.oldwestnewwest.com) as the Internet eZine continues its look at how the American Civil War reached into the West

"The gold that was coming out of California helped President Abraham Lincoln pay for much of the Union war effort," said Mike Harris, OldWestNewWest.Com editor. "Confederate President Jefferson Davis knew how important it would be to the South if the flow of gold to the North was shut off, but the Confederacy never was able to stop it."

OldWestNewWest.Com's two-part report on "California, Gold and the Confederacy" begins this month with a look at Southern California and the attempts by Southern forces to take control of the region.

"At the start of the Civil War there were many Southern sympathizers in the area, especially around El Monte and San Bernardino," Harris said, "and without the bravery of Union defenders such as Captain Winfield Scott Hancock, who hid weapons and gunpowder from Southern sympathizers and was prepared to fight them all by himself, there might have been a revolt."

Part of the report looks at the Drum Barracks Museum in Los Angeles, the only remaining Civil War-era wooden structure from the Union Army's Camp Drum. The camp served as a staging area for California infantry and cavalry forces who were to drive back Confederate troops that had invaded the Southwest.

"The Drum Barracks is one of those relatively unknown Civil War treasures that provides great insight into the life and times of one of the greatest moments in our history, and people should go see it, especially if they want to experience a perspective of the Civil War as it impacted early Los Angeles," Harris added.

The September issue also includes travel reports on Fort Bridger in Wyoming, the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site in Oklahoma, and the River Heritage Days festival at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Iowa.

"To some, America's Civil War and the settling of the American West seem two totally unrelated parts of American history," said Harris. "The Civil War, however, did reach into the American West, and the stories of how the two sides fought west of the Mississippi River are filled with stories of daring and courage. Our readers will want to know where they can experience these Old West stories."

About OldWestNewWest.Com

OldWestNewWest.Com, the Internet eZine that showcases how the New West celebrates America's Old West, is published by Cheyenne, Wyoming-based La Frontera Publishing, publisher of historic fiction and non-fiction books about the American West. Its Web site can be found at www.lafronterapublishing.com and reached at (307) 778-4752. LFP's eZine, OldWestNewWest.Com, can be found at www.oldwestnewwest.com

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