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LOC Crowdsoucing: So today's goal is a total of 1,866 pages of the Lefthanded Penmanship Contest entries transcribed & reviewed by volunteers. Completed pages return to http://loc.gov where they make these soldiers' stories searchable and accessible to all!

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May 27, 2019 - The National Library of Congress says this Memorial Day join our challenge to review and complete 500 pages of “Disabled but not disheartened” in honor of those who have served and sacrificed.

Discover how Civil War Veterans coped with and interpreted the loss of a limb through their submissions to a Left-Hand Penmanship Contest. The contest, sponsored by William Oland Bourne, aimed to demonstrate that these Union Army veterans were “disabled, but not disheartened.” The writers recount their war service, the circumstances of their wound or amputation, and sometimes their feelings about sacrificing their dominant arm for the nation. Though the stories are personal to each veteran, their service and sacrifice resonate today.

As editor of the periodical The Soldier's Friend, Bourne sponsored a contest in 1865-1866 in which Union soldiers and sailors who lost their right arms by disability or amputation during the Civil War were invited to submit samples of their penmanship using their left hands. The contest, which awarded a total of $1,000 in prizes for the winning entries, was followed in 1867 by a second contest, which awarded $500 in prizes.

What can we learn about the experience of war from these Union vets?
Source: LOC