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.
A Quaker Goes to War
By Bruce Allardice and Wayne Wolf Northern Quakers faced a moral dilemma. They were anti-slavery and pro-Union, to be sure, but their faith dictated that they pla…
5th Virginia Cavalry Slouch Hat
5th Virginia Cavalry Slouch Hat By Shannon Pritchard When students of history envision a Virginia cavalier galloping along behind the dashing Jeb Stuart, this is…
2018 Ends on a High Note
The Williamson County Ag Expo Park is a great venue for the show, featuring 100,000 square feet of exhibit space. (Jack Melton) RICHMOND, Va. and FRANKL…
Union Veterans Honored Fallen Foe at Balls Bluff
The story behind a lone marker honoring a Confederate soldier at Balls Bluff Regional Park on the Potomac River near Leesburg, Va., stands in honored contrast to…
The U.S. Model 1851 Cadet Musket
In May 1851, the United States Ordnance Department authorized the manufacture of 2,000 percussion cadet muskets. The production of these muskets was necessary to…
The Civil War Returns to Sidney, Ohio
Sidney, Ohio’s, Civil War Living History Weekend returned to the community’s 220 acre Tawawa Park the weekend of Sept. 15-16. The heavily wooded park, complete wi…
The Burning Bridge
“I thought my time had come and that I passed the balls only to perish miserably on that burning bridge” – W.W. Sullivan C.S.A. On Dec. 11, 1862, U.S. Gen John Fo…
The Atlanta Ponder House Story
Most of us interested in Civil War history have seen the famous Ponder House picture taken, just outside Atlanta, along the outer fortification line at the southe…
Roman Numerals and Reproduction Bayonets
A question came up about the roman numerals that are sometimes found on the bottom of a Civil War-era musket barrel, as well as on other parts assemblies. They ar…
Revaluating a Confederate Sword
William Albaugh III is universally recognized as the father of Confederate sword collecting. His research and writings in the nineteen fifties and sixties present…
Otto Botticher: Soldier, Artist
This occasional column highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War. It discusses their meaning and most importantly, the goals of the print maker or arti…
Mr. Reader Revealed, Enfield YouTube, and Enfield Fouling Problems
I have more information on the “mysterious Mr. Reader,” who, as I related in my October column, in 1859 allegedly invented the ultimate weapon that we had never h…
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States: War Papers (MOLLUS) – Iowa and Vermont
Nearing the end of our yearlong examination of the MOLLUS Papers, five states remain, along with their respective collections. This month, accounts from the Iowa…
Letters to the Editor — December 2018
TO THE EDITOR: Thank you so much for the great article “Ed Bearss Chooses His Favorite Civil War Books” in the November Civil War News Book Issue. I had the pleas…
John L. Porter Designed First Confederate Ironclad Warship
Naval Constructor John Luke Porter did all that he could during his lifetime to make it clear that he was primarily responsible for transforming the charred hulk…
Joe Bilby Presented the New Jersey Historical Commission’s Richard J. Hughes Award
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.—Civil War News Columnist Joe Bilby was selected to receive the New Jersey Historical Commission’s Richard J. Hughes Award for his significa…
Ironclad Revolution Exhibit Offers Unique View of Civil War Naval History
When the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia fought the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, it essentially marked the beginning of the end of the era of…
Iron and Wood, Cloth and Paper: Naval Museum Displays It All
In 2001 the Confederate Naval Museum in Columbus, Ga., was relocated, renamed, and refocused on a broader mission. Since then the National Civil War Naval Museum…
Hatcher’s Meeting with Lincoln
At six-feet-five, Clinton Hatcher certainly stood out in a crowd in 1861. His red hair helped make him a topic of conversation for all who saw him, including the…
Grant and Twain: The Story of a Friendship that Changed America
Recently I pulled from my bookshelf Ulysses S. Grant’s two-volume Personal Memoirs, which I bought in a very early edition published by the Charles L. Webster Com…
Foreigners
This month’s trivia questions are based on the seminal works of Prof. Ella Lonn (1879–1962), Foreigners in the Confederacy (1940) and Foreigners in the Union Army…
Family Fun at the N-SSA 138th Nationals
The very first match of the shooting sports organization that would become the NorthSouth Skirmish Association, Inc. (known as the N-SSA) was shot in May 1950. Th…
Emerging Civil War — December 2018
From the Editor On September 14, Hurricane Florence lumbered in from the Atlantic just east of Wilmington, N.C. Once a powerful Category 4 storm, it weakened to a…
Civil War Events — December 2018
Come celebrate the Christmas of yesteryear amid period decorations, seasonal histories, and holiday discounts in the museum’s gift shop. Regular tour admission pr…