The Archive
All Articles
Every article indexed from the pages of Civil War News — 438 of them across90 issues, 2016 to 2026. Each one opens the full text on civilwarnews.com.
A Fighting Parson’s Deadly Aim
Barber didn’t shy away from action. In an early encounter with the enemy at Rappahannock Station in July 1862, the chaplain answered Colonel Henry A.V. Post’s cal…
“The Place...Shall Be Destroyed by Fire”
On the evening of May 21, 1864, Colonel David Hunter Strother, a Shenandoah Valley native and a member of Union general Franz Sigel’s staff, stood on the front po…
Vision and Valor: The War Through Women’s eyes
On February 5, 1864, George Metz of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, noted in his diary that he was reading “the life of Lincoln.” He must have enjoyed it, for he f…
This & That Governing Arkansas in the Civil War
elatively little is written about Arkansas’ role in the Civil War. It was a small state, and though a considerable percentage of Arkansas’ men served in the South…
The Graphic War Kimmel & Fo st er : L i t h o g r a p h e r s , Part II
The Graphic War Kimmel & Fo st er : L i t h o g r a p h e r s , Part II By Salvatore Cilella The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War…
THE UNFINISHED FIGHT:
To be introduced by someone meant they were vouching for your character, which also put that person’s own reputation at risk. For this reason, the formalities of…
THE LAWBOOK RAID
On June 20, 1863, the newly formed state of West Virginia was admitted to the United States. The northern portion of the new state mostly favored the Union. Conve…
Stephen Lang, Jeff Shaara
Stephen Lang, Jeff Shaara Star in a Holiday Weekend Ensemble Performance at Gettysburg By Harold Holzer GETTYSBURG, PA—For award-winning actor Stephen Lang, star…
Sacred Places, Profane Scenes: Central Virginia’s Battlefield churches
he names of churches that were on or near some Civil War’s battlefields are familiar to many students of the conflict. Places like Shiloh Church; Dunker Church at…
Medal of Honor for Two of Andrews’ Raiders
On July 3, President Biden at the White House bestowed Medals of Honor to descendants of two Union soldiers who had participated in the daring Andrews’ Railroad R…
Importance of Reputation
In November 2022, the first author received an unexpected phone call. The caller, Mr. William Spann, explained that after reading Ottens’s biography, General John…
Emerging Civil War Newsletter
From Little Round Top, the view across the Valley of Death toward Devil’s Den and the Wheatfield remains as splendid and sublime as ever: a one-time landscape of…
DOUGLAS SOUTHALL FREEMAN LEE’S LIEUTENANTS: A STUDY IN COMMAND
Lincoln and Immigration: Was Lincoln a WINO? Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration. By Harold Holzer, notes, bibliography, ind…
Critic’s Corner
It’s not too much to say that its author, Douglas Southall Freeman, was born in 1886 to write such a book. A Virginian, Freeman was raised and educated in Richmon…
Civil
Just as in modern times, armed opposition fuels volunteerism but is typically followed by conscription when increased mobilization is needed to bolster the ranks,…
America Battlefield Trust Preserve. Educate. Inspire.
Save 278 Acres of Civil War Hallowed Ground Governor Youngkin Unveils Culpeper Battlefields State Park In June, Governor Glenn Youngkin officially dedicated Virgi…
A Trove of General Rawlins Material Comes to Light
he last (July/August) “Vision and Valor” column began with the assertion, “There are few things an army and its soldiers need more than arms and ammunition .” One…
“Gobbled Up” – Four Prisoners of War on Central Virginia’s Battlefields
hen attempting to create awareness for the importance of saving a particular piece of battlefield land, appeals rightly often include mention of the soldiers who…
you are not going to fire here, are you?
“In retreat, double quick, run.” – Officer, 147th N.Y. n July 1, 1863, about 7 a.m., U.S. signal corps. officer Lt. Aaron B. Jerome spotted Confederates approachi…
Vision and Valor: The War Through Women’s eyes
Ever since its publication in 1885, an article penned by former Confederate general John George Walker for The Century Magazine, titled, “Jackson’s Capture of Har…
Vision and Valor The War Through Women’s Eyes
he men and women who manufactured arms and ammunition deserve special recognition. While manufacturing arms remained the realm of male employees, manufacturing am…
This & That 46th Year!
similar, notable in his use of the same adjective, “appalling.” “The entire supply of gunpowder in the Confederacy at the beginning of the conflict, was scarcely…
The Unfinished Fight Peanuts and Parched Corn
No discussion of Southern Civil War rations would be complete without including peanuts. Period accounts suggest that when bread and meat were scarce, peanuts—a/k…
Shenandoah Shootout at the N-SSA 149th Nationals
Winchester, Virginia, is an appropriate location for the North-South Skirmish Association’s home range. N-SSA units represent both Union and Confederate teams and…