The Archive
All Articles
Every article indexed from the pages of Civil War News — 2551 of them across113 issues, 2016 to 2026. Each one opens the full text on civilwarnews.com.
The Pork Ration
No country in the world was richer in salt deposits than antebellum America. By 1860 the United States used more salt per capita than anywhere else in the known w…
The Library of Congress Collection — February 2024
U.S. Third Corps badge, 1st Division. This badge is the same design as the one on the soldier’s jacket. (Courtesy Union Drummer Boy.)
The 2023 West Coast Civil War Round Table Conference “Pemberton and Grant: Vicksburg Campaign of 1863” November 4-5, 2023
The 2023 annual West Coast Civil War Round Table Conference was held in Fresno, Calif., November 4th and 5th. It was a success for all who attended and engaged wi…
Testing Your General Knowledge
This column will cite some events in the lives of ten famous Civil War generals before they became famous and ask you to identify them. See page 39 for the answer…
THE CORPS THAT STOOD ALONE
“Major-General John Sedgwick [standing in the center] and Staff. Sedgwick’s Sixth Corps alone and unaided executed the most successful maneuver during the Chancel…
Lee saved Hill, who returned the favor in 1862
By Carl L. Sell Jr. Major General Ambrose Powell Hill Jr., and his new Light Division, had an impressive record in battle during the summer of 1862 but not so muc…
John Newland Maffitt—USN, CSN, ‘Prince of Privateers’
In 1861 plans were being formulated for joint Union army maneuvers and naval operations in eastern North Carolina. The Navy Department had considered coastal Nort…
Gettysburg Foundation Announces Leadership Change
GETTYSBURG, Penn. —The Gettysburg Foundation Board of Directors announced Jaunary 4, a leadership change for the Gettysburg Foundation. At the start of the new ye…
Emerging Civil War — February 2024
From the Editor It’s Monday morning, and I’ve got nothin’. Pat Kelly-Fischer, our new newsletter editor, is asking me for copy, but my brain is firing blanks. I’v…
Corps Badges
During the American Civil War, Union Army soldiers commonly wore corps badges. These badges were prominently displayed either on the top of their forage cap (kepi…
Brave Men Die In Battle / The Battle of Stones River: Part III
“In the fading light, the sheets of fire from the enemy’s cannon looked hideous and dazzling.” – C.S. Lt. Spencer Tally, 28th Tenn. On December 31, 1862, at the B…
Book Reviews — February 2024
A Detailed View of Little-Studied Campaign Outwitting Forrest: The Tupelo Campaign in Mississippi, June 22-July 23, 1864. By Edwin C. Bearss, edited by David A. P…
Beyond The Battle Named Best New Museum In U.S.
GETTYSBURG, Penn.— Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum, operated by the Adams County Historical Society, has won USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award for…
Annie Kyle Learns Sherman Arrives in Fayetteville
By Joan Wenner, J.D. The Fayetteville Observer, led by editor Edward Jones Hale, had the largest circulation in the state of North Carolina, and was such a force…
American Battlefield Trust — February 2024
Persevering to Protect 29 Acres of Civil War Hallowed Ground in Virginia In late fall of 2023, the Trust launched a campaign to help protect 29 critical acres of…
The Final Surrender
Soldiers, I am left a commander without an army, a general without troops. You have made your choice. – Gen. E. Kirby Smith to his command, May 30, 1865 After Lee…
The Confederate Reader
Richard Barksdale Harwell (1915–1988) was a distinguished librarian, bibliographer and historian. Dr. Harwell—he was awarded an honorary doctorate from New Englan…
The 2023 Lincoln Forum
By Leon Reed Once again, the Lincoln Forum brought together the nation’s leading Lincoln scholars and enthusiasts at Gettysburg’s Wyndham Hotel for a threeday bin…
Sykes’ Regulars at Chancellorsville’s First Day
Chancellorsville Campaign. The primary exception for the V Corps was Maj. Gen. George Sykes’ Division, who fought on May 1, 1863. Composed of three brigades, Syke…
Remembrance Day in Gettysburg
GETTYSBURG, Penn.—A collection of Gettysburg royalty, including Acting Park Superintendent Zachary Bolitho; Gettysburg College president Robert Iuliano; Gettysbur…
Huddy and Duval and the Militia
The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the printmaker or artist’s goals. From its inception as a nation…
Emerging Civil War — January 2024
From the Editor For their second assignment this semester, I asked my freshman writing students to tell me a story about a piece of writing that made an impact on…
Civil War News, a transformation of the Civil War Book Exchange, turns fifty
By Stephen Davis That’s right, we’re a halfThe year was 1974, the time century old. when… Civil War News was founded by • People Magazine hits the Kay and the lat…
Book Reviews — January 2024
A Wilderness of Destruction: Confederate Guerrillas in East and South Florida, 1861–1865. By Zack C. Waters. Illustrated, bibliography, index, Mercer University P…